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01 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


WILLAMETTE  VALLEY,' 


BEING  A 


Description  of  the  Valley  and  its  Resources,  with  an  account  of  its 

Discovery  and  Settlement  by  White  Men,  and 

its  Subsequent  History; 


TOGETHER  WITH 


PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES  OF  ITS  EARLY  PIONEERS. 


Edited  by  H.  O.  LANG. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HIMES  &  LANG. 


tA*° 

OF  THF      ' 

*NIVER5 


PORTLAND,  OREGON: 
GEO.  H.  HiMEa  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTER. 


1885. 

J 


Gc 


NOTK. 


THIS  work  is  written  and  published  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  and  preserv 
ing,  in  useful  and  compact  form,  the  scattered  records  and  recollections  of  this  por 
tion  of  Oregon,  ft  will  be  found  to  contain  a  considerable  amount  of  matter  which 
seems  properly  to  belong  to  a  history  of  the  State  at  large,  and  which  has  been 
incorporated  into  this  volume  because,  as  is  well  understood,  the  Willamette  Valley 
contains  the  greater  part  of  the  population  of  the  commonwealth,  and  has,  since 
the  earliest  settlement  of  Oregon,  constituted  by  far  the  most  important  section, 
although  its  area  only  amounts  to  one-seventh  of  the  present  State.  Much  of  the 
contents  of  this  volume  has  never  before  appeared  in  print,  and  except  for  its  pub 
lication  herein  would  never  have  appeared,  as  it  consists  largely  in  personal  recol 
lections  which,  by  the  laborious  method  pursued,  have  been  gathered  up  and  pre 
served  herein.  In  this  connection  the  publishers  desire  to  express  their  thanks  to 
all  who  have,  without  asking  remuneration,  contributed  information  or  otherwise 
favored  the  progress  of  this  work.  Their  gratitude  is  particularly  due  to  John 
Minto,  S.  A.  Clarke,  D.  D.  Prettyrnan  and  C.  Uzafovage,  of  Salem;  Dr.  J.  L.  Hill, 
of  Albany;  J.  M.  Bates,  of  Jefferson,  the  first  of  the  living  pioneers;  and  S.  A. 
Moreland,  of  Portland,  the  author  of  the  treatise  upon  the  railways  of  the  Valley, 
which  is  included.  The  newspapers  of  the  Valley  have,  almost  without  exception, 
devoted  their  columns  generously  to  the  needs  of  the  new  publication.  The  valu 
able  collections  of  the  Portland  Library  Association  have  been  of  such  use  that  an 
acknowledgment  is  suitable.  Having  completed  the  work  with  whatever  of  indus 
try  and  ability  the  compiler?  have  been  enabled  to  expend  upon  it,  it  is  now  sub- 
mittP'  to  the  criticisms  of  those  to  whom  its  contents  may  have  interest.  By  criti 
cism  is  meant  that  fair  and  profound  discussion  which  intelligence  inspires.  Such 
criticism  invariably  is  of  value,  and  in  this  instance  will  prove  doubly  so,  as  the 
present  work  is  but  one  of  a  series  of  historical  compositions,  whose  later  issues  will 
rectify  the  possible  errors  of  their  predecessors. 


COPYRIGHT,   f885, 
BY  GEO.  H.  MIMES  AND  H.  O.  LANG. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

AMERICA  IN  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. — Spain's  Foothold  in  the  New 
World— The  Age  of  Romance  and  Adventure— The  Method  and  Succes 
sive  Stages  of  Conquest— Discovery  of  the  South  Sea,  or  Pacific  Ocean,  by 
Balboa  and  Magellan — Conquest  of  Mexico  and  Peru — First  Attempt  to 
Colonize  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  California— Efforts  of  Portugal,  Eng 
land  and  France--  17 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  ui  ANIAX.— Cortereal  Discovers  the  Straits  of  Lab 
rador—Imagines  he  has  passed  through  Novus  Mundus— Vasco  de  Gama 
reaches  India  by  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope— Naming  of  the  Straits 
\  of  Anian  by  Cortereal— Magellan's  Discovery  of  a  Southwest  Passage 
Confirms  the  Belief  in  a  Northwest  one— Explorations  of  Cortes  in  the 
Pacific— Voyage  of  Francisco  de  Ulloa — Mendoza  Dispatches  Alarcon  and 
Coronado  in  Search  of  Cibola  and  Quivira — Voyage  of  Juan  Rodriguez 
Cabrillo— His  Death — Ferrelo  Continues  the  Voyage  to  Latitude  43°  or  44° 
—Spain  Abandons  the  Search  for  the  Straits  of  Anian  and  Turns  her  At 
tention  to  the  Indies — Spanish  Commerce  Supreme  in  the  Pacific — Her 
Claim  of  Exclusive  Domain— The  Buccaneers,  or  Freebooters  of  the  Span 
ish  Main,  Invade  the  Pacific — Piratical  Voyage  of  Sir  Francis  Drake — He 
Searches  for  the  Straits  of  Anian — Dispute  among  Historians  as  to  the 
Extent  of  his  Voyage— Drake  Lands  his  Pilot  in  Oregon— Drake's  Bay 
not  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco — Drake  Takes  Possession  of  New  Albion — 
Romances  of  Chaplain  Fletcher — Drake's  Success  Excites  the  Emulation 
of  other  Adventurers— Fraudulent  Claims  of  Discovery  of  a  Northwest 
Passage— Maldonado's  Pretended  Voyage  through  the  Straits  of  Anian 
— His  Memorial  a  Sham 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  STRAITS  OF  JUAN  DE  FUCA  AND  THE  PIVER  OF  KINGS.— Narrative  of 
Michael  Lock,  the  Elder — Story  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  as  told  by  Lock — de 
scription  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca —Controversy  among  Historians  over 
Fuca's  alleged  Voyage— Both  Sides  Carefully  Considered— Probably  a 
Myth— Admiral  Fonte's  alleged  Voyage— The  River  of  Kings— Its  Ab 
surdity  Pointed  Out 37 

CHAPTER   IV. 

VOYAGES  AND  EVENTS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.— Philip  orders  a 
Voyage  along  the  Pacific  Coast— Reasons  Assigned  by  Torquemada  and 
Venegas— Viscaino  sent  out  by  the  Viceroy  in  1596 — Viscaino's  second 
Voyage  in  1602— Ravages  of  the  Scurvy— He  Enters  Monterey— Argu 
ment  of  the  Claim  that  he  Entered  San  Francisco  Bay— Earliest  Positive 


i 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Knowledge  of  that  Harbor— Viscaino  goes  to  Latitude  42°  and  returns  ; 
but  Aguilar  reaches  43° — Cape  Blanco  and  the  River  of  Aguilar — Califor 
nia  Supposed  to  be  an  Island— Viscaino  dies  after  Obtaining  a  Royal 
Mandate  to  occupy  Monterey — Spain  Ceases  all  Explorations  of  the  Coast-  45 

CHAPTER  V. 

HUDSON'S  BAY,  CAPE  HORN,  AND  BEHRING'S  STRAITS.— Discovery  of  Davis' 
Straits — Henry  Hudson,  William  Baffin,  and  other  Explorers  in  the 
North- Atlantic — Dutch  Navigators  Discover  the  Passage  around  Cape 
Horn — Buccaneers  Swarm  into  the  Pacific  by  the  New  Route— Otondo 
attempts  to  Colonize  Lower  California— The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  Char 
tered,  in  1669,  to  Discover  the  Straits  of  A nian— Privileges  Granted  by  the 
Charter— The  Company  Heads  off  all  efforts  at  Exploration— Russians 
cross  Siberia  and  Explore  the  Pacific — Plans  of  Peter  the  Great — Dis 
covery  of  Behring's  Straits  and  Alaska — Voyage  of  Tchirikof— Behring 
Discovers  Mount  St.  Elias  and  Dies  on  Behring's  Isle — The  Early  Fur 
Trade  of  the  North  Pacific— Benyowsky  Takes  a  Cargo  of  Furs  to  Canton 
and  thus  Reveals  the  Magnitude  of  the  Pacific  Ocean— Russian  Idea  of 
Alaskan  Geography 52 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.— The  Jesuits  Colonize  Lower  Cal 
ifornia — The  Franciscans  Enter  California — Discovery  of  San  Francisco 
Bay — Early  French  Explorers— The  River  of  the  West — Verendrye  Ex 
plores  the  Rocky  Mountains — France  Sells  Louisiana  to  Spain  and  Loses 
Canada  to  England  by  Conquest— Journey  of  Captain  Carver — He  calls 
the  River  of  the  West  "Oregon" — Argument  upon  the  Origin  of  the 
Word  "Oregon" — The  Generally  Accepted  Spanish  Theory  does  not 
Stand  the  Light  of  Investigation — The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Policy 
of  Keeping  the  World  Ignorant  of  the  Geography  of  the  Country  Occu 
pied  by  Them— Samuel  Hearne  Discovers  Great  Slave  Lake,  Coppermine 
River  and  the  Arctic  Ocean — Russia's  Activity  in  Alaska  Incites  Spain  to 
Renew  her  Explorations— Voyage  of  Perez  and  Martinez— Perez  enters 
Port  San  Lorenzo,  or  Nootka  Sound — Martinez  Claims  to  have  Observed 
the  Straits  of  Fuca— Voyage  of  Heceta  and  Bodega  y  Quadra — Bellin's 
Wonderful  Chart— Discovery  of  Trinidad  Bay— Isla  de  Dolores,  or  Destruc 
tion  Island— Heceta  Attempts  to  Enter  the  Columbia — Spanish  and  En 
glish  Methods  of  Exploration  Compared — Bodega  and  Maurelle  Discover 
Mount  San  Jacinto,  or  Edgecumb— They  Land  and  Take  Possession  for 
the  King  of  Spain— They  Reach  Latitude  58°  and  Return— England,  in 
Alarm  at  the  Progress  Made  by  Spain  and  Russia,  Sends  Captain  Cook  to 
the  Pacific— His  Particular  Instructions— Cook  Names  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  Cape  Flattery  and  Nootka  Sound,  and  Searches  for  the  Straits  of 
Fuca,  River  of  Kings  and  Straits  of  A  nian— He  Passes  Through  Beh- 
ring's  Straits  and  Around  the  Northwestern  Extremity  of  Alaska- 
Winters  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  is  killed  by  the  Natives— The  Ex 
pedition  Again  Visits  the  Arctic,  Takes  a  Cargo  of  Furs  to  Canton  and 
Returns  to  England— The  Record  of  the  Voyage  Pigeon-holed  Until  the 
War  is  Over— Enterprise  of  John  Ledyard — Arteaga,  Bodega  and  Maurelle 
Follow  Cook's  Route  Up  the  Coast 63 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  TJJ  JE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN. — The  Russian- American 
Trading  Cc  ,  -France  sends  I^Perouse  to  the  Pacific— James 


CONTENTS.  Yll 

Hanim  makes  the  Kirst  Vojage  in  the  Fur  Trade  from  England — Eng 
land's  Short-sighted  Policy  of  Granting  Monopoly  Charters— The  East 
India  Company  and  South  Sea  Company — Their  Conflicting  Interests 
Lead  to  the  Organization  of  the  King  George's  Sound  Company— Belief 
that  North  America  above  Latitude  49°  was  an  Archipelago  of  Huge 
Islands— First  Voyage  of  Capiain  Meares — His  Terrible  Winter  on  the 
Alaskan  Coast— Captain  Barclay  Discovers  the  Straits  of  Fuca— Meares 
Engages  in  the  Fur  Trade  under  the  Portuguese  Flag — He  Builds  the 
Schooner  "  Northwest  America  "  at  Nootka  Sound — Explores  the  Straits 
of  Fuca — His  Unsuccessful  Search  for  the  Bio  de  San  Roque— Deception 
Bay  and  Cape  Disappointment — The  United  States  Enters  the  Contest 
for  the  Control  of  the  Pacific  Coast  — The  "Columbia  Rediviva  "  and 
"  Lady  Washington"— The  Latter  Attacked  by  Indians,  and  the  Former 
Supplies  Spain  with  an  Opportunity  to  Promulgate  her  Doctrine  of  Ex 
clusive  Rights  In  the  Pacific— Martinez  sent  to  Explore  the  Coast  and  In-  v 
vestigate  the  Russians — His  Report  of  Russian  Operations  Causes  Spain 
to  Send  a  Remonstrance  to  the  Empress — Martinez  Fortifies  Nootka  and 
Takes  Possession  in  the  Name  of  the  King  of  Spain— He  Seizes  the  "  Iphi- 
genia"and  "Northwest  America  "— Colnett  and  Hudson  arrive  in  the 
"Argonaut"  and  "Princess  Royal" — Are  made  Prisoners  by  Martinez 
and  sent  to  Mexico — The  Prisoners  Released  and  Vessels  Restored — Con 
troversy  between  England  and  Spain  Terminated  by  the  Nootka  Conven 
tion — Stipulations  of  the  Treaty  Displease  both  Parties 92 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PUGKT  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA  RIVER  DISCOVERED.— Explorations  of  Lieuten 
ant  Quimper  in  the  Straits  of  Fuca— He  takes  Formal  Possession  for  Spain 
— Elisa  Explores  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  Gulf  of  Georgia — Malaspina  and 
Bustamante  Search  for  the  Straits  of  Anian — Kendrick  Again  Visits  the 
Coast  and  Buys  Land  from  the  Indians — Gray  Arrives  in  the  Columbia 
and  Winters  at  Clayoquot — Events  of  1792 — Spain  makes  a  Last  Effort  to 
Explore  the  Disputed  Region— Arrival  of  Vancouver's  Expedition — He 
Examines  the  Oregon  Coast— Searches  in  Vain  for  the  Rio  de  San  Roque 
—He  Records  his  Unqualified  Disbelief  in  such  a  River — Gray  Builds  the 
"Adventure"  at  Clayoquot— He  Discovers  the  Columbia  River — Vancou 
ver  Explores  Puget  Sound  and  Falls  in  with  the  Spaniards— He  Examines 
the  Coast  Carefully — Meets  Quadra  at  Noetka — Finds  Him  Prepared  with 
Proofs  to  Sustain  the  Cause  of  Spain— They  Fail  to  Agree  on  Terms— 
They  Bestow  their  Names  upon  the  Island  of  Vancouver  and  Quadra— 
Broughton  Explores  the  Columbia — Vancouver  Finishes  His  Explorations 
and  Returns  to  England— The  Nootka  Question  Settled  and  the  Port 

Abandoned 113 

CHAPTER  IX. 

OVERLAND  JOUHNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.— Organization  of  the  Northwest  Com 
pany  of  Montreal— Mackenzie's  Journey  to  the  Arctic  Ocean — His  Trip  to 
the  Pacific  in  1792— Discovery  and  Naming  of  Fraser  River— Treaty  of 
1794  Opens  a  Western  Field  for  American  Traders — Conflicting  Claims  of 
Various  Nations  at  the  Beginning  of  the  Present  Century — Spain  Recon- 
V  veys  Louisiana  to  France  in  ISOO— Thomas  Jefferson's  Efforts  to  have  the 

Unknown  Region  Explored— Louisiana  Purchased  by  the  United  States 
—The  Lewis  and  Clarke  Expedition  —  They  Winter  'ith  the  Mandaii 
Indians — Ascend  the  Missouri — Cross  to  Clarke.  -"or*. — Reach  the  Nez 
Perces— Descend  Clearwater,  Lewis  (Snake)  and  v  -a  Rivers  t«»  the 


; 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Pacific— Winter  at  Fort  Clatsop— The  Multnomah,  or  Willamette,  River 
—The  Walla  Walla,  Cayuse  and  Nez  Perce  Indians— Lewis  and  Clarke 
Descend  the  Yellowstone  and  Missouri — Effect  of  their  Great  Journey- 
Anxiety  of  Great  Britain— Fort  Fraser  Established  in  New  Caledonia- 
Fort  Henry  Built  on  Snake  River .  130 

CHAPTER  X. 

ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.— The  Pacific  Fur  Trade  at  the 
Beginning  of  the  Present  Century — Americans  in  the  Lead — Their  Plan 
oi  Operations — Russia  Complains  of  the  Sale  of  Fire- Arms  to  the  Indians 
— John  Jacob  Astor's  Plans — The  Pacific  Fur  Company  Organized — 
Astor's  Alien  Partners— The  "Tonquin"  Sails  from  New  York — Dissen 
sions  on  the  Voyage — Dangers  of  the  Columbia  Bar — Astoria  Founded — 
Sad  Fate  of  the  "  Tonquin  "  and  Her  Crew — Appearance  at  Astoria  of  an 
Agent  of  the  Northwest  Company — Fort  Okinagan— Launch  of  the 
u  Dolly  " — Sufferings  of  Wilson  Price  Hunt's  Party — Operations  along  the 
Columbia— Astoria  Sold  to  the  Northwest  Company — Captured  by  the 
English  and  Named  "Fort  George" — Unsuccessful  Efforts  of  Mr.  Astor 
to  Regain  Possession — Negotiations  under  the  Treaty  of  Ghent— Conflict 
ing  Claims  to  Oregon  Advanced  by  England  and  the  United  States — 
Technical  Surrender  of  Fort  George — Joint  Occupation  Agreed  Upon — 
The  Florida  Treaty 147 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES.— Growth  and  Power  of  the  Northwest  Company 
—Rivalry  between  it  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company — The  Red  River 
War — Barrows'  Description  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company — The  Cana 
dian  Voyageurs — Fort  Vancouver  Founded — Dunn's  Description  of  the  . 
Fort  and  the  Methods  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Oregon -  169 

CHAPTER  XII. 

DIPLOMACY  AGAIN  ENDS  IN  JOINT  OCCUPATION. — Claim  of  the  United  States 
to  the  Columbia  River — Spasmodic  Consideration  of  the  Oregon  Question 
in  Congress— The  Russian  Ukase — The  Monroe  Doctrine — Negotiations  in 
1824— Claims  of  the  United  States  Advanced  by  Mr.  Rush— The  Opposing 
Claims  of  Great  Britain— Reply  of  Mr.  Rush  and  the  English  Commis 
sioners  to  Each  Other — England  Rejects  America's  Offer  of  the  Fifty-first 
Parallel,  and  Proposes  the  Forty-ninth  and  Columbia  River — Rush  Offers 
the  Forty-ninth  to  the  Ocean— Rejected  and  the  Negotiations  Terminate 
—Mr.  Gallatin  Sent  to  London  in  1826— Offer  of  the  Columbia  again  made 
by  England  and  Rejected— The  Doctrine  of  Contiguity— The  Spanish 
Title  as  Modified  by  the  Nootka  Convention— Trading  Posts  Declared  not 
to  be  Settlements  by  Mr.  Gallatin,  a  Declaration  which  Becomes  a  Boom 
erang—The  Period  of  Joint  Occupation  Indefinitely  Extended--  -  179 
CHAPTER  XIII. 

FAILURE  OF  ALL  ATTEMPTS  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS. — 
Outlook  for  Joint  Occupation— Comparison  of  the  Advantages  of  the  Eng 
lish  and  American  Traders— Character  of  the  American  Trappers— The 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Methods  and  Servants— Growth  of  the  Ameri 
can  Fur  Trade— The  American  Fur  Company — The  Missouri  Fur  Com 
pany—Ashley,  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  Penetrates  the 
Rocky  Mountains— Method  of  Conducting  Trapping  Enterprises— The 
Annual  Rendezvous— Jedediah  8.  Smith's  First  Overland  Journey— His 
Second  Journey  Fraught  with  Disaster— His  Adventures  in  California— 


CONTENTS.  IX 

His  party  Massacred  on  the  Umpqua — The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  Re 
cover  Smith's  Furs  and  Pay  him  for  Them— Gray's  Version  of  this  Affair 
—The  Subject  Discussed— Bostons  and  King  George's  Men— Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin's  Account  of  this  Episode — McLeod's  Unfortunate  Expedition 
— Ogden's  Expedition  to  the  Humboldt  and  California— Death  of  Smith  v 
— Major  Pilcher  and  Ewing  Young— Hudson's  Bay  Company  Establish 
Fort  Umpqua  and  a  Headquarters  in  California— Bonneville's  Trading 
Ventures— Two  Efforts  of  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth  to  Trade  in  Oregon  Result 
Disastrously— McLoughlin's  Remarks  on  Wyeth — Abandonment  of  Ore 
gon  by  American  Trappers 186 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS. — Missionaries  Introduce  a 
New  Element  into  the  Oregon  Question — The  Flatheads  send  Messengers 
to  St.  Louis  to  Procure  a  Bible— Jason  Lee  and  others  sent  by  the  Meth 
odist  Board  of  Missions— They  Locate  in  the  Willamette  Valley— Their 
Plan  of  Operations — Sickness  at  the  Mission  and  Hostility  of  the  Indians 
— Parker  and  Whitman  sent  by  the  American  Board— Parker's  Triumphal 
March— He  Returns  Home  and  Publishes  a  Book — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whit 
man — Whitman  Takes  a  Cart  as  Far  as  Fort  Boise — Missions  Founded  at 
Waiilatpu  and  Lapwai — Progress  of  the  Missions  of  the  American  Board 
—Mission  Founded  at  The  Dalles — Advent  of  the  Catholics — A  Religious 
War  at  Once  Begins— A  Few  Sample  Incidents— Effects  of  the  Two 

Forms  of  Worship  upon  the  Natives L'nT 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AMERICAN  EMIGRANTS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.— Early 
Advocates  of  Oregon  Emigration  —Efforts  of  Hall  J.  Kelley — The  Ameri 
can  Society  for  the  Settlement  of  Oregon  Territory— It  Memorializes  Con 
gress  and  Advertises  for  Emigrants — Wyeth,  Kelley  and  Ewing  Young 
come  to  Oregon— Earliest  American  Settlers — McLoughlin's  Account  of 
Settlement  t)f  French  Prairie— The  Willamette  Cattle  Company— Popula 
tion  of  Oregon  in  1840— First  Effort  at  a  Government— Settlement  at  Wil 
lamette  Falls— Radical  Change  in  the  Policy  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany  as  Regards  Settlers— The  Company's  Deep  Laid  Plan — Attitude  of 
the  Company  and  its  Chief  Representative — Dr.  McLoughlin  Considered 
—Reasons  for  the  Bitter  Feeling  Entertained  by  some  Americans — Dr. 
McLoughlin's  Statement  of  His  Conduct  and  the  Treatment  Received 
from  both  English  and  Americans— A  Bad  Showing  for  the  Gratitude  of 
some  Americans — Classification  of  the  Population  as  Regards  Interests — 
Reasons  for  Desiring  a  Government — A  Petition  Sent  to  Congress  in  1840 
— First  Meeting  to  Form  a  Government— Death  of  Ewing  Young  Leads 
to  the  Organization  of  a  Government— The  Officers  Elected — Failure  to 
Form  a  Constitution— The  Wilkes  Expedition— The  Wolf  Meeting— The 
First  Legislative  Committee— Organization  of  the  Provisional  Govern 
ment—The  First  Officers— Condition  of  the  Missions— Antagonism  of  the 
Indians  to  American  Settlers— Dr.  White  Induces  the  Nez  Perces,  Was- 

copuins  and  Cayuses  to  Adopt  a  Code  of  Laws L>±.' 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  1843.— What  Induced  the  Emigra 
tion  of  1843 — Steps  Taken  to  Organize  the  Movement — Dr.  Whitman's 
Character— His  Anxiety  to  Americanize  Oregon— The  Ashburton  Treaty 
and  the  Cod  Fishery— Whitman's  .Decision  to  Visit  \v  ashington— The 
Waiilatpu  Meeting — The  Unfortunate  Controversy  over  the  Services  of 


X  CONTENTS. 

Dr.  Whitman— Gray's  Walla  Walla  Romance— Its  Absurdity  Pointed  Out 
—The  Facts — Whitman  and  Lovejoy's  Journey — Extent  of  Whitman's 
Influence  in  Inducing  Emigration — His  Visit  to  Washington  and  Boston 
— Organization  and  Journey  of  the  Emigrants— List  of  Emigrants  and 
Population  of  Oregon  in  1843— Fremont's  Exploring  Party 200 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

1844  TO  1849.— Indian  Difficulty  at  Oregon  City— First  Military  Company- 
Methodist  Missions  Abandoned — Increase  of  the  Catholic  Workers— Elec 
tion  of  1844— Abstract  of  Votes— Proceedings  of  the  Legislative  Commit 
tee—Emigration  of  1844— List  of  Emigrants — Election  of  1845— George 
Abernethy  Chosen  First  Governor  of  Oregon --Abstract  of  Votes— Oath 
of  Office— Dr.  White  and  the  Memorial  to  Congress— Wheat  a  Legal 
Tender— Census  of  1845— Emigration  of  1845— Meek  Takes  the  Emigrants 
by  a  New  Route  and  Loses  Them  in  the  Mountains— The  Eventful  Year 
of  1846— Mr.  Elaine's  Account  of  the  Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Question 
-^Election  of  1846— Emigration  of  1846— The  Applegate  Trail— Flags  of 
the  Schooner  "  Shark  "—Emigration  of  1847— The  Traveling  Nursery- 
Elections  of  1847  and  1848— Emigration  of  1848  _.  ..  279 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR. — Condition  of  Protestant 
and  Catholic  Missions  in  1847— Situation  of  Affairs  at  Waiilatpu— Tom 
Hill  and  Joe  Lewis— Whitman  Buys  The  Dalles  Mission  and  Prepares  to 
Abandon  Waiilatpu — Catholics  Establish  a  Mission  on  the  Umatilla — 
Sickness  among  the  Cay  uses — Joe  Lewis'  Poison  Story— Evidence  of 
Colonel  Craig  and  the  Whitman  Indians — Details  of  the  Massacre- 
Charges  Against  the  Catholics — Ransom  of  the  Captives — Action  of  the 
Provisional  Government — Oregon  Rifles  take  Possession  of  The  Dalles— 
A  Regiment  Organized— Campaign  in  the  Cayuse  Country— End  of  the 
War— Five  Cayuses  Executed  at  Oregon  City .°>05 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY.— News  Brought  by  Emigrants 
in  1847  very  Disheartening— Letter  of  Senator  Benton— J.  Quinn  Thorn 
ton  Sent  to  Washington  to  Urge  Legislation— Incidents  of  his  Journey- 
Joseph  L.  Meek  Sent  to  Washington  after  the  Whitman  Massacre— His 
Mid-Winter  Journey — Interesting  Account  of  the  Contest  in  the  Senate 
over  the  Oregon  Bill— General  Joseph  Lane  Appointed  Governor — His 
Trip  Overland— Organization  of  the  Government — Officers  of  the  Old  and 
New  Governments— Census  of  1849— Discovery  of  Gold  in  California- 
Beaver  Money 319 

CHAPTER  XX. 

OREGON  AS  A  TERRITORY.— Organization  of  the  Territorial  Government- 
First  Legislature— Towns  in  Oregon  in  1850— A  Military  Episode— John  P. 
Gaines  Succeeds  General  Lane  as  Governor— Inharmony  between  Demo 
cratic  Legislature  and  Whig  Officers— Three  Newspapers  Enter  the  Field 
—The  Steamer  "  Lot  Whitcomb  "—Oregon  City  and  Salem  Contest  for 
the  Capital— Wreck  of  the  "General  Warren  "— Indian>Troubles  in  1851- 
52-53— George  L.  Curry  becomes  Governor— Efforts  to  Form  a  State  Con 
stitution— Colville  Mines— Indian  War  of  1855-56— Political  Complica 
tions— Fraser  River  Excitement— Oregon  Admitted  to  the  Union  ---_ 332 


^ 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

INDIAN  WARS  OF  1853  AND  1854.— Outrages  Committed  in  Rogue  River  Valley 
—Volunteer  Companies  Organized— General  Lane  Takes  Command — De 
feat  of  Lieutenant  Griffin  and  of  Lieutenant  Ely— Indians  Defeated  at 
Battle  Creek — Armistice  of  Seven  Days— The  Table  Rock  Treaty — Inci 
dents  of  the  ''Peace  Talk" — The  Grave  Creek  Massacre — Captain  Miller 
Sent  to  Escort  Emigrants  through  the  Modoc  Country— Expenses  of  the  v 
War  Paid  by  the  Government— Events  of  1854 — The  Snake  River  Massacre 
—Expedition  of  Major  Haller  to  Fort  Boise 358 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  1855. — Inability  of  Indians  to  form  a  Coherent  Com 
bination — Rogue  River,  Puget  Sound  and  the  Columbia  Hostilities  Dis 
tinct  and  Separate — Relation  of  Whites  and  Indians  in  Rogue  River  Val 
ley — Controversy  between  General  Wool  and  the  Citizens — Incidents  be 
fore  the  Outbreak— The  Lupton  Affair— Quick  Revenge  of  the  Indians- 
Massacre  of  October  9th — Heroic  Defense  of  Mrs.  Harris— Great  Excite 
ment  Prevails — A  Review  of  the  Situation— Causes  which  Led  to  the  War 
on  the  Columbia— Indian  Treaties  made  by  Stevens  and  Palmer— Th^y 
Mislead  the  People  by  Publishing  Incorrect  Statements  of  what  they  have 
Accomplished — Discovery  of  Gold  in  the  Colville  Region — Sauce  for  the 
Goose  not  Sauce  for  the  Gander— Murder  of  Mattice— Hegira  from  Colville 
and  Walla  Walla — Murder  of  Indian  Agent  Bolaii— Regulars  Invade  the 
Yakima  Country— Defeat  of  Major  Haller— Major  Raines  Calls  for  Volun 
teers— Governor  Curry  Calls  for  Ten  Companies — General  Wool's  opinion 
of  Governor  Curry's  Conduct — Another  Cause  Assigned  for  the  War- 
Excitement  in  Willamette  Valley—The  "Oregonian  "  and  "  Statesman  " 
— Wars  and  Rumors  of  Wars  Alarm  the  People 365 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH. — Governor  Curry  Calls  for  Two  Bat 
talions  of  Volunteers— Siege  of  Galice  Creek — Battle  of  Hungry  Hill — A 
Poor  Commissariat,  and  Jealousy  between  Regulars  and  Volunteers  Cause 
Disaster— Organization  of  the  Two  Battalions— They  Arrange  with  the 
Regulars  for  a  Joint  Campaign — The  First  Meadows  Campaign — Invasion 
of  the  Rice  Settlement — Massacre  of  Peaceable  Umpquas  in  Looking-Glass 
Valley — Attack  on  the  Camps  of  Jake  and  John — The  Siege  on  Applegate 
Creek— Fight  011  Murphy  Creek — Close  of  the  Campaign  for  the  Winter--  394 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.— Troops 
Concentrate  at  The  Dalles— Conflict  of  authority — An  Incident  at  Van 
couver—Block  House  Built  at  the  Cascades — Efforts  to  Equip  the  Volun 
teers — Regulars  and  Volunteers  March  North  from  The  Dalles — Plan 
of  the  Campaign — The  Fight  011  the  Banks  of  the  Yakima  and  at  the 
"  Buttes  "—Burning  of  the  Catholic  Mission  Ends  the  Campaign— Ef 
forts  to  Treat  with  Peu-peu-rnox-mox — Prelude  to  the  Walla  Walla  Cam 
paign—Fort  Henrietta— Regulars  Refuse  their  Aid  in  a  Useless  Winter 
Campaign — Unfitness  of  the  Volunteers  for  such  a  Campaign— Colonel 
Kelly  Marches  Against  the  Walla  Wallas— Capture  of  Peu-peu-mox-mox 
Under  a  Flag  of  Truce— A  Night  of  Suspense  and  Excitement— A  Fruit 
less  Ante-Breakfast  March— Battle  of  Walla  Walla— Killing  of  Peu-peu- 
mox-mox  and  other  Prisoners— Ears  and  Scalp  of  the  Chief  Exhibited  in 
the  Willamette  Valley  — The  Situation  after  the  Battle  —  Killed  and 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

Wounded — Great  Excitement  in  the  Willamette  when  the  News  is  Re 
ceived—  "  Oregonian  "  Editorials  on  the  Situation  —  General  Wool  Con 
demned—His  Opinion  of  the  War  and  the  People's  Opinion  of  Him — 
Governor  Stevens  Prefers  Charges  Against  General  Wool — Incidents  At 
tending  the  Return  of  Governor  Stevens  from  the  Blackfoot  Country— 
The  Charges  of  the  Irate  Governor  Pigeon-holed — The  Situation  During 
the  Winter — Unpleasant  Experiences  of  the  Volunteers -Reinforcements 
sent  to  Walla  Walla — Colonel  Cornelius  Resumes  the  Offensive — Horse 
Meat  Causes  a  Mutiny — No  Enemy  Being  Found,  the  Command  Aban 
dons  the  Walla  Walla  Country — Farewell  Courtesies  of  Kama-i-akun- 
The  Volunteers  Disband  Without  Official  Recognition  of  their  Services- 
Honors  Received  from  the  People — Two  Companies  Raised  to  Guard  the 
Columbia— Refrain  of  the  "Horse-fed  Volunteer  "—The  Political  and 
Speculative  Aspect  of  the  Campaign — Governor  Curry  goes  to  Washing 
ton  to  Counteract  the  Influence  of  General  Wool,  and  Secure  an  Appro 
priation  to  Defray  the  Expenses  of  the  War .  404 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WTAR  ON  ROGUE  RIVEK. — Reorganization  of  the  Vol 
unteers — Appointment  of  General  Lamerick— Removal  of  the  Table  Rock 
Band  to  the  Coast  Reservation— The  Flag  of  Truce  Incident — Battle  of 
Eight-Dollar  Mountain— Campaign  to  Big  Meadows— Battle  at  the  Bar- 
Fort  Lamerick  Built  in  Big  Meadows— Massacre  at  Gold  Beach — The  Reg- 
ul?'*s  Assume  the  Offensive — They  Chastise  the  Indians  at  different  Places 
—Council  of  Oak  Flat— Battle  between  Chief  John  and  Captain  Smith— 
The  Volunteers  defeat  Limpy  and  George — All  the  Hostiles  Surrender 
and  are  taken  to  the  Coast  Reservation -  4:»3 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  CASCADES. — Colonel  Wright  Assumes  Command  of  the 
Regulars— His  Instructions  from  General  Wool— He  Starts  for  the  Walla 
Walla  Country  with  a  Strong  Force — Fears  ot  an  Attack  on  the  Cascades 
—The  Attack  is  Made  on  the  Twenty-Sixth  of  March,  1856— Details  of  the 
A  flair — Colonel  Wright  Comes  to  the  Rescue  from  The  Dalles,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Sheridan  from  Vancouver— Indians  Captured  and  Hanged— List 
of  Killed  and  Wounded  —Intelligence  of  the  Attack  Creates  Great  Excite 
ment  in  Portland  and  up  the  Valley — Two  Volunteer  Companies  go  to 
the  Rescue— Panicy  Rumors  Distract  the  People— All  Quiet  on  the  Sandy  447 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WKIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW. — Additional  De 
fenses  at  the  Cascades— Colonel  Wright  Invades  the  Yakinia  Country- 
He  Fails  to  Negotiate  with  Kama-i-akun,  and  Returns  to  The  Dalles- 
Plans  of  Governor  Stevens — He  sends  the  Second  Regiment  into  the  Walla 
Walla  Country  in  two  Battalions—Composition  of  the  Regiment— Battle 
of  Grand  Iloiide— Battle  of  Burnt  River— Killed  and  Wounded— Colonel 
Shaw  Averts  a  War  with  the  Nez  Perces — Colonel  Steptoe  sent  to  Walla 
Walla  to  Build  a  Fort — His  Proclamation  that  the  Indian  Treaties  were 
not  yet  in  Force — Governor  Stevens  Invites  the  Tribes  to  Hold  a  Council 
at  Walla  Walla — The  Council  an  Unfriendly  one— Lack  of  Harmony  be 
tween  Stevens  and  Steptoe— Stevens  Attacked  by  the  Indians  and  is  Res 
cued  by  Steptoe — A  Block-House  Built  and  Garrisoned  and  the  Troops 
Return  to  The  Dalles— Colonel  Wright  Leads  an  Expedition  to  Walla 
Walla— He  holds  a  Council  and  Arranges  a  Peace  upon  the  Ground*  of 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

Mutual  Forgiveness  for  the  "  Late  Unpleasantness  " — Governor  Stevens' 
Treaties  and  his  Opinion  of  Wright's  Treaty— Northern  Indians  Invade 
Puget  3ound— Erection  of  Fort  Walla  Walla— Situation  of  Affairs  in  the 
Indian  Country — Colonel  Steptoe's  Defeat  in  the  Palouse  Country— His 
Disastrous  Retreat  South  of  Snake  River— A  Record  of  Heroism  and 
Cowardice — Colonel  Wright  Chastises  the  Indians  at  Medical  Lake — The 
Spokaiies,  Yakimas  and  Palouses  Sue  for  Peace  and  Surrender  Uncondi 
tionally—Hostages  Taken  and  Twelve  Indians  Hung— The  Walla  Wallas 
Tamely  Submit  to  the  Hanging  of  Four  of  their  Number-  4oo 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS. — Character  of  the  Indians  of  the  Valley — De 
structive  Influences — Sources  of  Indian  History — Extract  from  Lewis 
and  Clarke's  Narrative — Various  Tribes  Recounted — Their  Locations — 
The  Klickitat  Invasion— The  Chinook  Family— Ethnology — Habits  and 
Appearance — Tattooing  —  Clothing — Habitations  -Food — Easy  Ways  of 
Life — Salmon  Catching — Canoes — Tribal  Government — Weapons — Habits 
of  WTar— Diseases  and  Treatment — The  Vapor  Bath— Disposition  of  Dead 
Bodies — Influence  of  the  Missions— Antiquities  of  Linn  County — Their 
Probable  Origin-  Indian  Names  of  Localities — Good  Taste  Demands  their 
Perpetuation ._  ._.  47S 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.— Primitive  Ideas — Pioneer  Railway  Projects— Elli 
ott's  Plan  of  a  Railway  from  Portland  to  California — Incorporation  of  the  * 
Astoria  &  Willamette  R.  R.  Co.— Names  of  the  Incorporators— The  East 
Side  Railway— Ben  Holladay— The  Oregon  Central  R.  R.  Co.— Anecdote 
—Need  of  Railways— The  West  Side  R.  R.  Co.— A  Railroad  Boom  in  Or 
egon—Effect  of  the  Introduction  of  Railways — Public  Opinion— Dissolu 
tion  of  the  Oregon  Central,  and  Organization  of  the  Oregon  and  California 
Company — Officers  of  the  New  Company — River  Transportation — Holla- 
day  Buys  a  Newspaper— Its  Character— Issue  of  Bonds  of  the  O.  &  C.  R. 
R.— Completion  of  the  Railway  to  Roseburg — Want  of  Economy — Cessa 
tion  of  Railway  Building — Resumption  of  Work  in  1883— Railways  Needed 
in  Southern  Oregon — The  Railroad  Leased  to  the  Oregon  and  Transconti 
nental  Co.— The  West  Side  Road— Holladay 's  Shrewdness— Portland's 
Princely  Gift— Progress  of  the  West  Side  Road— Two  Factions— Exit  Hol 
laday — Land  Grants— The  Conqueror  Appears — A  Giant's  Plans — Vil- 
lard — The  Narrow-Gauge  Road— The  Oregon  Pacific— Railroad  Lands — 

Railway  Officials— Concluding  Remarks 491 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.— Boundaries  of  the  Valley— Di 
mensions— Streams —  Mountains  — Cascade  Range — Peaks — The  Minto 
Pass  —  Coast  Range  — Animal  Inhabitants — Trapping  and  Hunting- 
Distances — Elevation  of  Places  on  the  Willamette  River — Lands — Prairie 
and  Timbered  Lands— Those  First  Taken  Up— Foothill  Lands— Their  Im 
portance  and  Great  Value— Brush  Lands — Advantages — Location — Unoc 
cupied  Lands  of  Value— Altitude  of  Vacant  Lands — How  Brush  Lands 
are  Cleared— Railroad  and  Government  Land— Amount  of  Vacant  Land 
in  the  Valley— Railroad  Grants— Timbered  Sections— Catalogue  of  Forest 
Trees — Valuable  Sorts— Trees  Which  Grow  on  Low  Lands — Conjectures 
Regarding  the  Amount  of  Timber  now  Standing— Effect  of  Denuding  the 
Land  of  Trees — Injurious  Results  Predicted — Forest  Fires  Produce  Vast 
Damage  and  Should  be  Prevented 513 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.— Peculiarities  of  Climate  —  Distinctions  of  the  Seasons 
— Particular  Seasons— Table  of  Pleasant,  Rainy,  Stormy  and  Snowy  Days 
— Averages  of  Each — Tables  of  Maximum,  Minimum  and  Mean  Tempera 
tures  and  Rainfall  for  Thirteen  Years — Table  of  Monthly  and  Annual 
Mean  Temperatures  for  Nine  Localities — Geology — Dynamical  Geology — 
Sandstone  the  Prevailing  Sedimentary  Formation— It  belongs  to  the 
Tertiary  Age— Newer  Deposits — Erosion  of  Sandstone  Strata — Fossils  of 
Tertiary  Mammals— The  Volcanic  Rocks— Whence  They  Came— Enor 
mous  Extent— Composed  of  Basalt — Volcanic  Buttes  in  the  Upper  Part 
of  the  Valley— Composition  of  the  Cascade  Range  —  Glaciers  —  Mines— 
Santiam  Gold  Mines — Bohemia  District — Other  Minerals — Iron  Ore — Im 
portant  Developments  at  Oswego  —  Ore  Beds  Worked  and  Furnaces 
Erected  —  Sketch  of  the  Operations  There — Quality  of  Product — Soils 
Considered— Origin  of  Rich  Basalt  Soils— Their  Constant  Renewal— Red 
Hills — Mixed  Soils — Valley  Loams  the  Result  of  Disintegration  and  Al 
luvial  Action-.  ___  529 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

GRAIN  PRODUCTS.— Wheat  the  Staple  Production— Its  Earliest  Cultivation- 
Impetus  Given  by  Mining — Laxity  of  the  State  Government  in  the  Mat 
ter  of  Statistics — Want  of  a  Policy — Flour  Successfully  Made— Its  Quality 
Never  Elsewhere  Surpassed  —  Wheat  Crop  Never  Fails  —  Wheat  the 
Principal  Factor  in  Commercial  Affairs— Why  Farmers  raise  Wheat — 
Objections  Thereto  — Persistent  Wheat-Raising  will  Impoverish  the 
Country — Statistics — Productiveness  and  Endurance  of  the  Soils — Cost 
per  Bushel  to  Raise  Wheat— Influence  of  the  Railways  upon  Wheat-Grow 
ing — Increase  of  the  Business  from  1869 — Its  Probable  Future — Its  Possi 
ble  Production— Varieties  Cultivated— Wheat  Crop  of  1880— Other  Grain 
Products— Oats  a  Favorite  Crop — Immense  Production — Indian  Corn  not 
a  Success — Barley — Table  of  Production  of  Wheat,  Oats,  Corn  and  Barley  547 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS.— Flax— Well  Adapted  to  the  Lands  of  the  Willam 
ette—Linseed  Oil— Table  of  Flax  Production— Quality— Hops  a  Certain 
and  Valuable  Crop— Table— Hay— Clover— Grasses— Vegetables— Potatoes 
— Market  Gardening  a  Profitable  Industry — Table — Fruit — Apples,  Pears 
and  Prunes  the  Principal  Varieties— Markets  —History  of  Apple- Raising — 
William  Meek— Present  Condition  of  Orchards— Yield  of  Apples— Deal 
ings  with  San  Francisco— Mode  of  Culture— Fruit  Drying — Importance  of 
the  Industry — Prospective  Growth — Prunes— Plums— Peaches— Future  of 
Fruit-Growing—Berries—Wild  Species— Table  Showing  the  Production 
of  Principal  Varieties  and  Value  of  Orchard  Products— Beet  Sugar  and 
Potato  Starch 560 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

LIVE  STOCK.— The  Earliest  Introduction  of  Cattle— Cattle  Brought  from  Cali 
fornia—Herds  Brought  by  Immigrants— Improved  Stock— Dairying— 
Non-progressive  Practices  of  the  Farmers — Beef  Animals— Table  of  Cattle 
and  Dairy  Products— Statistics  of  Horses,  Etc.— Sheep,  Introduction  of— 
Brought  from  California  and  the  East — Improved  Breeds — The  Merino- 
Domestic  Animals  Uncared  For— Woolen  Mills— Watts  Leads  the  Way- 
Mill  at  Oregon  City— Willamette  Mill  at  Salem— Mill  at  Brownsville— 


CHAPTEK  I. 

AMERICA  IN  THE  SIXTEENTH   CENTURY. 

Spain's  Foothold  in  the  New  World — The  Age  of  Romance  and  Adven 
ture — The  Method  and  Successive  Stages  of  Conquest — Discovery  of 
the  South  Sea,  or  Pacific  Ocean,  by  Balboa  and  Magellan — Conquest 
of  Mexico  and  Peru — First  Attempt  to  Colonize  the  Peninsula  of 
California — Efforts  of  Portugal,  England  and  France. 


DURING  the  fifty  years  immediately  following  the  discovery  of 
America,  Spain  gained  a  firm  and  lasting  foothold  in  the 
New  World,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  those  Christian  rulers  who 
sat  upon  the  united  throne  of  Castile  and  Aragon,  and  freed  their 
kingdom  from  the  invading  Moors,  and  redeemed  it  from  the  faith 
of  Islam,  and  under  whose  patronage  Columbus  sailed  upon  that 
voyage  which  revealed  to  an  astonished  world  a  new  continent  and 
a  vast  unknown  ocean,  were  succeeded  in  power  by  the  mighty 
Charles  V.  Under  the  reign  of  this  enlightened  monarch,  the  most 
powerful,  wise  and  enterprising  ruler  that  ever  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  Spain,  that  nation  approached  the  zenith  of  its  power,  wealth 
and  importance  in  the  political  affairs  of  Europe.  This  she  reached 
and  passed  during  the  reign  of  his  son  and  successor,  the  haughty 
Philip,  whose  power  and  magnificence  was  supported  chiefiy  from 
the  endless  stream  of  treasure  which  flowed  into  the  kingdom  from 
conquered  provinces  in  the  New  World,  or  from  the  commerce  of 
the  East.  There  existed  no  rival  to  share  with  her  the  riches  of  the 
long-sought  Indies,  save  ambitious  little  Portugal,  who  had  early 
gained  a  footing  there  and  established  a  considerable  commerce  by 
the  long  and  tedious  route  around  the  southern  extremity  of  Africa. 


18  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

While  other  nations  confined  themselves  to  occasional  voyages 
of  exploration  and  spasmodic  efforts  at  planting  feeble  colonies, 
Spain  was  pursuing  a  vigorous  policy  of  conquest  and  colonization. 
That  was  the  halcyon  age  of  romance  and  adventure,  and  Spain  led 
the  van.  The  whole  nation  seemed  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  con 
quest.  Imagination  and  romance  peopled  this  vast  unknown  land 
with  nations  of  strange  civilization  and  amazing  wealth;  made  it 
the  repository  of  gold,  pearls  and  precious  gems  in  such  fabulous 
quantity  that  the  greatest  riches  of  the  known  world  seemed  but 
the  veriest  dross  in  comparison;  gave  into  its  keeping  the  mystical 
fountain  of  youth;  endowed  it  with  all  the  beauties  and  wonders  of 
earth,  air  and  water  the  mind  could  conceive,  and  even  located 
within  its  confines  the  Terrestrial  Paradise  from  whose  gates  the 
angel  of  the  Almighty  had  driven  the  great  progenitors  of  mankind 
with  a  flaming  sword  of  fire.  Beyond  this  was  the  great  South 
Sea,  with  its  thousands  of  islands — a  region  romance  had  filled 
with  nations  of  Amazons  and  enriched  with  gold  and  pearls;  while 
still  further  was  the  Indies  with  its  known  treasures  of  silk  and 
porcelain;  the  magnificent  Cathay,  that  land  of  great  cities  and 
hoarded  wealth,  of  which  Marco  Polo  had  written;  and  the  marvel 
lous  Island  of  Cipango,  whose  treasures  were  ready  to  fall  into  the 
lap  of  him  who  was  bold  enough  to  seek  them. 

Stimulated  by  avarice,  love  of  adventure  and  a  religious  zeal 
which  often  approached  fanaticism,  many  of  the  nobles  of  Spain 
embarked  upon  expeditions  of  exploration  and  conquest,  accom 
panied  by  bands  of  equally  avaricious,  adventuresome  and  fanatic- 
soldiers,  whose  reward  for  their  services  consisted  chiefly  of  the 
plunder  obtained  in  their  bloody  campaigns.  Such  expeditious 
were  fostered  and  encouraged  by  the  Spanish  monarch,  who  saw  in 
them  a  means  of  extending  his  power  and  dominions,  and  filling  his 
treasury  with  the  supposed  wealth  of  the  New  World.  Whoever 
discovered  and  conquered  a  new  country  in  the  name  of  the  king 
was  commissioned  governor,  or  viceroy,  of  the  subdued  region,  and 
granted  all  riches  he  might  thus  acquire,  save  only  that  which  was 
to  be  the  portion  of  the  crown.  In  this  way  America  was  invaded 
from  Florida  to  Chili. 

Briefly  summarized,  the  successive  steps  by  which  Spain  grasped 


AMERICA  IN  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  10 

the  richest  portions  of  the  New  World  were  as  follows:  In  1495, 
only  three  years  after  the  memorable  voyage  of  Columbus,  the 
Island  of  Hayti  was  conquered  and  named  u  Nuevo  Hispanola," 
a  name  afterwards  transferred  to  Mexico.  Here  work  was  begun 
in  the  mines,  the  natives  being  enslaved  to  perform  the  labor. 
These  being  found  physically  unable  to  endure  the  hardships 
imposed  upon  them,  negroes  were  imported  from  Guinea  for  that 
purpose,  thus  laying  the  foundation  of  African  slavery,  which  the 
civilization  of  the  nineteenth  century  has  not  yet  been  able  fully  to 
abolish.  In  1511  the  Island  of  Cuba  was  invaded  by  300  men,  and 
conquered  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  Spain.  In  1513  Vasco 
Nunez  de  Balboa  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  and  discovered  the 
great  South  Sea,  of  which  the  natives  had  so  confidently  spoken 
that  it  had  already  found  a  place  on  the  maps  of  European  geogra 
phers.  Seven  years  later  the  great  Magellan  entered  it  through  the 
straits  that  bear  his  name,  and  christened  it  "Pacific."  In  1519 
Cortes  landed  in  Mexico,  and  with  an  army  of  950  soldiers  and  a 
great  cloud  of  Indian  auxiliaries  invaded  the  ancient  kingdom  of 
the  Montezumas.  In  two  years  he  completely  subjugated  the 
country,  his  progress  being  marked  by  the  blood  of  the  Aztecs 
poured  out  like  water  in  the  defense.  Ten  years  later  the  cruel 
Pizarro,  whose  only  object  was  conquest  and  plunder,  entered  Peru 
with  a  thousand  men,  subdued  the  country  and  plundered  the  king 
dom  of  the  Incas  of  its  treasures  of  gold  and  silver.  In  1535  Men- 
doza  entered  Buenos  Ayres  at  the  head  of  2,000  men  and  subjugated 
the  country  as  far  as  Potosi,  whose  famous  mines  of  silver  were 
discovered  nine  years  later.  In  1537,  Cortes,  seeking  further  con 
quests  to  the  westward  of  Mexico,  landed  at  Santa  Cruz,  near  the 
lower  extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  California,  but  finding  neither 
wealth  nor  civilized  nations,  and  being  unable  to  subsist  his  force 
in  such  a  barren  land,  soon  abandoned  his  effort  at  colonization  and 
returned  to  Mexico.  In  1541,  Chili  was  conquered  by  the  restless 
adventurers  of  Spain. 

By  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  Spain  had  conquered 
and  colonized  every  portion  of  America  inhabited  by  wealthy  and 
semi -civilized  nations,  and  was  enjoying  a  revenue  of  almost  fabu 
lous  amount  from  her  provinces  in  the  New  World.  Portugal  alone, 
of  all  her  rivals,  had  accomplished  anything  of  a  similar  nature, 


20  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

having  planted  a  colony  in  Brazil.  England  and  France  had  suc 
ceeded  simply  in  laying  a  foundation  for  a  claim  of  dominion  in 
North  America,  but,  unlike  their  enterprising  rival,  received  as  yet 
no  revenue  from  the  New  World.  Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs 
when  the  first  efforts  were  made  to  explore  the  coast  of  Oregon. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANIAN. 

Cortereal  Discovers  the  Straits  of  Labrador — Imagines  he  has  passed 
through  Novus  Mundus —  Vasco  de  Gama  reaches  India  by  doubling 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope — Naming  of  the  Straits  of  Anian  by  Cor- 
tereal — Magellan's  Discovery  of  a  Southwest  Passage  Confirms  the 
Belief  in  a  Northwest  one — Explorations  of  Cortes  in  the  Pacific — 
Voyage  of  Francisco  de  Ulloa — Mendoza  Dispatches  Alarcon  and 
Coronado   in    Search,    of  Cibola   and    Quivira —  Voyage    of  Juan 
Rodriguez  Cabrillo — His  Death — Ferrelo   Continues  the   Voyage  to 
Latitude  43°  or  44°     Spain-  Abandons  the  Search  for  the  Straits  of 
Anian  and   Turns  her  Attention  to  the  Indies — Spanish  Commerce 
Supreme  in  the   Pacific — Her  Claim  of  Exclusive  Domain — The 
Buccaneers,  or  Freebooters  of  the  Spanish  Main,  Invade  the  Pacific — 
Piratical  Voyage  of  Sir  Francis  Drake — Re  Searches  for 'the  Straits 
of  Anian— Dispute  among  Historians  as  to  the  Extent  of  his  Voy 
age — Drake  Lands  his  Pilot  in  Oregon — Drake^s  Bay  not  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco — Drake  Takes  Possession  of  New  Albion — Romances 
of  Chaplain    Fletcher — Drake's  Success  Excites  the  Emulation  of 
other  Adventurers — Fraudulent  Claims  of  Discovery  of  a,  Northwest 
Passage — Maldonado's    Pretended    Voyage   through    the   Straits  of 
Anian — His  Memorial  a  Sfao/m. 


THE  immediate  cause  which  led  to  the  discovery  and  consequent 
occupation  of  Oregon  was  the  long  and  eager  search  for  the 
mythical  Northwest  Passage,  which  continued  for  nearly  three  cen 
turies,  and  was  participated  in  by  seven  of  the  leading  nations  of  the 
world,  England,  France,  Holland,  Spain,  Portugal,  Russia  and  the 
United  States;  and  since  it  makes  so  conspicuous  an  object  in  the 
foreground  of  Oregon's  history,  it  is  worthy  an  extended  descrip 
tion. 


2  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

One  of  the  most  noted  of  the  many  explorers  attracted  to  the 
New  World  by  the  great  discovery  of  Columbus,  was  Gaspar  Cor- 
tereal,  a  Portuguese.  In  the  year  1500  this  great  navigator  explored 
the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America — then  called  "Novus  Mun- 
dus,"  and  supposed  to  be  a  portion  of  the  continent  of  Asia,  extend 
ing  a  long  distance  to  the  eastward — and  sailing  round  the  coast  of 
Labrador  entered  the  straits  which  lie  in  the  60th  degree  north  lat 
itude.  Through  these  he  passed  into  Hudson's  Bay,  supposing  lie 
had  now  entered  waters  which  communicated  with  the  Indian  ocean. 
Absurd  as  this  supposition  is  in  the  light  of  our  present  knowledge 
of  the  earth's  surface,  it  was  by  no  means  so  when  the  geograpical 
ideas  and  theories  prevailing  at  that  time  are  considered.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  eight  years  had  not  yet  passed  since  the  voyage 
of  Columbus  had  compelled  the  world  to  accept  the  theory  which  he 
and  a  few  others  had  for  years  been  enthusiastically  advocating— 
that  the  earth  was  round  and  could  be  encompassed  by  traveling 
either  east  or  west.  Though  this  was  now  generally  admitted,  no 
one  had  ever  actually  accomplished  the  journey,  and,  in  consequence, 
the  distance  round  the  ,globe  was  a  matter  simply  of  conjecture. 
That  it  was  more  than  half  the  distance  it  was  afterwards  found  to 
be,  no  one  at  that  time  imagined  ;  and  this  accounts  for  the  belief 
that  Novus1  Mundus  was  a  portion  of  Asia,  of  whose  eastern  coast 
geographers  had  no  knowledge  whatever,  and  for  the  supposition 
of  Cortereal  that  he  had  passed  through  this  new  land  and  entered 
a  sea  connecting  with  the  Indian  Ocean,  when,  in  fact,  he  was  not 
within  ten  thousand  miles  of  that  great  body  of  water.  Two  years 
before,  one  of  these  Portuguese  navigators,  Vasco  de  Gama,  had 
reached  the  Indian  Ocean  by  sailing  eastward  around  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  a  voyage  historians  believe  to  have  been  frequently 
accomplished  in  ancient  days  by  those  venturesome  mariners,  the 
Phoenicians;  and  now  Cortereal  believed  that  he  had  found  a  route 
into  the  same  waters  by  passing  around  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  New  World. 

To  the  straits  through  which  he  had  passed  he  gave  the  name 
of  "  Anian,"  and  the  land  to  the  south  of  them  he  called  Labrador, 
and  these  were  variously  indicated  on  the  subsequent  maps  as 
"  Straits  of  Anian,"  "  Straits  of  Cortereal,"  "  Straits  of  Labrador," 
u  Land  of  Cortereal,"  and  "  Land  of  Labrador."  The  exact  sig- 


THE   FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF   AN  I  AX.  23 

nificance  of  the  word  "  Anian  "  is  generally  admitted  to  be  un 
known,  although  it  lias  been  the  subject  of  much  dispute.  By  some 
it  was  claimed  to  have  been  derived  from  the  Japanese  word  Ani, 
meaning  "  brother,'1  and  to  have  been  applied  to  these  straits  because 
Cortereal  believed  them  to  separate  Asia  and  Novus  Mundus,  which 
stood  on  opposite  sides  in  brotherly  conjunction;  but  as  Japan  was 
at  that  time  utterly  unknown — unless,  indeed,  it  was  that  wonder 
ful  Island  of  Cipango,  of  whose  fabulous  riches  such  extravagant 
expectations  had  been  created, — Cortereal  can  hardly  be  assumed 
to  have  been  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  language  to  employ  it 
in  bestowing  names  to  the  exclusion  of  his  native  tongue,  and 
especially  to  the  ignoring  of  that  long  list  of  saints  which  furnished 
such  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  names  for  the  devout  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  explorers,  lying  as  thick  upon  the  map  of  America  as 
pin  holes  in  an  old  paper  pattern. 

A  few  years  later  the  ideas  of  geographers  in  regard  to  the  size 
of  the  world  began  to  expand,  and  with  the  discovery  of  the  South 
Sea  all  belief  in  the  proximity  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  Indian  Ocean 
vanished.  In  1820,  Magellan,  another  Portuguese  mariner,  but 
sailing  under  the  Hag  of  Spain,  entered  the  South  Sea  through  the 
straits  which  bear  his  name,  and  bestowed  the  name  "Pacific  "  upon 
it.  The  voyage  was  continued  westward  until  the  world  had  been 
circumnavigated,  and  an  approximate  idea  of  the  distance  around 
it  was  thus  gained  by  geographers.  Belief  was  immediately  revived 
in  the  Straits  of  Anian.  It  was  then  supposed  that  CortereaFs 
passage  led  from  the  Atlantic  into  the  South  Sea,  of  whose  immen 
sity  the  world  had  become  deeply  impressed,  since  Magellan  had 
traversed  it  in  its  broadest  part.  If  the  North  American  continent 
narrowed  northward  as  South  America  had  been  found  to  do  in  the 
opposite  direction,  then  it  must  be  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  in  the  region  of  Labrador;  and  since  a  pas 
sage  had  been  found  through  the  land  to  the  south — for  in  their 
ignorance  of  the  open  sea  below  South  America,  geographers  believed 
Magellan's  Straits  to  be  simply  a  narrow  waterway  piercing  the 
heart  of  the  continent  Where  it  was  much  narrower  than  elsewhere— 
it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a  similar  one  existed  to  the  north, 
especially  since  Cortereal  had  reported  finding  it.  To  discover  this 
northwest  passage  was  the  desire  of  explorers  for  many  years  there- 


24  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

after.  England,  France  and  Portugal,  and  Holland  in  later  years, 
sought  it  in  the  Atlantic,  while  Spain  put  forth  her  efforts  to  attain 
the  same  object  in  the  Pacific.  To  the  efforts  made  in  the  latter 
direction  this  narrative  will  be  chiefly  confined,  since  to  them  is  due 
the  discovery  of  Oregon  and  the  complete  exploration  of  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

When  Cortez  had  subjugated  Mexico  he  at  once  began  con 
structing  vessels  on  the  western  coast  of  Central  America  for  service 
in  the  Pacific.  He  possessed  a  roving  commission  from  his  sover 
eign,  the  powerful  Charles  V.,  which  granted  him  almost  despotic 
powers  as  a  ruler  in.  all  new  countries  he  might  discover  and  sub 
due  in  the  name  of  the  king,  the  conquests  to  be  made  at  his  own 
expense  and  risk,  and  the  expeditions  to  be  fitted  out  from  his  own 
resources.  To  follow  his  movements  in  detail  is  unnecessary.  They 
resulted  in  the  discovery  and  temporary  colonization  of  Lower  Cal 
ifornia,  the  discovery  of  the  Colorado  River,  and  the  knowledge  that 
the  Sea  of  Cortes,  or  the  Vermilion  Sea,  was  a  gulf,  the  one  now 
known  $$  the  "  Gulf  of  California." 

It  had  been  the  plan  of  Cortes  to  coast  northward,  westward  and 
southward,  along  America  and  Asia,  until  he  reached  the  Indies, 
noting  the  exact  position  of  the  Straits  of  Anian  as  he  passed ;  but 
the  vessels  he  had  constructed  for  that  purpose  were  ordered  to  be 
sent  in  a  direct  path  across  the  Pacific,  and  he  was  compelled  to  build 
others.  It  was  with  these  that  his  expeditions  along  the  Mexican 
Coast  and  in  Lower  California  were  conducted.  The  first  attempt 
to  pass  around  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Peninsula  of  Califor 
nia  and  follow  the  outer  coast  northward  was  made  in  1539.  On 
the  twenty -ninth  of  October  of  that  year  Francisco  de  Ulloa,  who 
had  been  the  energetic  assistant  of  the  great  conquesitador  in  all 
his  operations  on  the  western  coast  of  Mexico,  sailed  from  the  bay 
of  Santa  Cruz,  the  scene  of  Cortes'  disastrous  attempt  at  coloniza 
tion  in  Lower  California,  and  passed  around  the  cape  now  known 
as  "  San  Lucas."  On  the  first  of  February  he  had  proceeded  as  far 
north  as  28°,  when  he  encountered  an  island  near  the  coast  which  he 
christened  "  Isle  of  Cedars."  For  two  months  he  was  baffled  by 
head  winds  and  contended  with  sickness  among  his  crew,  afflicted 
with  that  dread  malady  the  scurvy,  the  scourge  of  the  early  mariners, 
who  neither  understood  its  nature  nor  knew  how  to  prevent  or  cure 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANIAN.  25 

it.  The  sickness  unabating  and  his  stock  of  provisions  beginning 
to  run  short,  Ulloa  abandoned  the  effort  to  progress  further  and 
returned  to  Mexico. 

No  immediate  attempt  was  made  to  continue  the  explorations 
thus  begun  by  Ulloa.  The  fact  was  that  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza, 
a  Spanish  nobleman  of  high  rank,  who  had  succeeded  Cortes  as 
Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  was  deeply  interested  in  exploring  the  inte 
rior  to  the  northward,  in  search  of  a  mythical  country  called 
"  Cibola,"  and  another  named  u  Quivira,"  stories  of  whose  wonder 
ful  richness  had  been  received  from  wandering  refugees,  who  claimed 
to  have  seen  them  or  been  informed  of  their  existence  by  the  Indians. 
Two  expeditions  were  sent  out  to  accomplish  this  purpose.  One 
under  Fernando  de  Alarcon  ascended  the  Colorado  a  distance  of 
300  miles  without  observing  anything  suggestive  of  civilized  nations; 
while  Francisco  Vasquez  de  Caronado  was  equally  unsuccessful  in 
a  land  journey  which  took  him  as  far  north  as  40°,  and  extended 
over  two  years  of  time. 

Even  before  Coronado  returned  from  following  the  ignis  fatuus 
of  Quivira,  Mendoza  dispatched  an  expedition  by  sea  to  search  for 
the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  incidentally  to  discover  any  of  those  civ 
ilized  nations  which  Indian  tradition  and  Caucasian  imagination 
located  further  to  the  northwest.  This  fleet  consisted  of  two  small 
vessels,  commanded  by  Juan  Rodriguez  Cabrillo,  and  sailed  in  the 
year  1542.  Cabrillo  followed  the  coast  as  far  north  as  latitude  38°, 
when  he  encountered  a  violent  storm  which  drove  him  many  miles 
backward.  From  this  he  found  shelter  in  a  small  harbor  in  the 
Island  of  San  Bernardino,  lying  near  the  coast  in  latitude  34°, 
which  he  christened  "  Port  Possession,"  being  the  first  point  on  the 
California  coast  of  which  the  Spaniards  took  possession.  While 
the  vessels  were  lying  in  this  harbor,  Cabrillo  died,  on  the  third  of 
January,  1543,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Bartolome  Ferrelo, 
the  pilot,  as  the  second  in  power  upon  the  Spanish  vessels  was  des 
ignated  at  that  time.  This  position  was  always  occupied  by  an 
experienced  seaman,  as  it  frequently  happened  that  the  commander 
of  the  expedition  was  not  a  practical  navigator;  and  this  partially 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  but  little  accurate  knowledge  was  gained 
by  Spanish  explorers,  who  took  but  few  observations  and  kept 
exceedingly  poor  records,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  after  half  a  dozen 


26  HJSTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

voyages  of  exploration  they  were  unable  to  trace  the  contour  of  the 
coast  line  upon  the  map  with  even  an  approach  to  accuracy. 

Upon  assuming  command  of  the  expedition,  Ferrelo  again 
headed  the  vessels  to  the  northward.  Near  latitude  41°  he  discov 
ered  a  prominent  headland  on  a  rocky  and  forbidding  coast,  which 
he  named  Cabo  de  Fortunas,  the  "  Cape  of  Perils,"  and  which  is 
probably  the  one  subsequently  christened  "  Mendocino,1'  in  honor 
of  the  Mexican  Viceroy,  Mendoza,  who  had  dispatched  the  expedi 
tion.  On  the  first  of  March,  1543,  Ferrelo  reached  the  farthest 
point  to  the  northward,  which  is  given  by  some  authorities  as  lati 
tude  44°,  and  by  others  as  43°.  Other  historians,  including  Ban 
croft,  do  not  accord  him  even  so  high  a  latitude  as  480.  The  con 
flict  arises  from  the  careless  and  meagre  records  above  referred  to. 
However,  it  makes  but  little  difference,  as  he  progressed  as  far  as 
Rogue  River,  and  possibly  to  the  Umpqua,  and  can  safely  be  cred 
ited  with  the  discovery  of  Oregon,  so  far  as  sailing  along  its  coast 
without  making  a  landing,  or  even  drawing  a  chart  of  its  outline, 
may  be  considered  to  constitute  a  discovery.  Lack  of  provisions 
and  the  ravages  of  the  dreaded  scurvy  among  his  crew  compelled 
Ferrelo  to  abandon  the  effort  to  proceed  further  and  return  to 
Mexico. 

The  return  of  Ferrelo  without  having  discovered  the  mythical 
straits  or  the  equally  visionary  cities  and  Avealthy  nations,  reports 
of  which  had  attracted  the  cupidity  of  the  Spanish  adventurers, 
following  close  upon  Alarcon's  fruitless  voyage  up  the  Colorado, 
and  Coronado's  wild-goose  chase  in  search  of  Quivira,  and  com 
bined  with  the  report  of  the  survivors  of  DeSoto's  unfortunate 
expedition  to  the  Mississippi,  satisfied  the  Spanish  authorities  in  the 
New  World  that  neither  wealthy  nations  nor  navigable  passages  of 
communication  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,"  were  to  be 
found  north  of  Mexico,  unless  beyond  the  40th  parallel  of  latitude. 
With  this  conclusion  they  abandoned  all  effort  to  explore  the  country 
to  the  northward,  and  turned  their  attention  to  more  remunerative 
ventures  across  the  Pacific  to  the  Indies. 

By  this  time  Portugal  had  established  a  large  and  immensely 
profitable  commerce  with  the  Indies,  by  following  the  long  route 
around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Spain  viewed  this  with  jealous 
eye,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  revenue  she  was  already  receiv- 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANI  AN.  27 

ing  from  her  possessions  in  the  New  World,  and  put  forth  great 
exertions  to  secure  a  footing  for  herself  in  the  Indies.  Several  un 
successful  expeditions  were  dispatched  across  the  Pacific  from  Mex 
ico,  but,  finally,  in  1564,  the  Philippine  Islands  were  subdued  and 
taken  possession  of  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  monarch.  In  a  few 
years  an  enormous  revenue  was  derived  from  this  new  dependency. 
Her  possessions  in  America  formed  not  only  an  intermediate  station 
as  a  basis  of  operations,  but  furnished,  also,  the  gold  and  silver 
with  which  to  purchase  the  silks,  porcelain  and  spices  of  the  Orient. 
No  other  nation  possessed  such  facilities  for  commerce  in  the  Pacific, 
and  no  flag  but  that  of  Spain  fluttered  in  the  trade  winds  that  sweep 
steadily  across  that  mighty  ocean.  Not  a  ship  of  war  cruised  on 
its  broad  expanse  to  guard  the  commerce  from  hostile  fleets.  An 
nually  the  galleons  sailed  from  Mexico  with  gold  and  silver,  and 
returned  laden  with  the  precious  products  of  the  East,  which  were 
transported  across  the  isthmus  to  ships  waiting  to  carry  them  to  the 
mother  country.  The  monarch  of  that  powerful  nation  was  the 
personification  of  arrogance.  Over  all  lands  even  technically  dis 
covered  by  his  subjects  he  claimed  dominion  and  the  exclusive  right 
of  trade,  even  if  no  settlement  of  any  kind  had  been  attempted. 
Foreigners  of  all  nations  were  prohibited,  under  pain  of  death,  from 
having  any  intercourse  whatever  with  such  territories,  or  from  nav 
igating  the  adjacent  waters. 

Spain  was  frequently  involved  in  hostilities  with  her  European 
neighbors,  the  great  revenue  derived  from  her  possessions  in  the 
New  World  and  her  commerce  with  the  Indies  furnishing  her  the 
"  sinews  of  war."  Much  as  they  desired  it,  her  enemies  were  unable 
to  attack  her  in  this  most  vital  part.  Cargo  after  cargo  crossed  the 
Pacific  and  not  a  hostile  sail  was  to  be  seen  on  the  bosom  of  the 
ocean.  On  the  Atlantic  side,  however,  things  wore  a  different  aspect. 
Armed  fleets  were  necessary  to  protect  her  merchantmen  from  the 
men  of  war  sent  out  to  cut  them  off  in  times  of  national  disputes, 
and  from  the  piratical  crafts  that  infested  the  West  Indies  at  all 
seasons.  These  "freebooters,"  or  " buccanners,"  plied  their  pirati 
cal  calling  even  in  times  of  peace,  with  the  full  knowledge  and  even 
encouragement  of  their  sovereigns.  They  sought  diligently  for  the 
Northwest  Passage.  If  they  could  only  find  some  route  into  the 
Pacific  other  than  the  dangerous  one  by  way  of  the  Straits  of  Ma- 


28  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

gellan,  they  could  prey  to  their  hearts'  content  upon  the  unprotected 
commerce  of  that  ocean.  They  well  knew  the  value  of  the  cargoes 
carried  in  the  unarmed  galleons  from  the  Philippines.  At  last, 
unable  to  find  the  Straits  of  Anian,  they  invaded  the  Pacific  by  the 
dreaded  Straits  of  Magellan,  and  the  security  of  Spanish  shipping 
in  the  South  Sea  vanished  forever. 

The  pioneer  of  this  plundering  band  was  Francis  Drake,  an 
English  seaman  of  much  renown,  a  daring  spirit  and  expert  mari 
ner.  With  three  vessels  he  thus  passed  into  the  Pacific  upon  a  mis 
sion  of  plunder.  One  of  these  was  wrecked  soon  after  passing 
through  the  straits,  another  returned  to  England,  while  with  his 
one  remaining  ship  Drake  sailed  up  the  coast,  scattering  terror  and 
devastation  among  the  Spanish  shipping,  and  levying  contributions 
in  the  defenceless  ports.  The  East  India  galleon,  with  its  precious 
cargo,  fell  into  his  hands  off  the  California  coast,  and  then,  with  his 
vessel  loaded  with  plunder,  he  sailed  northward  to  search  for  the 
Straits  of  Anian,  intending  to  pass  through  them  into  the  Atlantic 
and  thus  reach  England  by  a  new  route.  By  doing  this  he  would 
avoid  a  combat  with  a  Spanish  fleet  which  he  had  every  reason  to 
expect  would  be  lying  in  wait  for  him  at  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 
He  failed  utterly  to  find  any  such  passage,  though  how  thoroughly 
he  searched  the  coast  is  unknown;  and  even  the  extent  of  his  voyage 
to  the  north  is  a  matter  of  much  dispute.  By  some  authorities  it 
is  given  as  latitude  43°,  and  by  others  at  48°.  To  this  latter  opin 
ion  all  English  writers  hold,  while  American  historians  favor  the 
former,  and  the  reason  for  adopting  their  separate  opinions  is  not 
such  an  one  as  should  actuate  the  true  historian.  If  Drake  did  not 
proceed  beyond  latitude  43°,  then  he  made  no  further  progress  north 
than  did  the  Spaniard  Ferrelo,  thirty-five  years  before,  and  was  not 
entitled  to  the  honor  of  discovering  any  new  region  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  In  that  event  England's  claim  to  Oregon,  by  right  of  dis 
covery,  was  without  foundation,  since  prior  to  any  subsequent 
English  voyage  along  the  coast,  several  Spanish  expeditions  coasted 
its  whole  length  as  far  as  Alaska.  If  he  reached  latitude  48°,  on 
the  contrary,  England's  title  by  right  of  discovery  was  undeniable. 
Such  being  the  case,  and  the  Spanish  title  to  Oregon  having  been 
acquired  by  the  United  States  by  purchase  and  treaty,  the  reason 
for  the  historians  of  the  two  countries  espousing  different  sides, 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANIAN.  29 

without  much  reference  to  the  truth  of  the  matter,  can  be  readily 
perceived. 

Two  accounts  of  the  voyage  were  published,  thus  furnishing  the 
foundation  for  the  controversy,  and  neither  of  these  narratives  bears 
either  internal  or  external  evidence  of  complete  reliability.  There 
may  well  be  a  difference  of  opinion,  but  the  fact  that  this  difference 
is  drawn  on  national  lines  is  suggestive  of  bias  and  a  lack  of  those 
qualities  which  mark  the  true  historian.  One  of  them  was  pub 
lished  by  Richard  Hakluyt,  the  celebrated  geographer  of  those  times, 
in  a  volume  embodying  the  results  of  all  previous  voyages  of  ex 
ploration,  and  is  said  to  be  the  production  of  Francis  Pretty,  one 
of  Drake's  crew  ;  though  English  authors  claim  it  to  have  been 
written  by  Hakluyt  himself  from  accounts  of  the  voyage  related  to 
him  some  time  before,  and  thus  subject  to  grievous  errors.  The 
other  account  is  one  which  was  published  by  a  nephew  of  Drake, 
seventy  years  after  the  voyage  was  completed,  and  long  after  every 
soul  who  had  participated  in  it  had  passed  to  his  final  account;  thus 
there  was  no  living  witness  who  could  dispute  the  wildest  and  most 
reckless  statement  the  compiler  might  be  led  to  make  in  his  eager 
ness  to  establish  Iris  relative's  position  as  discoverer  of  New  Albion, 
the  name  Drake  had  bestowed  upon  California.  The  notes  used  in 
preparing  this  volume  were  credited  to  Rev.  Fletcher,  the  chaplain 
of  the  expedition,  and  it  must  be  said  that  in  some  respects  he  was 
the  most  magnificent  liar  that  ever  undertook  to  deceive  an  audience 
absolutely  ignorant  of  the  subject  with  which  he  dealt.  The  regions 
visited  were  entirely  unknown,  since  no  information  was  gained  by 
Ferrelo's  voyage,  and  the  world  was  prepared  to  believe  anything 
of  this  region,  of  which  new7  wonders  were  constantly  being  revealed. 
Rev.  Fletcher  seems  to  have  realized  this,  and  improved  his  oppor 
tunity;  yet  the  fact  that  his  notes  contain  what  are  known  to  be 
willful  misstatemerits,  is  not  proof  that  in  this  one  instance  he  was 
not  correct,  or  that  his  notes  were  altered  by  the  compiler  to  read 
48°  instead  of  43°.  This  want  of  veracity  is,  of  course,  a  presump 
tion  against  his  statement  in  this  particular;  but  it  will  require 
something  more  authentic  than  the  alleged  narrative  of  Francis 
Pretty  to  establish  their  inaccuracy  beyond  dispute.  When  the 
whole  matter  is  reviewed  impartially,  the  mind  naturally  leans  to 
ward  the  theory  of  43  degrees,  without,  however,  feeling  completely 


30  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

satisfied  that  it  is  the  true  one.  In  the  nature  of  things  this  con 
troversy  can  never  be  settled,  and  Drake  and  Ferrelo  will  ever  bear 
the  divided  honor  of  the  discovery  of  Oregon. 

Drake's  presence  on  the  coast  of -Oregon,  near  the  forty-third 
parallel,  is  proven  by  Spanish  records,  which  contain  a  piece  of 
information  not  to  be  found  in  either  of  the  narratives  mentioned 
above.  From  this  it  appears  that  he  had  on  board  a  Spanish  pilot, 
named  Morera,  with  whom  he  felt  dissatisfied  for  some  reason,  and 
in  the  region  indicated  he  ran  into  a  "  poor  harbor  "  and  put  the 
offending  seaman  ashore,  leaving  him  among  savages,  thirty-five 
hundred  miles  from  civilization.  That  he  accomplished  the  journey 
across  that  unknown  land  and  reached  his  countrymen  in  Mexico  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  incident  is  recorded  at  all,  since  other 
wise  it  could  never  have  been  known.  Having  been  forced  back 
along  the  coast  by  adverse  winds,  he  entered  a  small  bay  near  lati 
tude  38°,  whei'e  he  cast  anchor  for  thirty-six  days.  It  was,  until 
recent  times,  supposed  that  this  harbor  was  San  Francisco  Bay,  the 
name  helping  to  support  the  idea  with  the  unthinking.  Later  on 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  bay  was  thus  named  in  honor  of  an  entirely 
different  personage.  Sir  Francis  Drake  was  the  reverse  of  a  saint 
in  Spanish  eyes,  and  even  had  they  named  it  in  his  honor  they 
would  have  been  certain  to  associate  with  his  name  some  title  more 
in  harmony  with  their  estimation  of  his  character.  Drake  was  in 
search  of  the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  that  he  lay  thirty-six  days  in 
San  Francisco  Bay  without  even  attempting  to  explore  the  connect 
ing  bays  of  San  Pablo  and  Suisun,  and  the  great  navigable  rivers 
discharging  into  them,  is  so  manifestly  improbable  as  to  be  beyond 
credence.  There  is  no  positive  testimony  to  support  the  idea,  and 
the  contrary  is  proven  as  nearly  as  purely  negative  testimony  can 
prove  anything.  It  is  generally  conceded  by  historians  that  Drake's 
harbor  of  refuge  was  the  one  lying  just  north  of  the  Golden  Gate 
and  known  as  "  Drake's  Bay."  It  is  in  speaking  of  this  place  that 
Chaplain  Fletcher  displays  his  abilities  as  a  romancer.  The  time 
was  the  month  of  June,  and  yet  he  states  •  that  snow  covered  the 
hills  and  that  the  weather  was  so  cold  that  meat  froze  upon  being 
taken  from  the  fire.  One  familiar  with  the  fact  that  snow  is  a 
rarity  there  even  in  winter,  and  that  at  no  time  does  it  become  cold 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANIAN.  31 

enough  to  freeze  meat  that  has  never  been  near  a  fire,  has  his  confi 
dence  in  the  veracity  of  the  chronicler  terribly  shaken. 

While  lying  in  the  harbor  Drake  landed  and  took  possession  of 
the  country  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign,  christening  it  u  New  Al 
bion,"  in  honor  of  his  native  land.  Fletcher's  narrative  states  that 
the  natives  first  mistook  them  for  gods  and  offered  sacrifices  to  them, 
and  that  they  removed  this  impression  by  themselves  public-ally 
offering  up  their  devotions  to  the  Creator.  Of  the  incidents  of  their 
landing  the  narrative  says:— 

Our  necessarie  business  being  ended,  our  General,  with  his  companie,  travailed 
up  into  the  countrey  to  their  villiages,  where  we  found  heardes  of  deere  by  1,000  in 
a  companie,  being  most  large  and  fat  of  bodie.  We  found  the  whole  coimtroy  to  be 
a  warren  of  strange  kinde  of  connies  ;  their  bodies  in  bigness  as  be  the  Barbarie 
eonnies,  their  heads  as  the  heads  of  ours,  the  feet  of  a  Want  [mole]  and  the  taile  of 
a  rat,  being  of  great  length  ;  under  her  chinne  on  either  side  a  bagge,  into  which 
she  gathered  her  meate,  when  she  hath  tilled  her  bellie  abroad.  The  people  do  eat 
their  bodies,  and  make  accompt  for  their  skinnes,  for  their  King's  coat  was  made 
out  of  them.  Our  General  called  this  countrey  Xova  Albion,  and  that  for  two 
causes  :  the  one  in  respect  to  the  white  bankes  and  cliffes  which  lie  toward  the  sea  ; 
and  the  other  because  it  might  have  some  affinitie  with  our  countrey  in  name? 
which  sometimes  was  so  called. 

There  is  no  part  of  earth  here  to  be  taken  up,  wherein  there  is  not  a  reasonable 
(juantitie  of  gold  or  silver.  Before  sailing  away,  our  General  set  up  a  monument  of 
our  being  there,  as  also  of  her  majestie's  right  and  title  to  the  same,  viz.:  a  plate 
nailed  upon  a  faire  great  poste,  whereupon  was  engraved  her  majestie's  name,  the 
day  and  yeare  of  our  arrival  there,  with  the  free  giving  up  of  the  province  and  peo 
ple  into  her  majestie's  hands,  together  with  her  highness'  picture  and  arms,  in  a 
piece  of  five  pence  of  current  English  money  under  the  plate,  whereunder  was  also 
written  the  name  of  our  General. 

What  the  worthy  Chaplain  considered  a  "  reasonable  quantitie" 
of  the  precious  metals  it  is  impossible  to  conjecture,  but  the  proba 
bilities  are  that  he  manufactured  this  statement  from  whole  cloth. 
The  earliest  authentic  accounts  of  the  Indians  of  California  do  not 
speak  of  them  as  possessing  any  gold  or  silver,  and  it  was  many 
years  after  the  Spaniards  took  possession  of  the  State  before  gold 
was  discovered  and  mined.  At  that  time  the  natives  were  com 
pletely  ignorant  of  the  character  and  value  of  the  substance,  and 
had  no  traditions  on  the  subject  ;  from  which  may  reasonably  be 
concluded  that  Chaplain  Fletcher  deliberately  lied  when  he  made 
that  assertion  —  the  more  so,  that  even  to  the  present  time  no  gold 
has  been  discovered  in  the  locality  of  which  he  speaks.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  a  few  years  before,  when  America  was  first  dis 
covered,  it  was  the  general  belief  that  it  was  speckled  with  gold 


s  DIVERSITY 


32  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  silver,  and  glistened  with  gems.  These  extravagant  ideas  had 
become  modified  in  Drake's  time,  though  by  no  means  abandoned. 
The  Spaniards  had  been  searching  a  few  years  before  in  this  direc 
tion  for  wealthy  nations,  whose  existence  was  reported  to  them  by 
the  Indians  of  Mexico,  but  without  success.  They  still  entertained 
the  belief  that  pearls  and  the  precious  metals  could  be  found  in 
abundance  in  this  region,  and  Fletcher  was  simply  supplying  a 
"  long  felt  want "  when  he  wrote  that  a  "  reasonable  quantitie  of 
gold  and  silver "  existed  in  every  handful  of  dirt  that  might  be 
taken  up  at  random  on  the  California  coast.  His  other  statements 
are  probably  correct,  since  ground  squirrels  exist  in  such  abundance 
there  and  are  so  destructive  to  crops  that  the  state  granted  a  bounty 
for  their  extermination,  and  the  early  pioneers  speak  of  immense 
bands  of  antelope  and  elk  that  roamed  the  valley  and  foot-hills. 

Having  abandoned  the  hope  of  finding  a  passage  into  the  At 
lantic,  and  fearing  to  attempt  to  return  by  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
Drake  undertook  the  long  voyage  across  the  Pacific,  and  reached 
England  by  weathering  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  His  return  with 
his  vessel  loaded  with  plundered  riches  of  the  Spaniards  was  hailed 
with  joy  by  his  countrymen.  The  interests  of  Spain  and  England 
were  hostile.  The  latter  looked  with  jealousy  and  fear  upon  the 
power  of  the  Castilian  throne,  sustained  by  the  enormous  revenue 
derived  from  America  and  the  Indies,  and  Queen  Elizabeth  knighted 
the  daring  robber  for  his  services  to  his  country  in  striking  such  a 
severe  blow  at  the  -  resources  of  her  rival.  Ten  years  later,  when 
the  grand  Philip  sent  that  wonderful  Spanish  Armada,  which  was 
fitted  out  by  revenues  derived  from  this  same  commerce  and  was  to 
crush  England  at  a  blow,  one  of  the  gallant  fleets  which  met  and 
defeated  it  was  commanded  by  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

Other  English  freebooters,  encouraged  by  the  brilliant  success 
of  Drake,  entered  the  Pacific  in  the  same  manner  and  preyed  upon 
the  Spanish  shipping.  The  first  and  most  successful  of  these  was 
Thomas  Cavendish,  who  voyaged  the  coasts  of  Chili,  Peru  and 
Mexico  in  1587;  sunk  and  burned  nineteen  vessels,  and  captured 
the  galleon  Santa  Anna  off  the  coast  of  California.  The  next  year 
he  returned  to  England  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  having  accom 
plished  the  third  circumnavigation  of  the  globe,  and  it  is  said  that 


THE  FABULOUS  STRAITS  OF  ANIAIVT. 

his  crew  were  dressed  in  silks,  his  sails  made  of  damask,  and  the 
topmast  covered  with  cloth  of  gold. 

Great  exertions  were  now  made  by  the  English  and  Dutch  to 
find  the  Northwest  Passage,  and  frequent  rumors  were  spread  that 
the  Straits  of  Anian  had  actually  been  discovered,  creating  much 
joy  in  England  arid  Holland,  and  causing  great  anxiety  in  Spain, 
Spanish  America  and  the  Philippines.  Many  claims  were  made  to 
having  made  this  discovery  by  parties  who  could  not  substantiate 
them.  This  was  done  for  various  reasons.  Some  enjoyed  the  noto 
riety  and  fame,  as  a  great  navigator,  such  reports  brought  them; 
others  endeavored  to  secure  a  reward  for  their  alleged  services  to 
their  country,  and  still  others  hoped  to  thus  win  employment  in  their 
business,  or  receive  the  command  of  an  expedition  to  locate  definitely 
the  position  of  the  passage'.  So  frequent  were  these  tales,  and 
so  much  at  variance  with  each  other,  that  they  all  fell  into  disrepute, 
and  it  is  doubtful  had  such  a  strait  been  actually  found  if  geogra 
phers  could  have  been  brought  to  believe  it.  The  fiction  of  this 
character  which  attracted  the  most  attention  and  which  had  the  most 
influence  in  dictating  the  character  of  expeditions  in  after  years, 
was  one  made  by  Captain  Lorenzo  Ferrer  de  Maldonado,  a  Portu 
guese.  In  1609  this  gentleman  presented  a  petition  to  the  Spanish 
Council  of  the  Indies — that  august  body  which,  sitting  in  Spain, 
ruled  the  Spanish  possessions  in  India  and  America — asking  for  a 
suitable  reward  for  his  services,  and  the  command  of  a  Spanish  expe 
dition  to  take  possession  of  the  straits  and  fortify  them  against  the 
passage  of  ships  of  any  other  nation. 

The  voyage  upon  which  Maldonado  based  his  claim  he  asserted 
to  have  been  made  twenty -one  years  before,  in  15S8.  By  this  time 
it  was  conceded  that  the  distance  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
in  the  northern  regions,  was  greater  than  it  was  formerly  supposed 
to  be,  and  this  led  Maldonado  to  locate  the  Straits  of  Anian  far  to 
the  westward  of  those  thus  christened  by  Cortereal.  This  latter 
passage  he  placed  as  far  north  as  latitude  75°,  instead  of  60°,  their 
true  location  as  given  by  Cortereal  himself.  His  narrative  asserted 
that  the  vessel  passed  through  a  long  and  tortuous  channel  in  the 
seventy-fifth  parallel,  into  the  "  North  Sea,"  an  entirely  unknown 
body  of  water  at  that  time,  but  which  corresponds  in  location  to  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  which,  however,  has  no  such  passage  leading  into  it, 


34  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  which  is  utterly  unnavigable  by  reason  of  its  vast  fields  of  ice. 
Across  this  North  Sea  he  sailed  in  a  southwesterly  direction  a  dis 
tance  of  790  leagues,  (about  3,000  miles),  when  he  came  upon  the 
Straits  of  Anian,  leading  directly  south  into  the  South  Sea.  This 
wonderful  passage  he  thus  describes:— 

Having  cleared  the  Strait  of  Labrador,  we  began  to  descend  from  that  latitude, 
steering  west-southwest  and  southwest,  three  hundred  and  fifty  leagues,  to  the  71st 
degree  of  latitude,  when  we  perceived  a  high  coast,  without  being  able  to  tell 
whether  it  was  part  of  the  continent  or  an  island ;  but  we  remarked  that,  if  it  were 
the  continent,  it  must  be  opposite  the  coast  of  New  Spain.  From  this  land  we 
directed  our  course  west-southwest,  four  hundred  and  forty  leagues,  until  we  came 
to  the  60th  degree,  in  which  parallel  we  discovered  the  Strait  of  Anian.  *  *  *  * 

The  strait  which  we  discovered  in  60°,  at  the  distance  of  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ten  leagues  from  Spain,  appears,  according  to  ancient  tradition,  to  be 
that  named  by  geographers,  in  their  maps,  the  Strait  of  Anian;  and,  if  it  be  so,  it 
must  be  a  strait  having  Asia  on  the  one  side,  and  America  on  the  other,  which 
seems  to  be  the  case,  according  to  the  following  narrative :—"  As  soon  as  we  had 
cleared  the  strait,  we  coasted  along  the  shores  of  America  for  more  than  one  hundred 
leagues  south  westward,  to  the  55th  degree  of  latitude,  on  which  coast  there  were  no 
inhabitants,  or  any  opening  indicating  the  vicinity  of  another  strait,  through  which 
the  South  Sea,  flowing  into  the  North,  might  insulate  that  part:  and  we  concluded 
that  all  that  coast  belonged  to  America,  and  that  continuing  along  it,  we  might  soon 
reach  the  Quivira  and  Cape  Mendocino.  We  then  left  this  coast  and,  sailing  to 
wards  the  west  four  days,  We  discovered  a  very  high  land,  and  continued  along  the 
coast,  from  which  we  kept  at  a  safe  distance,  always  in  the  open  sea— sailing,  at  one 
time,  to  the  northeast,  at  others  towards  the  north-northeast,  and  again  to  the 
north,  whence  it  seemed  to  us  that  the  coast  ran  northeast  and  southwest. 

"  We  were  unable  to  mark  any  particular  points,  on  account  of  our  distance  from 
land ;  and  we  can,  therefore,  only  affirm  that  it  is  inhabited,  nearly  to  the  entrance 
of  the  strait,  as  we  saw  smoke  rising  up  in  many  places.  This  country,  according 
to  the  charts,  must  belong  to  Tartary,  or  Cathaia  (China),  and  at  a  distance  of  a  few 
leagues  from  the  coast  must  be  the  famed  city  of  Canibula,  the  metropolis  of  Tar 
tary.  Finally,  having  followed  the  direction  of  this  coast,  we  found  ourselves  at 
the  entrance  of  the  same  Strait  of  Anian,  which,  fifteen  days  before,  we  had  passed 
through  to  the  open  sea ;  this  we  knew  to  be  the  South  Sea,  where  are  situated 
Japan,  China,  the  Mouluccas,  India,  New  Guinea,  and  the  land  discovered  by  Cap 
tain  Quiros,  with  all  the  coast  of  New  Spain  and  Peru. 

"  The  Strait  of  Anian  is  fifteen  leagues  in  length,  and  can  easily  be  passed  with  a 
tide  lasting  six  hours,  for  those  tides  are  very  rapid.  There  are,  in  this  length,  six 
turns,  and  two  entrances,  which  lie  north  and  south  ;  that  is,  bear  from  each  other 
north  and  south.  The  entrance  on  the  north  side  (through  which  we  passed)  is  less 
than  half  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  width,  and  on  each  side  are  ridges  of  high  rocks ; 
but  the  rock  on  the  side  of  Asia  is  higher  and  steeper  than  on  the  other,  and  hangs 
over,  so  that  nothing  falling  from  the  tops  can  reach  its  base.  The  entrance  into 
the  South  Sea,  near  the  harbor,  is  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  width,  and 
thence  the  passage  runs  in  an  oblique  direction,  increasing  the  distance  between 
the  two  coasts.  In  the  middle  of  the  strait,  at  the  termination  of  the  third  turn,  is 
a  great  rock,  and  an  inlet,  formed  by  a  rugged  rock,  three  estadias  (about  one  thou 
sand  one  hundred  feet)  in  height,  more  or  less ;  its  form  is  round,  and  its  diameter 
may  be  two  hundred  paces ;  its  distance  from  the  land  of  Asia  is  very  little ;  but  the 


T  HE- 
UNIVERSITY 

THE  FABULOUS "STRAFTS  OF  ANIAN.  35 

sea  on  that  side  is  full  of  shoals  and  reefs,  and  can  be  only  navigated  by  boats.  The 
distance  between  this  inlet  and  the  continent  of  America  is  less  than  a  quarter  of  a 
league  in  width,  and,  although  its  channel  is  so  deep  that  two  or  even  three  ships 
sail  abreast  through  it,  two  bastions  might  be  built  on  the  banks  with  little  trouble, 
which  would  contract  the  channel  to  within  the  reach  of  a  musket  shot. 

"  In  the  harbor  in  which  our  ships  anchored,  at  the  entrance  of  the  strait,  on  the 
south  side,  we  lay  from  the  beginning  of  April  to  the  middle  of  June,  when  a  large 
vessel  of  eight  hundred  tons  burden  came  there  from  the  South  Sea,  in  order  to  pass 
the  strait.  Upon  this  we  put  ourselves  on  our  guard  ;  but,  having  come  to  an  under 
standing  with  her,  I  found  them  willing  to  give  us  some  of  their  merchandise,  the 
greater  part  of  which  consisted  of  articles  similar  to  those  manufactured  in  China, 
such  as  brocades,  silks,  porcelain,  feathers,  precious  stones,  pearls,  and  gold.  These 
people  seemed  to  be  Hanseatics,  who  inhabit  the  bay  of  St.  Nicholas,  or  the  port  of 
St.  Michael  (Archangel,  on  the  White  Sea).  In  order  to  understand  one  another 
we  were  forced  to  speak  Latin— those  of  our  party  who  understood  that  language 
talking  with  those  on  board  the  ship  who  were  also  acquainted  with  it.  They  did  not 
seem  to  be  Catholics,  but  Lutherans.  They  said  they  came  from  a  large  city  more 
than  one  hundred  leagues  from  the  strait,  and  though  I  can  not  exactly  remember 
its  name,  I  think  they  called  it  Rohr,  or  some  such  name,  which  they  said  had  a 
good  harbor  and  a  navigable  river,  and  was  subject  to  the  great  khan,  as  it  belonged 
to  Tartary  ;  and  that  in  that  port  they  left  another  ship  belonging  to  their  country. 
We  could  learn  no  more  from  them,  as  they  acted  with  great  caution  and  little  con 
fidence,  being  afraid  of  our  company  ;  wherefore  we  parted  from  them  near  the 
strait,  in  the  North  Sea,  and  set  sail  towards  Spain." 

It  is  barely  possible  that  a  voyage  may  have  been  made  about 
the  time  mentioned  in  the  memorial,  during  which  the  vessel  entered 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  that  Maldonado  was  a  seaman  or  sub -officer  on 
board,  which  would  account  for  his  ignorance  on  such  technical 
points  as  the  degrees  of  latitude  and  number  of  miles  sailed,  and  that 
two  decades  later,  when  his  superior  officers  were  dead  and  he  him 
self  had  risen  in  rank,  he  desired  the  command  of  an  expedition  to 
search  for  these  straits  in  whose  existence  he  firmly  believed,  and 
which  he  claimed  to  have  seen  simply  to  lend  weight  to  his  petition. 
This,  however,  is  improbable,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
whole  narrative  was  a  fabrication.  Diligent  search  among  Spanish 
and  Portuguese  records  of  those  times  has  failed  to  reveal  any  indi 
cation  of  such  a  voyage,  or  any  confirmatory  evidence  whatever, 
other  than  the  memorial  itself.  At  that  time  (1588)  Spain  and 
England  were  absorbed  in  the  conflict  over  the  Spanish  Armada, 
yet  it  is  doubtful  if  that  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  the  omission  to 
record  in  any  manner  such  a  voyage  as  the  one  thus  described  by 
Maldonado. 

The  evidences  against  the  genuineness  of  the  narrative  are  almost 
convincing,  even  when  considered  without  reference  to  the  fact  that 


36  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

it  is  now  evident  no  such  passage  exists.  In  his  narrative,  which 
was  unusually  precise  and  careful  in  its  details,  Maldonado  gave  all 
the  geographical  ideas  of  the  time  in  regard  to  the  regions  that 
would  naturally  be  visited ;  and  this  very  fact  is  strongly  presumptive 
evidence  that  the  voyage  was  a  fiction,  as  these  theories,  so  carefully 
followed,  have  nearly  all  been  found  to  be  false.  Even  the  minute 
ness  of  detail  is  suspicious,  since  it  is  chiefly  the  inaccurate  records, 
clumsy  narratives,  and  "yarns"  flowing  from  the  fertile  imagina 
tion  of  the  sea  rovers,  to  which  many  of  the  erroneous,  and  even 
ludicrous,  ideas  of  those  times  are  directly  chargeable.  No  such 
carefulness  in  statement  characterized  the  narrative  of  any  prior  or 
contemporary  voyage,  and  this  was  the  first  one  claiming  to  have 
accomplished  so  much,  which  did  not  sadly  mar  the  maps  of  theo 
retical  geographers.  Its  ready-made  appearance  was  sufficient  to 
cause  its  entire  rejection  by  the  Council  of  the  Indies. 

In  after  years,  however,  two  copies  of  this  memorial,  of  the  ex 
istence  of  which  the  world  was  ignorant,  were  found  among  ancient 
records  at  different  places,  each  one  purporting  to  be  the  original 
document.  They  created  great  excitement,  and,  as  will  be  seen 
later,  had  much  to  do  with  the  shaping  of  explorations  for  a  century 
thereafter.  As  late  as  1  790,  when  the  heated  controversy  over  the 
Nootka  affair  seemed  about  to  plunge  England  and  Spain  into  war, 
the  question  of  the  authenticity  of  Maldonado's  narrative  was  gravely 
discussed,  and  a  last  thorough  search  was  made  in  Spain  and  Por 
tugal  for  confirmative  evidence,  which  was  as  fruitless  as  had  been 
all  previous  efforts.  With  the  end  of  that  controversy  Maldonado's 
mythical  straits  disappeared  forever  from  the  plane  of  active  history 
and  took  its  proper  place  in  the  domain  of  romance. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  STRAITS  OF  JUAN  DE  FUCA  AND  THE  RIVER  OF  KINGS.   ' 

Narrative  of  Michael  Lock*  the  Elder — Story  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  as  told 
by  Loci' — Description  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca — Controversy  among 
Historians  over  FUCAIS  alleged  Voyage- — Botli  Sides  Carefully  Con 
sidered —  Probably  a  Myth — Admiral  Fontes  alleged  Voyage — The 
River  of  Kings — Its  Absurdity  Pointed  Out. 


THERE  is  still  another  somewhat  mythical  voyage  associated 
with  this  search  for  the  Straits  of  Anian,  which  has  played  a 
most  important  part  in  the  history  of  Oregon ;  and  though  it  comes 
entirely  through  English  sources,  is  utterly  repudiated  by  modern 
English  historians,  and  even  receives  but  little  credence  among 
American  writers.  This  is  the  celebrated  voyage  of  Juan  de  Fuca, 
who  is  claimed  to  have  discovered  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  that  broad 
channel  separating  a  portion  of  Washington  Territory  from  Van- 
cover  Island,  in  British  Columbia. 

There  was  published  in  London,  in  1625,  a  celebrated  historical 
and  geographical  work,  edited  by  Samuel  Purchas,  which  bore  the 
odd  title  of  u  The  Pilgrims.71  Among  other  things,  this  volume  con 
tained  u  A  note  by  Michael  Lock,  the  elder,  touching  the  Strait  of 
Sea,  commonly  called  F return  Anian,  in  the  South  Sea,  through  the 
Northwest  Passage  of  Met  a  Incognita."  The  most  important  por 
tion  of  this  alleged  document  of  Mr.  Lock  is  as  follows:— 

When  I  was  in  Venice,  in  April,  1596,  haply  arrived  there  an  old  man,  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  called,  commonly,  Juan  de  Fuca,  but  named  properly  Apostolas 
Valerianus,  of  nation  a  Greek,  born  in  Cephalonia,  of  profession  a  mariner,  and  an 
ancient  pilot  of  ships.  This  man,  being  come  lately  out  of  Spain,  arrived  first  at 
Leghorn,  and  went  thence  to  Florence,  where  he  found  one  John  Douglas,  an  En 
glishman,  a  famous  mariner,  ready  coming  from  Venice,  to  be  pilot  of  a  Venetian 
ship  for  England,  in  whose  company  they  came  both  together  to  Venice.  And 
John  Douglas  being  acquainted  with  me  before,  he  gave  me  knowledge  of  this 


38  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Greek  pilot,  and  brought  him  to  my  speech;  and  in  long  talks  and  conference  be 
tween  us,  in  presence  of  John  Douglas,  this  Greek  pilot  declared,  in  the  Italian  and 
Spanish  languages,  this  much  in  effect  as  followeth  :  First,  he  said  he  had  been  in 
the  West  Indies  of  Spain  forty  years,  and  had  sailed  to  and  from  many  places 
thereof,  in  the  service  of  the  Spaniards.  Also,  he  said  that  he  was  in  the  Spanish 
ship,  which,  in  returning  from  the  Islands  Philippines,  towards  Nova  Spania,  was 
robbed  and  taken  at  the  Cape  California  by  Captain  Candish,  Englishman,  whereby 
he  lost  60,000  ducats  of  his  goods.  Also,  he  said  that  he  was  pilot  of  three  small 
ships  which  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  sent  from  Mexico,  armed  with  100  men,  under 
a  captain,  Spaniards,  to  discover  the  Straits  of  Anian,  along  the  coast  of  the  South 
Sea,  and  to  fortify  in  that  strait,  to  resist  the  passage  and  proceedings  of  the  English 
nation,  which  were  forced  to  pass  through  those  straits  into  the  South  Sea;  and 
that,  by  reason  of  a  mutiny  which  happened  among  the  soldiers  for  the  misconduct 
of  their  captain,  that  voyage  was  overthrown,  and  the  ship  returned  from  Califor 
nia  to  Nova  Spania,  without  anything  done  in  that  voyage  ;  and  that,  after  their 
return,  the  captain  was  at  Mexico  punished  by  justice.  Also,  he  said  that,  shortly 
after  the  said  voyage  was  so  ill-ended,  the  said  Viceroy  of  Mexico  sent  him  out 
again,  in  1592,  with  a  small  caravel  and  a  pinnace,  armed  with  mariners  only,  to 
follow  the  said  voyage  for  the  discovery  of  the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  the  passage 
thereof  into  the  sea,  which  they  call  the  North  Sea,  which  is  our  northwest  sea; 
and  that  he  followed  his  course,  in  that  voyage,  west  and  northwest  in  the  So.uth 
Sea,  all  along  the  coast  of  Nova  Spania,  and  California,  and  the  Indies,  now  called 
North  America  (all  which  voyage  he  signified  to  me  in  a  great  map,  and  a  sea-card 
of  my  own,  which  I  laid  before  him),  until  he  came  to  the  latitude  of  47  degrees  ; 
and  that,  there  finding  that  the  land  trended  north  and  northwest,  with  a  broad 
inlet 'of  sea,  between  47  and  48  degrees  of  latitude,  he  entered  thereinto,  sailing 
therein  more  than  twenty  days,  and  found  that  land  trending  still  sometimes  north 
west,  and  northeast,  and  north,  and  also  east  and  southeastward,  and  very  much 
broader  sea  than  was  at  the  said  entrance,  and  that  he  passed  by  divers  islands  in 
that  sailing  ;  and  that,  at  the  entrance  of  this  said  strait,  there  Is,  on  the  northwest 
coast  thereof,  a  great  headland  or  island,  with  an  exceeding  high  pinnacle,  or  spired 
rock,  like  a  pillar,  thereupon.  Also,  he  said  that  he  went  on  land  in  divers  places, 
and  that  he  saw  some  people  on  land  clad  in  beasts'  skins ;  and  that  the  land  is  very 
fruitful,  and  rich  of  gold,  silver,  pearls,  and  other  things,  like  Nova  Spania.  Also, 
he  said  that  he  being  entered  thus  far  into  the  said  strait,  and  being  come  into  the 
North  Sea  already,  and  finding  the  sea  wide  enough  everywhere,  and  to  be  about 
thirty  or  forty  leagues  wide  in  the  mouth  of  the  straits  where  he  entered,  he  thought 
he  had  now  well  discharged  his  office;  and  that,  not  being  armed  to  resist  the  force 
of  the  savage  people  that  might  happen,  he  therefore  set  sail  and  returned  home 
wards  again  towards  Nova  Spania,  where  he  arrived  at  Acapulco,  Anno  1592,  hop 
ing  to  be  rewarded  by  the  Viceroy  for  this  service  done  in  the  said  voyage.  *  *  * 
[Here  follows  an  account  of  his  vain  endeavors  for  three  years  to  secure  a  proper 
recognition  of  his  services  by  the  Viceroy  or  the  Spanish  monarch,  and  his  resolu 
tion  to  return  to  his  native  land  to  die  among  his  countrymen.]  Also,  he  said  he 
thought  the  cause  of  his  ill  reward  had  of  the  Spaniards,  to  be  for  that  they  did 
understand  very  well  that  the  English  nation  had  now  given  over  all  their  voyages 
for  discovery  of  the  northwest  passage ;  wherefore,  they  need  not  fear  them  any 
more  to  come  that  way  into  the  South  Sea,  and  therefore  they  needed  not  his  ser 
vice  therein  any  more.  Also,  he  said  that,  understanding  the  noble  mind  of  the 
Queen  of  England,  and  of  her  wars  against  the  Spaniards,  and  hoping  that  her 
majesty  would  do  him  justice  for  his  goods  lost  by  Captain  Candish,  he  would  be 
content  to  go  into  England  and  serve  her  majesty  in  that  voyage  for  the  discovery 
perfectly  of  the  northwest  passage  into  the  South  Sea,  if  she  would  furnish  him 


STRAITS  OF  JUAN  DE  FLTCA  AND  RIVER  OF  KINGS.  39 

with  only  one  ship  of  forty  tons  burden,  and  a  pinnace,  and  that  he  would  perform 
it  in  thirty  days'  time,  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  strait,  and  he  willed  me  so 
to  write  to  England.  And,  from  conference  had  twice  with  the  said  Greek  pilot,  I 
did  write  thereof,  accordingly,  to  England,  unto  the  right  honorable  the  old  Lord 
Treasurer  Cecil,  and  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and  to  Master  Richard  Hakluyt,  that 
famous  cosmographer,  certifying  them  hereof.  And  I  prayed  them  to  disburse 
£100,  to  bring  the  said  Greek  pilot  into  England,  with  myself,  for  that  my  own 
purse  would  not  stretch  so  wide  at  that  time.  And  I  had  answer  that  this  action 
was  well  liked  and  greatly  desired  in  England  ;  but  the  money  was  not  ready,  and 
therefore  this  action  died  at  that  time,  though  the  said  Greek  pilot,  perchance, 
liveth  still  in  his  own  country,  in  Cephalonia,  towards  which  place  he  went  within 
a  fortnight  after  this  conference  had  at  Venice. 

There  is  more  of  the  document,  detailing  quite  a  correspondence 
between  Lock  and  the  Greek,  from  which  it  appears  that  the  old 
pilot  was  alive  in  1598,  but  that  in  1002,  when  Lock  had  finished 
his  business  in  Venice  and  was  preparing  to  return  to  England,  he 
addressed  a  letter  to  Fuca,  to  which  he  received  no  answer,  and  that 
a  short  time  afterwards  he  learned  that  the  Greek  was  dead. 

There  has  been  much  controversy  among  historians  as  to  the 
authenticity  of  this  document.  In  the  long  negotiations  between 
England  and  the  United  States  in  regard  to  the  location  of  the 
international  boundary  line,  it  was  vigorously  supported  by  the 
Americans  and  as  earnestly  combated  by  the  representatives  of  Great 
Britain.  As  in  the  discussion  of  Sir  Francis  Drake's  voyage,  writers 
were  divided  strictly  upon  national  lines,  and  thus  are  subject  to  the 
charge  of  bias  and  prejudice.  A  fair  examination  will  convince  an 
impartial  person  that,  although  it  is  not  impossible  the  voyage  was 
made,  the  probabilities  are  that  the  letter  of  Mr.  Lock  was  one  com 
posed  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  sensation,  and  no  such  personage 
as  Juan  de  Fuca  ever  existed.  The  English  writers  seem  to  have 
espoused  the  better  side  of  the  argument,  though  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  they  would  not  have  as  readily  advocated  the  opposite 
one  had  the  interests  of  Great  Britain  required  it.  The  question 
was  long  since  settled  and  the  boundary  established  at  the  forty - 
ninth  parallel  and  the  Straits  of  Fuca;  and  now,  freed  from  national 
prejudice,  American  writers  generally  declare  their  belief  that  the 
voyage  of  the  Greek  pilot  was  a  myth.  Briefly  presented,  the  argu 
ments  on  either  side  are  as  follows:— 

It  is  maintained  by  the  supporters  of  the  document  that  the 
statements  therein  contained  are,  many  of  them,  known  to  be  true; 
that  in  its  geographical  descriptions  it  is  more  accurate  than  the 


40  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

report  of  any  previous  Spanish  voyage;  that  the  fact  of  his  locating 
the  entrance  to  the  passage  between  latitudes  47  and  48  degrees, 
instead  of  48  and  49  degrees,  is  not  as  serious  as  their  opponents 
assert,  since  much  greater  errors  in  locating  well -known  objects 
appear  in  the  accounts  of  voyages  of  whose  authenticity  there  is  no 
dispute.  The  Spaniards  were  not  scientific  navigators,  and  their 
reports  bristle  with  errors  in  latitude,  while  longitude  seems  to  have 
been  entirely  beyond  them.  This  lack  of  accuracy  prevented  them 
from  making  a  correct  map  of  the  coast  line  of  California,  even 
after  they  had  explored  and  sailed  along  it  for  two  centuries.  There 
is,  also,  a  marked  absence  of  those  stereotyped  descriptions  of  won 
derful  cities  and  strange  peoples  which  seems  to  have  formed  such 
an  important  part  of  the  accounts  of  many  previous  and  subsequent 
voyages.  A  careful  comparison  by  one  who  is  familiar  with  the 
geography  of  that  region  will  convince  him  that  in  the  narrative  the 
Straits  of  Fuca  are  very  accurately  described — with  the  exception 
of  the  great  rocky  pillar  on  the  northwest — especially  in  the  fact 
that  the  land  north  of  the  straits  (Vancouver  Island)  trends  to  the 
northwest.  He  sailed  in  the  passage  twenty  days,  finding  numerous 
islands  and  arms  of  the  ocean  running  in  all  directions,  and  finally 
emerged  into  the  North  Sea.  What  could  more  accurately  describe 
a  voyage  through  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  Gulf  of  Georgia,  between 
Vancouver  Island  and  the  mainland,  until  the  open  ocean  was  again 
reached  on  the  northwest?  It  is  not  claimed  that  he  entered  the 
Atlantic,  but  the  North  Sea  of  Maldonado ;  and  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  Straits  of  Anian  as  then  understood — that  described 
by  Maldonado — was  a  long  passage,  leading  in  a  general  north  and 
south  direction,  connecting  the  South  Sea  with  the  supposed  North 
Sea,  and  that  to  reach  the  Atlantic  required  a  long  voyage  across  this 
North  Sea  and  through  the  Straits  of  Labrador.  It  must  be  admit 
ted,  then,  that  the  descriptions  given  in  Lock's  account  are  wonder 
fully  accurate  if  they  are  wholly  imaginary;  and  as  to  the  error  in 
latitude — a  matter  of  only  a  few  miles — aside  from  the  reasons 
already  given,  may  it  not  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  nar 
rative  is  written  from  memory  by  a  second  party  who  had  received 
but  an  oral  account  of  the  voyage? 

The  chief  objection  to  the  voyage  is,  that  there  is  no  confirmatory 
evidence  whatever  to  support  it.     Neither  the  royal  nor  colonial 


STRAITS  OF  JUAN  DE  FUCA  AND  RIVER  OF  KINGS.  41 

records  of  Spain  contain  the  faintest  allusion  to  it,  although  other 
voyages,  and  especially  some  made  but  a  few  years  later,  are  recorded 
at  length.  The  narrative  of  Lock  was  not  given  to  the  public  until 
a  quarter  of  a  century  had  elapsed,  and  every  one  who  might  have 
had  any  personal  knowledge  of  it  was  probably  dead.  Richard 
Hakluyt,  one  of  the  three  gentlemen  to  whom  it  is  said  Lock  wrote 
in  relation  to  the  matter  from  Venice,  was  one  of  the  greatest  men 
of  his  age.  lie  was  an  enthusiastic  geographer,  who  spent  much 
time  and  money  in  collecting  and  publishing  the  accounts  of  all 
important  voyages  made  by  the  representatives  of  England,  or  any 
other  nation.  It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  he  could  have  been  so 
indifferent  to  the  subject  of  Lock's  letter,  since  the  Straits  of  Anian 
were  the  absorbing  geographical  enigma  of  the  times,  as  to  have  let 
the  matter  of  £100  prevent  him  from  bringing  the  Greek  pilot  to 
England ;  and  it  is  equally  strange  that  no  hint  of  such  a  voyage  is 
given  in  any  of  his  works,  though  he  is  admitted  to  have  been  the 
most  thorough  and  correct  geographer  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Another  objection,  and  perhaps  the  strongest  one,  is  the  fact 
that  at  the  very  time  Juan  de  Fuca  is  asserted  to  have  been  urging 
his  claim  for  a  reward  upon  the  King  of  Spain,  another  Spanish 
expedition  was  dispatched  in  search  of  the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  in 
the  letter  of  instructions,  which  details  at  length  the  reasons  for 
ordering  the  voyage,  no  allusion  is  made  to  Fuca  or  his  straits.  Had 
such  a  voyage  as  Fuca's  actually  been  made,  this  second  expedition 
would  certainly  have  availed  itself  of  the  knowledge  thus  gained. 
Instead  of  doing  so,  the  record  of  that  voyage  conclusively  shows 
that  the  commander  must  have  been  utterly  ignorant  of  Fuca  and 
his  alleged  voyage ;  and  this  proves,  also,  that  he  could  have  had  no 
secret  instructions  on  the  subject. 

In  viewing  the  matter  critically,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
evidences  against  the  authenticity  of  the  voyage,  though  entirely  of 
a  negative  character,  greatly  outweigh  the  one  circumstantial  evi 
dence  in  its  favor — the  fact  that  a  passage  much  similar  to  the  one 
described  actually  exists  a  few  miles  to  the  north  of  the  location 
fixed  in  the  narrative.  Juan  de  Fuca's  voyage  was  probably  a 
myth. 

The  third  and  last  mythical  passage  to  receive  popular  credence 
and  engage  the  attention  of  geographers  and  explorers  for  years, 


42  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

was  the  River  of  Kings,  the  Rio  de  los  Reyes  of  Admiral  Fonte. 
Like  the  narratives  of  Maldonado  and  Fuca,  this  did  not  reach  the 
public  until  many  years  had  elapsed  from  the  time  assigned  to  the 
voyage,  and  this  fact  alone  is  almost  conclusive  evidence  of  its  man 
ufactured  character.  Such  a  voyage  as  any  of  these  would  have 
been  made  public  soon  after  its  completion,  so  eager  were  the  learned 
men  of  the  time  to  gain  all  the  information  possible  on  these  subjects. 
It  was  natural  for  a  person  inventing  such  a  tale  to  assign  a  date  so 
far  back  that  he  need  have  no  fear  of  a  personal  contradiction. 

A  magazine  entitled  Monthly  Miscellany,  or  Memoir es  of  the 
Curious,  was  published  in  London  in  1708,  containing  a  long  ac 
count  of  a  voyage  alleged  to  have  been  made  in  1640,  sixty-eight 
years  previously,  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic  and  return,  through 
a  system  of  rivers  crossing  North  America  about  the  fifty -third  par 
allel.  The  man  who  is  credited  with  making  this  wonderful  voyage 
is  Admiral  Pedro  Bartolome  de  Fonte,  of  the  Spanish  Marine. 
According  to  the  account  given  in  this  magazine,  Admiral  Fonte 
was  instructed  by  the  Viceroy  of  Peru  to  explore  the  Pacific  coast 
of  North  America  for  a  passage  leading  into  the  Atlantic,  and  to 
intercept  some  Boston  vessels  which  the  Viceroy  had  learned  had 
sailed  upon  the  same  errand  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  He  sailed  from 
Callao  in  April,  1640,  with  four  vessels.  At  Cape  San  Lucas  he 
dispatched  one  of  these  to  explore  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  with 
the  remaining  three  continued  up  the  coast.  In  latitude  53  degrees, 
after  sailing  a  long  distance  among  islands,  which  he  christened  the 
"Archipelago  de  Lazarus,"  he  observed  the  mouth  of  a  great  river, 
which  he  decided  to  enter.  One  of  his  vessels  was  sent  further  up 
the  coast,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Bernardo,  while  with  the 
other  two  he  ascended  the  stream,  whose  great  proportions  won  from 
him  the  title  of  "  Rio  de  los  Reyes,"  or  "  River  of  Kings."  This  he 
followed  in  a  northeasterly  direction  a  long  distance,  finally  reach 
ing  its  source  in  an  immense  lake,  which  he  named  "  Lake  Belle." 
This  was  the  country  of  a  wealthy  and  civilized  nation,  whose  chief 
town,  on  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  was  called  Conasset,  and  who 
entertained  the  strangers  who  had  so  unexpectedly  come  among 
them  in  a  most  hospitable  manner.  This  lake  was  evidently  on  the 
summit  of  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  the  two  oceans,  for 
flowing  from  it  in  an  opposite  direction  from  the  river  he  had 


STRAITS  OF  JITAN  DE  FITCA   AND  RTVER  OF  KINGS.  43 

ascended  was  another  large  stream,  which  he  called  "  Parmentier." 
Leaving  his  vessels  at  Conasset,  he  descended  the  Parmentier  until 
he  entered  another  lake,  upon  which  he  bestowed  his  own  name, 
from  which  he  passed  through  a  narrow  strait  into  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  This  last  passage  he  named  "  Strait  of  Ronquillo,"  in  honor 
of  the  captain  of  one  of  his  vessels.  Thus,  through  a  continuous 
waterway  of  rivers  and  lakes,  he  had  passed  through  the  entire  con 
tinent  of  North  America. 

When  that  story  was  written  the  author  little  dreamed  that  in  the 
latitude  assigned  to  this  wonderful  passageway  the  continent  was 
more  than  five  thousand  miles  in  width.  Having  entered  the  At 
lantic  the  Admiral  soon  encountered  the  Boston  vessel  which  it  was 
feared  had  designs  upon  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  Pacific.  The 
captain  of  the  colonial  craft  was  Nicholas  Shapley,  and  on  board 
was  its  owner,  one  Seymour  Gibbons,  whom  Fonte  described  as 
u  a  fine  gentleman,  and  major-general  of  the  largest  colony  in  New 
England,  called  Maltechusetts."  Fonte  decided  to  treat  these 
strangers  as  peaceful  traders,  and  the  representatives  of  these  two 
nations  indulged  in  a  series  of  mutual  entertainments  which  appear 
to  have  given  the  Admiral  great  satisfaction.  He  then  returned  to 
the  Pacific  by  the  route  he  had  come,  finding  his  vessels  waiting  for 
him  in  good  condition  in  Lake  Belle,  the  inhabitants  of  Conasset 
having  refrained  from  molesting  them.  At  the  mouth  of  the  River 
of  Kings  he  was  joined  by  Bernardo,  who  had  an  equally  wonder 
ful  tale  to  relate.  He,  too,  had  discovered  a  great  river,  in  latitude 
61  degrees,  and  had  ascended  it  to  its  source  in  a  large  lake.  These 
he  called  "Rio  de  Haro,"  and  "Lake  Velasco."  From  the  lake  he 
ascended  another  stream  in  canoes  as  high  as  the  seventy -ninth  par 
allel,  but  observing  the  land  "  still  trending  north,  and  the  ice  rested 
on  the  land,  he  became  satisfied  that  there  was  no  communication 
out  of  the  Atlantic  Sea  by  Davis'  Straits;  for  the  natives  had  con 
ducted  one  of  his  seamen  to  the  head  of  Davis7  Strait,  which  termi 
nated  in  a  fresh  lake,  of  about  thirty  miles  in  circumference,  in  the 
eightieth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  there  were  prodigious  moun 
tains  north  of  it."  He,  therefore,  returned  to  the  Pacific  to  rejoin 
his  commander.  Fonte  was  satisfied  from  the  report  that  the  Straits 
of  Anian  did  not  exist,  and  returned  to  Peru  to  report  that  fact, 


44  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  the  wonderful  river  route  he  had  discovered  through  the  con 
tinent. 

This  whole  story  is  utterly  absurd,  in  the  light  of  our  present 
knowledge  of  geography,  but  was  far  from  being  so  at  the  time  it 
was  promulgated.  Yet  it  contains  enough  inconsistencies  and  pal 
pable  errors  to  have  even  then  condemned  it  in  the  eyes  of  a  critical 
reader.  The  statement  that  in  1640,  only  ten  years  after  Boston 
was  founded,  the  people  of  that  struggling  colony  were  searching 
for  the  Straits  of  Anian  is  too  improbable  for  belief.  This  English 
historian  should  have  known,  also,  that  Massachusetts  was  governed 
at  the  date  mentioned  by  John  Winthrop  and  not  by  Seymour  Gib 
bons,  whose  name  does  not  appear  at  all  in  the  list  of  New  England 
governors  or  "  major-generals."  Not  the  slightest  reference  is  made 
to  it  in  the  records  of  Spain  or  Peru,  and  it  is  now  generally  con 
ceded  that  the  story  is  a  creation  of  James  Petiver,  an  eminent  nat 
uralist,  who  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  magazine  in  which  it 
first  appeared. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VOYAGES  AND  EVENTS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY. 


Philip  orders  a  Voyage  along  the  Pacific  Coast — Reasons  Assigned  by 
Torquemada  and  Venegas —  Viscaino  sent  out  by  the  Viceroy  in 
1596 —  Vizcaino's  second  Voyage  in  160%— Ravages  of  the  Scurvy- 
He  Enters  Monterey — Argument  of  the  Claim  that  he  Entered  San 
Francisco  Bay — Earliest  Positive  Knowledge  of  that  Harbor —  Vis 
caino  goes  to  Latitude  42°  and  returns  /  but  Aguilar  reaches  Jf.3° — 
Cape  Blanco  and  the  River  of  Aguilar — California  Supposed  to  be 
an  Island--  Viscaino  dies  after  Obtaining  a  Royal  Mandate  to  occupy 
Monterey — Spain  Ceases  all  Exploration  of  the  Coast. 


AS  the  various  romances  which  have  been  considered  were  all 
published  many  years  after  the  date  ascribed  to  the  voyages  of 
which  they  speak,  it  is  now  necessary  to  turn  back  to  these  times 
and  see  what  was  actually  being  accomplished.  The  first  thing  to 
be  found  affecting  Oregon  is  the  voyage  of  Sebastian  Viscaino.  It 
has  been  seen  that  at  the  very  time  when  Juan  de  Fuca  w~as  impor 
tuning  the  Spanish  monarch  for  recognition  of  his  services,  accord 
ing  to  Lock's  letter,  that  royal  personage  ordered  a  survey  of  the 
Pacific  Coast.  The  reasons  that  moved  Philip  II.,  in  1595,  to  issue 
his  royal  mandate  to  the  Mexican  Viceroy  are  thus  set  forth  by 
Torquemada:— 

His  majesty  knew  that  the  viceroys  of  Mexico  had  endeavored  to  discover  a 
northern  passage,  and  he  had  found,  among  his  father's  papers,  a  declaration  of 
certain  strangers,  to  the  effect  that  they  had  been  driven,  by  violent  winds,  from 
the  codfish  coast  on  the  Atlantic,  to  the  South  Sea,  through  the  Strait  of  Anian, 
which  is  beyond  Cape  Mendocino,  and  had,  on  their  way,  seen  a  rich  and  populous 
city,  well  fortified,  and  inhabited  by  a  numerous  and  civilized  nation,  who  had 
treated  them  well;  as  also  many  other  things  worthy  to  be  seen  and  known.  His 
majesty  had  also  been  informed  that  ships,  sailing  from  China  to  Mexico,  ran  great 
risks,  particularly  near  Cape  Mendocino,  where  the  storms  are  most  violent,  and 
that  it  would  be  advantageous  to  have  that  coast  surveyed  thence  to  Acapulco,  so 


46  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

that  the  ships,  mostly  belonging  to  his  majesty,  should  find  places  for  relief  and 
refreshment  when  needed.  Whereupon  his  majesty  ordered  the  Count  de- Monte 
rey,  Viceroy  of  Mexico,  to  have  those  coasts  surveyed,  at  his  own  expense,  with  all 
care  and  diligence. 

Half  a  century  later  another  Spanish  historian,  Venegas,  gave 
the  following  reasons  for  Spain's  anxiety  to  become  better  informed 
of  the  coast  above  Cape  Mendocino:— 

That  in  the  meantime  the  English  should  find  out  the  so-much-desired  passage 
to  the  South  Sea,  by  the  north  of  America  and  above  California,  which  passage  is 
not  universally  denied,  and  one  day  may  be  found;  that  they  may  fortify  them 
selves  on  both  sides  of  this  passage,  and  thus  extend  the  English  dominion  from 
the  north  to  the  south  of  America,  so  as  to  border  on  our  possessions.  Should 
English  colonies  and  garrisons  be  established  along  the  coast  of  America  on  the 
South  Sea  beyond  Cape  Mendocino,  or  lower  down  on  California  itself,  England 
would  then,  without  control,  reign  mistress  of  the  sea  and  its  commerce,  and  be 
able  to  threaten  by  land  and  sea  the  territories  of  Spain ;  invade  them  on  occasion 
from  the  E.,  W.,  N.  and  S.,  hem  them  in  and  press  them  on  all  sides. 

In  this  is  contained  no  hint  of  Juan  de  Fuca;  and  if  the  conduct 
of  men  can  be  considered  as  indicative  of  their  motives,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  King,  the  Viceroy  and  the  commanders  of  the  vari 
ous  expeditions,  were  utterly  ignorant  of  the  Greek's  alleged  voyage, 
notwithstanding  Lock's  letter  states  that  the  old  pilot  had  in  vain 
urged  the  Viceroy  and  the  King  to  take  possession  of  the  Straits  of 
Fuca. 

The  Viceroy  of  Mexico  did  not  feel  an  interest  in  the  Straits  of 
Anian,  or  the  California  Coast,  deep  enough  to  render  him  eager  to 
explore  them  at  his  own  expense,  as  commanded  to  do  by  the  king; 
yet  he  dared  not  disobey  the  royal  mandate.  He  made  a  showing 
of  compliance,  by  dispatching  Sebastian  Viscaino  from  Acapulco, 
in  the  spring  of  1596,  with  three  vessels.  These  did  not  proceed 
beyond  Lower  California,  where  two  feeble  and  unsuccessful  efforts 
were  made  to  plant  colonies,  leaving  the  great  objects  of  the  expe 
dition  untouched.  The  death  of  the  king,  in  1598,  served  as  an 
excuse  for  ceasing  even  these  feeble  efforts,  which  made  extensive 
drafts  upon  the  Viceroy's  revenue.  The  respite  was  only  temporary, 
however,  for  Philip  III.  followed  his  father's  ideas  on  the  subject, 
and  peremptorily  ordered  his  representative  in  Mexico  to  make  these 
explorations  without  delay. 

There  was  nothing  now  to  do  but  to  comply  with  the  King's 
command,  and  an  expedition  was  fitted  out,  composed  of  two  vessels 
and  a  small  fragata,  and  entrusted  to  the  command  of  Viscaino. 


VOYAGES  AND  EVENTS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.     47 

The  fleet  sailed  May  5,  1(302,  from  Acapulco,  well  supplied  with 
pilots,  draughtsmen  and  priests — the  first  to  navigate  the  ships,  the 
second  to  make  maps  of  the  coast,  and  the  third  to  keep  an  accurate 
account  of  the  voyage,  a  literary  feat  few  besides  priests  were  able 
to  accomplish  in  those  days,  when  the  sword  was  mightier  than  the 
pen.  The  priestly  authorship  of  the  records  of  the  voyage  is  full}' 
attested  by  the  passage  in  Tonjuemada,  which,  in  speaking  of  the 
head  winds  which  baffled  the  vessels  for  a  long  time,  says  that  they 
were  produced  "  by  the  foe  of  the  human  race,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  advance  of  the  ships,  and  to  delay  the  discovery  of  these  coun 
tries,  and  the  conversion  of  their  inhabitants  to  the  Catholic  faith.'1 
As  the  fleet  advanced  scurvy  made  its  appearance  among  the 
seamen,  and  its  terrible  ravages  added  to  the  adverse  winds  to  con 
vince  the  priests  that  the  Evil  One  was  doing  his  utmost  to  oppose 
their  progress.  In  the  face  of  all  this  the  vessels  steadily  advanced 
northward,  entering  successively  the  ports  of  San  Quentin,  San 
Diego  and  Monterey.  Sixteen  of  the  crew  having  died  and  many 
others  being  utterly  incapacitated  for  duty  by  the  horrible  malady, 
it  was  decided  at  Monterey  to  send  one  of  the  vessels  back  with  the 
invalids.  This  ship  was  commanded  by  Torebio  Gomes  cle  Corvan, 
and  reached  Acapulco,  with  but  few  of  her  crew  alive,  after  a  voy 
age  whose  horrors  have  no  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  sea.  On 
the  third  of  January,  1603,  the  two  remaining  vessels  sailed  from 
Monterey,  and  were  soon  afterwards  separated  by  a  violent  storm, 
and  were  not  again  united.  Viscaino,  in  the  larger  one,  instituted 
a  search  for  the  wreck  of  a  Manila  galleon,  which  had  been  cast 
away  on  this  part  of  the  coast  eight  years  before.  It  was  for  a  long 
time  supposed  that  he  entered  San  Francisco  Harbor,  since  Torque - 
mada  says:  "  He  anchored  behind  a  point  of  rocks  called  La  Punta 
de  los  Reyes,  in  the  port  of  San  Francisco ; "  but  that  idea  does  not 
seem  consistent  with  other  facts,  and  is  not  endorsed  by  the  best 
authorities.  It  does  not  seem  possible  that  an  explorer  could  have 
passed  the  Golden  Gate  and  entered  the  wonderful  harbor  of  San 
Francisco  without  making  such  a  record  and  description  of  it  as 
would  leave  no  room  for  error.  As  in  the  case  of  Drake,  Viscaino 
was  engaged  in  the  search  for  something,  which,  upon  entering  this 
beautiful  bay,  he  would  have  congratulated  himself  upon  discover 
ing;  and  he  certainly  would  have  taken  as  much  pains  to  describe  it 


48  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

i 

as  he  did  other  and  comparatively  insignificant  places.  Viscaino 
was  searching  for  a  harbor  of  refuge,  and  here,  in  the  most  desirable 
locality  possible,  was  a  magnificent  harbor  that  could  hold  the  fleets 
of  the  world;  yet  upon  his  return  to  Mexico  he  strongly  urged  the 
Viceroy  to  establish  stations  at  the  greatly  inferior  harbors  of  San 
Diego  and  Monterey,  and  said  nothing  about  San  Francisco  what 
ever.  In  all  probability  the  port  he  entered  was  the  same  one  in 
which  Drake  had  anchored  twenty-five  years  before. 

Just  when  San  Francisco  Bay  was  discovered  is  uncertain.  The 
first  time  Caucasians  are  known  to  have  visited  it  was  in  1769, 
when  a  party  of  Spaniards  unexpectedly  came  upon  it  while  search 
ing  for  the  Bay  of  Monterey,  and  gave  it  the  name  it  bears.  Yet  it 
is  almost  a  matter  of  certainty  that  some  one  must  have  visited  it 
long  before,  for  in  1 74*2  an  English  commodore,  named  Anson,  cap 
tured  an  East  Indian  galleon,  and  upon  a  chart  found  on  the  vessel 
appeared,  in  the  latitude  of  this  bay,  seven  little  dots,  marked  "  Los 
Farallones,"  and  opposite  these  was  indicated  a  land-locked  harbor 
somewhat  resembling  San  Francisco  Bay,  but  having  no  name  at 
tached.  It  seems  probable  that  the  existence  of  the  bay  was  known 
to  those  engaged  in  the  India  trade,  who  kept  it  a  profound  secret, 
and  could  thus  profit  by  all  its  advantages  as  a  harbor  of  refuge, 
without  permitting  it  to  become  a  rendezvous  for  the  pirates  who 
preyed  upon  their  commerce,  or  a  station  for  the  war  ships  of  hos 
tile  nations. 

On  the  twentieth  of  January,  Viscaino,  having  been  unsuccessful 
in  his  search  for  the  wrecked  galleon,  again  sailed  northward.  He 
proceeded  as  far  as  latitude  42°,  where  he  observed  a  large  white 
bluff,  upon  which  lie  bestowed  the  title  of  "  San  Sebastian."  Dis 
couraged  by  the  unfavorable  weather,  the  terrible  sufferings  of  his 
crew  from  scurvy  and  the  apparent  loss  of  the  consort,  Viscaino 
turned  the  prow  of  the  Capitana  to  the  south,  and  made  his  way 
back  to  Mexico  as  rapidly  as  possible.  When  the  storm  parted  the 
two  vessels  off  San  Francisco  Bay,  the  little  fragata,  which  was 
under  the  command  of  Martin  de  Aguilar,  continued  the  northern 
journey,  encountering  another  gale  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Mendo- 
cino,  from  whose  fury  it  escaped  by  taking  refuge  in  some  sheltered 
place  on  that  portion  of  the  coast.  AVhat  this  place  of  refuge  was 
does  not  appear,  but  Humboldt  Bay  and  the  Bay  of  Trinidad  seem 


VOYAGES  AND  EVENTS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.     49 

to  be  the  only  ports  in  that  region  capable  of  sheltering  a  vessel  from 
a  severe  storm,  and  one  of  these  must  have  been  entered  by  the 
frag  at  a ;  though,  if  such  is  the  case,  it  seems  strange  that  a  more 
extended  description  of  it  is  not  given.  The  subsequent  movements 
of  the  little  craft  are  thus  detailed  by  Torquernada:— 

When  the  wind  had  become  less  violent  they  continued  their  journey  close  along 
the  shore,  and  on  the  nineteenth  of  January,  the  pilot,  Antonio  Flores,  found  that 
they  were  in  the  latitude  of  43°,  where  the  land  formed  a  cape  or  point,  which  was 
named  "  Cape  Blanco."  From  that  point  the  coast  begins  to  turn  to  the  northwest, 
and  near  it  was  discovered  a  rapid  and  abundant  river,  with  ash  trees,  willows, 
brambles,  and  other  trees  of  Castile  and  its  banks,  which  they  endeavored  to  enter, 
but  could  not  from  the  force  of  the  current.  Ensign  Martin  de  Aguilar,  the  com 
mander,  and  Antonio  Flores,  the  pilot,  seeing  that  they  had  already  reached  a 
higher  latitude  than  was  ordered  by  the  Viceroy  in  his  instructions,  that  the  Capi- 
tana  did  not  appear,  and  that  the  number  of  sick  was  great,,  agreed  to  return  to 
Acapulco. 

They  never  performed  their  agreement,  for  when  the  fragata 
reached  Acapulco  both  the  commander  and  pilot,  as  well  as  the 
greater  portion  of  the  crew,  had  fallen  victims  to  the  scurvy  and 
had  been  consigned  to  the  bosom  of  the  great  unknown  ocean. 

It  is  impossible  to  realize  the  dreadful  ravages  committed  by  that 
horrible  disease  among  the  explorers  of  those  early  times.  Every 
prolonged  voyage  suffered  the  impress  of  its  blighting  finger.  Death 
took  passage  in  every  vessel  sent  into  unknown  waters.  English 
mariners  seem  to  have  suffered  less  than  did  the  Spaniards,  or,  in 
later  times,  the  Russians.  Of  the  sufferings  on  board  of  Aguilar1s 
fated  craft  Torquemada  says:— 

Nor  is  the  least  ease  to  be  expected  from  change  of  place,  as  the  slightest  motion 
is  attended  with  such  severe  pains  that  they  must  be  very  fond  of  lite  who  would 
not  willingly  lay  it  down  on  the  first  appearance  of  so  terrible  a  distemper  This 
virulent  humor  makes  such  ravages  in  the  body  that  it  is  entirely  covered  with 
ulcers,  and  the  poor  patients  are  unable  to  bear  the  least  pressure ;  even  the  very 
clothes  laid  on  them  deprive  them  of  life.  Thus  they  lie  groaning  and  incapable  of 
any  relief.  For  the  greatest  assistance  possible  to  be  given  them,  if  I  may  be  allowed 
the  expression,  is  not  to  touch  them,  nor  even  the  bed  clothes.  These  effects,  how 
ever  melancholy,  are  not  the  only  ones  produced  by  this  pestilential  humor.  In 
many,  the  gums,  both  of  the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  are  pressed  both  within  and 
without  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  teeth  can  not  touch  one  another,  and  withal  so 
loose  and  bare  that  they  shake  with  the  least  motion  of  the  head,  and  some  of  the 
patients  spit  their  teeth  out  with  their  saliva.  Thus  they  were  unable  to  receive 
any  food  but  liquid,  as  gruel,  broth,  milk  of  almonds  and  the  like.  This  gradually 
brought  on  so  great  a  weakness  that  they  died  while  talking  to  their  friends.  *  * 
Some,  by  way  of  ease,  made  loud  complaints,  others  lamented  their  sins  with 
the  deepest  contrition,  some  died  talking,  some  sleeping,  some  eating,  some  whilst 
sitting  up  in  their  beds. 


50  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Such  were  the  privations  and  afflictions  endured  by  the  early 
explorers  of  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

A  fourth  geographical  enigma  was  now  added  to  the  list  of  those 
which  perplexed  the  seekers  for  a  Northwest  Passage;  though,  more 
properly  speaking,  this  was  the  first,  since  knowledge  of  this  voyage 
was  spread  abroad  several  years  before  Maldonado  entertained  the 
Council  of  the  Indies  with  his  clever  romance  about  the  Straits  of 
Anian,  or  Lock's  letter  gave  to  the  world  the  dubious  tale  of  Juan 
de  Fuca.  According  to  Torquemada,  it  was  "  supposed  that  this 
river  is  one  leading  to  a  great  city  which  was  discoA^ered  by  the  Dutch 
when  they  were  driven  thither  by  storms,  and  that  it  is  the  Straits 
of  Anian  through  which  the  ship  passed  in  sailing  from  the  North 
Sea  to  the  South  Sea,  and  that  the  city  called  Quivira  (the  one 
which  led  Coronado  such  a  dance  sixty  years  before)  is  in  those 
parts;  and  that  this  higher  latitude  is  the  region  referred  to  in  the 
account  which  his  majesty  read,  and  which  induced  him  to  order 
this  expedition."11  There  is  here  a  serious  discrepancy — an  error  of 
as  great  a  magnitude  as  the  one  cited  as  evidence  of  the  mythical 
character  of  the  alleged  voyage  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  No  great  river 
exists  in  latitude  43°,  but  a  short  distance  up  the  coast  is  the  Ump- 
qua,  which,  though  by  no  means  as  great  a  stream  as  this  one  was 
supposed  to  be,  may  be  considered  of  sufficient  proportions  to  do 
duty  as  the  River  of  Aguilar.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Rogue 
River,  some  miles  below  the  point  indicated.  One  can  not  help 
noticing  here  the  foundation  of  the  "  River  of  Kings  "  story  after 
wards  concocted  by  Petiver.  The  great  river  supposed  to  lead 
through  the  continent,  and  the  large  city  some  distance  up  the  stream, 
both  appear  here  in  the  original.  The  idea  that  this  was  the  Straits 
of  Anian,  or  anything  of  a  similar  nature,  did  not  long  obtain.  A 
few  years  later  it  was  conceived  that  this  arid  the  Colorado  rivers 
were  the  two  ends  of  a  long  inland  channel,  which  united  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  California  an  island.  This  theory  found  a  place 
upon  the  maps  for  a  short  time,  till  it  was  discovered  that  the  Col 
orado  led  off  to  the  northeastward  instead  of  toward  the  northwest. 
It  was  then  supposed  that  this  was  a  vast  river  flowing  from  un 
known  regions  in  the  heart  of  the  continent,  such  a  stream  as  the 
Columbia  was  in  later  years  found  to  be,  and  maps  thereafter  bore 
upon  them  an  indication  of  such  a  river,  bearing  the  name  "  River 


VOYAGES  AND  EVENTS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTTEY.     51 

of  Aguilar,"  and  various  other  titles,  which,  with  the  reason  for  be 
stowing  them,  will  appear  later  on  in  speaking  of  the  journey  of 
the  early  explorers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Viscaino  had  kept  in  view  the  chief  object  of  his  voyage — the 
disco  very  of  a  suitable  harbor  of  refuge  for  vessels  in  the  Manila 
trade — and  immediately  upon  his  return  urged  upon  the  Viceroy 
the  desirability  of  establishing  supply  stations  at  San  Diego  and 
Monterey,  the  only  suitable  harbors  he  had  encountered.  He  reported 
that  diligent  inquiry  among  the  nations  had  elicited  the  information 
that  California  was  extremely  fertile  and  rich  in  the  precious  metals. 
There  was  one  serious  objection  to  so  doing,  which  had  great  weight 
with  the  Viceroy.  He  had  been  instructed  in  the  royal  decree  to 
accomplish  these  things  at  his  own  expense,  and  he  was  much  averse 
to  devoting  his  private  revenues,  which  w^ere,  no  doubt,  very  con 
siderable,  to  the  accomplishment  of  public  measures.  In  vain  Vis 
caino  urged,  the  Viceroy  was  obdurate,  and,  at  last,  the  explorer 
went  to  Spain  to  lay  the  matter  before  his  sovereign.  After  several 
years  of  attendance  at  court  he  succeeded,  in  1  (><)<>,  in  procuring  a 
royal  mandate  to  the  Viceroy,  directing  him  to  establish  a  supply 
station  at  Monterey.  While  preparations  for  doing  so  were  advanc 
ing  Viscaino  died,  and  the  Viceroy  seized  the  opportunity  to  defeat 
the  projected  colony.  For  a  century  and  one -half  thereafter  Spaiu 
made  no  further  attempt  to  explore  the  coast  north  of  California. 
The  East  India  vessels  first  sighted  land  on  their  home  voyage  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cape  Mendocino,  and  then  followed  the  coast  south 
to  Mexico;  but  north  of  that  the  Pacific  Coast  of  North  America 
remained  a  terra  incognita  for  ages.  The  secret  of  this  apparent 
apathy  was  the  unwillingness  of  the  viceroys  to  explore  new  regions 
at  their  own  expense.  There  is  a  tradition  floating  about  in  South 
ern  Oregon  that  one  of  these  galleons  was  driven  out  of  its  course 
and  put  into  the  Umpqua  River  to  repair  damages.  Indian  tradi 
tions  and  the  old  stumps  of  trees  are  relied  upon  as  corroborative 
evidence;  thought  what  the  original  authority  is,  or  in  what  year 
the  event  is  said  to  have  occurred,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to 
learn.  The  story  is  probably  an  outgrowth  of  the  attempt  of 
Aguilar  to  enter  some  river  in  that  region. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HUDSON'S  BAY,  CAPE  HORN,  AND  BEHRING'S  STRAITS. 

Discovery  of  Dams'1  Straits— Henry  Hudson,  William  Baffin,  and 
other  Explorers  in  the  N  orth- Atlantic — Dutch  Navigators  Discover 
the  Passage  around  Cape  Horn— Buccaneers  Swarm  into  the  Pacific 
ly  the  JVew  Route — Otondo  attempts  to  Colonise  Lower  California — 
The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  Chartered,  in  1669,  to  Discover  the 
Straits  of  Anian — Privileges  Granted  by  the  Charter— The  Company 
Heads  off  all  Efforts  at  Exploration — Russians  cross  Siberia  and 
Explore  the  Pacijic— Plans  of  Peter  the  Great — Discovery  of  Beli- 
ring's  Straits  and  Alaska —  Voyage  of  Tchirikof — Behring  Discovers 
Mount  St.  Elias  and  Dies  on  Behring's  Isle — The  Early  Fiir 
Trade  of  the  North  Pacijic — Benyowsky  Takes  a  Cargo  of  Eurs  to 
Canton  and  thus  Reveals  the  Magnitude  of  the  Pacific  Ocean — Rus 
sian  Idea  of  Alaskan  Geography. 

SEVERAL  important  voyages  were  made  by  English  mariners  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  in  searching  for  the  Northwest  Passage,  all  of 
which  bear  a  close  relation  to  the  more  direct  steps  taken  on  the 
Pacific  side  in  the  discovery  of  Oregon.  In  1588,  at  the  time  set  in 
Maldonado's  romance  for  his  voyage  through  the  Straits  of  Anian,  a 
celebrated  English  navigator  was  actually  exploring  the  seas  about 
the  seventy -fifth  parallel.  This  was  John  Davis.  After  searching 
in  vain  for  a  passage  westward,  he  finally  discovered  Davis'  Straits, 
but  was  compelled  to  return  to  England  before  making  a  thorough 
exploration  of  them,  leaving  in  doubt  the  question  of  whether  through 
them,  or  by  some  body  of  water  connecting  with  them,  the  Pacific 
might  not  be  reached.  About  the  same  time  the  great  freebooter, 
Thomas  Cavendish,  returned  with  his  vessel  laden  with  the  plunder 
of  the  South  Sea,  and  Davis,  dazzled  by  the  glittering  prospect  of 
great  wealth  to  be  gained  by  plundering  the  Spanish  commerce. 


HUDSON  8   BAY,  CAPE  HORN,  AND  BEHRING  S  STRAITS.  £>3 

abandoned  his  search  for  the  Northwest  Passage  and  sailed  with 
Cavendish  upon  his  second  expedition  to  the  Pacific,  a  voyage  which 
ended  in  signal  disaster. 

In  1608,  Henry  Hudson,  bent  upon  the  same  errand  as  Davis, 
explored  the  North  Atlantic  coast.  He  entered  Hudson's  Bay  and 
partially  examined  it;  and  though  he  bestowed  his  name  upon  the 
bay,  as  well  as  the  straits  leading  to  it,  he  was  but  following  the 
course  pursued  a  century  before  by  Cortereal.  William  Baffin  was 
the  next  noted  mariner  to  navigate  these  seas.  In  1616  he  sailed 
north,  between  America  and  Greenland,  into  Baffin's  Bay.  Other 
explorers  followed  in  the  wake  of  these  more  noted  ones,  and  exam 
ined  the  coast  carefully  as  high  as  the  seventy -fifth  parallel.  It  was 
of  no  use;  the  Straits  of  Anian  could  not  be  found.  Geographers 
became  satisfied  that  if  discovered  at  all  they  would  be  found  lead 
ing  westward  from  some  arm  of  Hudson's  Bay  which  had  been  but 
partially  explored.  England  soon  became  convulsed  by  civil  war 
between  the  people  and  the  House  of  Stuart,  and  America  was  neg 
lected  for  half  a  century.  Meanwhile,  an  important  discovery  was 
made  in  an  opposite  direction,  one  most  disastrous  to  the  Pacific 
commerce  of  Spain. 

While  Baffin  was  pursuing  his  search  among  the  icebergs  and 
floes  of  the  Arctic,  two  Dutch  navigators,  Van  Schouten  and  Le- 
maire,  passed  south  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  discovered  the 
open  sea  connecting  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  They  rounded  Cape 
Horn,  which  they  thus  christened — in  memory  of  the  place  of  their 
nativity,  u  Holland" — and  entered  the  South  Sea  without  encounter 
ing  the  dangers  attending  a  passage  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
or  meeting  the  Spanish  ships  of  war  which  guarded  the  entrance  to 
that  narrow  passageway.  Here,  now,  was  a  route  open  to  all  nations 
— one  which  Spain  could  neither  monopolize  nor  defend.  Spain,  con 
tinually  involved  in  European  wars,  was  now  exposed  to  attack  in 
her  most  vital  part.  From  America  and  the  Indies  came  the  revenue 
with  which  she  now  made  war  upon  England  and  France,  oppressed 
the  Netherlands  and  sustained  the  terrible  Inquisition.  Privateers 
of  the  three  hostile  nations  swarmed  into  the  South  Sea  and  plun 
dered  her  commerce.  Buccaneers  attacked  the  Spanish  possessions 
in  America  from  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  sides.  Especially 
did  the  Dutch  aid  in  this  way  the  desperate  struggle  of  the  Nether- 


54  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

lands  for  Independence  from  Spanish  rale.  The  Grulf  of  California 
became  their  rallying  place,  their  special  rendezvous  being  the  Bay 
of  Pichilingue,  which  won  for  them  the  title  of  u  Pichilirigues,"  a 
name  both  feared  and  hated  by  the  mariners  of  Spain.  From  this 
retreat  they  issued  to  commit  their  ravages,  and  often  returned  with 
the  rich  prize  of  a  Manila  galleon.  The  feeble  efforts  of  Spain  to 
dislodge  these  bold  marauders,  who  were  literally  drawing  the  life 
blood  of  the  nation,  were  of  no  avail.  Several  times  she  made 
great  preparations  to  exterminate  them,  but  even  if  driven  out  they 
returned  again  in  greater  numbers  as  soon  as  the  way  was  open. 
Finally,  in  1683,  an  effort  was  made  to  plant  a  colony  in  Lower 
California,  which  should  serve  as  a  basis  for  keeping  the  gulf  free 
from  pirates,  and  of  rescuing  from  threatened  attack  the  annual 
galleon.  Admiral  Don  Isdro  de  Otondo  was  at  the  head  of  this 
expedition,  which  consisted  of  soldiers,  settlers  and  Jesuit  priests. 
For  three  years  the  effort  was  sustained  in  the  face  of  drouth  and 
sterile  soil,  and  then  the  colony  was  abandoned;  the  last  act  being 
to  rescue  and  convey  safely  to  port  the  Manila  galleon,  whose  safety 
was  threatened  by  the  dreaded  privateers. 

When  the  long  fratricidal  war  in  England  was  over  and  the  son 
of  the  murdered  king  was  set  upon  the  throne,  attention  was  once 
more  directed  toward  America.  The  belief  that  the  Straits  of 
Anian  could  be  found  only  in  Hudson's  Bay  was  then  a  general 
one,  and  to  aid  in  its  discovery,  in  1669,  Charles  the  II.  granted 
almost  royal  privileges  in  America  to  a  company  of  his  subjects. 
Such  were  the  relative  importance  in  those  days  of  the  rich  com 
merce  of  the  Indies  and  the  Arctic  wilds  of  unexplored  America. 
Reports  of  the  valuable  furs  to  be  obtained  from  the  natives  along 
the  coast  which  were  made  by  the  old  explorers,  and  the  hope  that 
other  and  even  more  valuable  articles  could  be  obtained  in  trade 
with  the  Indians,  led  to  the  organization  of  a  company  to  engage 
in  that  profitable  business.  They  applied  to  the  King  for  a  royal 
charter,  which  was  granted  in  consideration  of  their  agreement  to 
search  for  the  much-desired  Straits  of  Anian.  The  two-fold  object 
—that  of  the  King  and  that  of  the  company — was  expressed  in  the 
charter  which  created  "The  Company  of  Adventurers  of  England 
Trading  into  Hudson's  Bay."  This  object,  as  expressed,  was  ufor 
the  discovery  of  a  new  passage  into  the  South  Sea,  and  for  the  find- 


Hri)S()X\S   BAY,  CAPE  HORN,  AND   BEHRIN(}'8   STRAITS.  55 

ing  of  some  trade  in  furs,  minerals  and  other  considerable  commo 
dities/'  The  company  was  granted  the  exclusive  right  of  the 
"  trade  and  commerce  of  all  those  seas,  straits  and  bays,  rivers, 
lakes,  creeks  and  sounds,  in  whatsoever  latitude  they  shall  be,  that 
lie  within  the  entrance  of  the  straits  commonly  called  Hudson's 
Straits/'  Of  this  region,  which  embraced  all  that  vast  territory 
whose  water  shed  is  into  Hudson's  Bay,  this  company  was  given 
absolute  control  to  the  exclusion  of  all  persons  whomsoever.  It 
was  constituted  u  for  all  time  hereafter,  capable  in  law,  to  have, 
purchase,  receive,  possess,  enjoy  and  retain  lands,  rents,  privileges, 
liberties,  jurisdiction,  franchise  and  hereditaments  of  what  kind, 
nature  or  quality  soever  they  be,  to  them  and  their  successors;" 
and  all  persons  were  forbidden  to  "  visit,  hunt,  frequent,  trade, 
traffic  or  adventure  "  therein  without  permission  of  the  company. 
The  annual  rent  of  this  great  empire  was  "two  elks  and  two  black 
beavers,"  which  the  King,  if  he  desired  to  have  it  paid,  must  go 
upon  the  land  and  collect  for  himself.  The  company  has  few  rent 
receipts  to  exhibit.  This  is  the  organization  known  in  history  as 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  a  name  vivid  in  the  memory  of  Oregon 
pioneers.  What  a  splendid  thing  this  charter  was  to  the  company, 
and  what  an  obstacle  it  became  in  the  pathway  of  England's  pro 
gress  in  America,  will  appear  as  this  narrative  unfolds.  But  for 
the  selfish  policy  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Oregon  would 
to-day  be  a  province  of  Great  Britain. 

The  company  soon  learned  that  their  true  interests  lay,  not  in 
finding  the  Northwest  Passage,  but  in  preventing  the  discovery  of 
it  altogether.  They  were  able  to  accomplish  this  and  to  hold  the 
government  and  every  one  else  not  connected  with  the  organization 
in  complete  ignorance  of  the  region  in  which  they  were  doing  a 
business  which  assumed  gigantic  proportions  in  a  few  years.  Thus 
it  happened  that  no  more  efforts  of  consequence  were  made  by 
England  to  discover  the  Straits  of  Anian  for  a  whole  century  after 
the  granting  of  this  magnificent  charter,  the  company  being  able  to 
prevent  or  bring  to  grief  all  expeditions  of  this  character.  Such 
was  the  soulless  conduct  of  this  corporate  monopoly  to  the  govern 
ment  to  which  it  owed  its  very  existence. 

From  the  time  Aguilar's  little  vessel  conveyed  her  afflicted  crew 
back  to  Mexico  in  1603,  more  than  a  century  passed  before  another 


5(i  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

voyage  was  attempted.  Not  a  vessel  east  its  shadow  upon  the 
waters  of  the  North  Pacific,  nor  a  Caucasian  eye  gazed  upon  the 
mountain  peaks  that  stand  like  ancient  sentinels  along  our  coast. 
Suddenly  interest  in  this  region  was  revived,  and  initial  steps  were 
taken  by  a  power  previously  supposed  to  have  no  interest  whatever 
in  the  American  question.  The  sudden  rise  of  Russia  from  obliv 
ion  to  a  high  rank  among  the  powers  of  the  world,  a  revolution 
wrought  by  the  genius  of  the  enlightened  monarch,  Peter  the  Great, 
is  one  of  the  marvels  of  history.  Gradually  he  extended  his  power 
eastward  across  the  snowy  wastes  of  Siberia  until  his  dominions 
were  washed  by  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  beating  upon  the  Penin 
sula  of  Kamtchatka.  The  fur  trade  of  this  vast  solitude  became 
a  valuable  one,  and  added  to  the  great  revenue  of  the  Czar.  Hav 
ing  reached  the  Pacific  he  became  eager  to  extend  his  power  still 
further  eastward  until  it  touched  the  western  confines  of  the  de 
pendencies  of  England,  France  and  Spain  in  America.  How  far 
that  was,  or  what  was  the  nature  of  the  region  coveted,  neither  he 
nor  any  one  else  had  the  faintest  glimmering  of  knowledge.  It 
might  be  a  great  ocean  of  valueless  water,  a  sea  filled  with  islands, 
a  continent  of  ice,  or  a  land  of  plenty,  "  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey."  No  one  knew;  but  this  powerful  autocrat  proposed  to 
find  out.  His  first  step  was  to  discover  a  waterway  into  the  Pacific 
from  the  Arctic  Ocean  which  washed  his  dominions  on  the  north- 
just  such  a  passage  as  the  English  mariners  had  searched  for  in 
vain,  though  he  expected  to  reach  it  by  going  east  instead  of  to  the 
west.  He  ordered  vessels  to  be  constructed  at  Archangel,  on  the 
White  Sea,  for  the  purpose  of  coasting  in  the  Arctic  eastward  along 
the  shores  of  Siberia  until  an  opening  was  discovered  into  the  Pa 
cific.  Other  vessels  were  to  be  constructed  on  the  coast  of  Kam 
tchatka,  which  were  to  take  an  opposite  course  and  endeavor  to 
pass  northward  into  the  Arctic.  Peter  died  before  his  plans  were 
executed,  and  the  project  was  held  in  abeyance  for  several  years. 

The  Empress  Catherine  was  a  worthy  successor  of  her  noble 
husband,  and  when  firmly  settled  upon  the  throne  she  turned  her 
attention  to  completing  the  work  he  had  begun.  In  1728,  in  ac 
cordance  with  her  instructions,  vessels  were  built  on  the  coast  of 
Kamtchatka,  which  were  dispatched  in  search  of  the  desired  pas 
sage  between  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  the  Pacific.  In  command  of 


HUDSON'S   BAY,  CAPE  HORN,  AND  BEH HINGES  STRAITS.  57 

the  expedition  was  Vitus  Behring,  a  Danish  navigator  of  skill  and 
experience,  in  whose  charge  the  former  exploration  was  to  have 
been  placed  by  Peter.  Russia  was  not  a  maritime  nation,  and  her 
seamen  were  in  no  manner  scientific  navigators,  hence  the  selection 
of  this  skillful  Dane  for  the  command  of  so  important  an  expedi 
tion.  Behring  sailed  on  the  fourteenth  of  July,  and  followed  the 
coast  northerly  in  his  little  vessel  until  he  found  it  trending  steadily 
to  the  westward.  From  this  fact  he  became  convinced  that  he  had 
already  entered  the  Arctic  and  was  sailing  along  the  northern  coast 
of  Asia;  and  being  unprepared  for  a  long  voyage,  or  the  possibility 
of  being  compelled  to  spend  the  winter  in  the  ice,  he  returned  at 
once  to  the  port  of  embarkation.  The  highest  point  reached  was 
ti7°  18,'  but  the  longitude  is  not  given.  Neither  going  nor  return 
ing  through  the  straits  did  he  espy  the  coast  line  of  America,  foggy 
and  cloudy  weather  obscuring  it  from  view,  and  consequently  he 
reported  upon  his  return  that  a  great  open  sea  lay  to  the  eastward 
of  Asia,  joining  the  Pacific  Ocean  with  the  Arctic.  The  next  year 
he  endeavored  to  cross  this  ocean  and  reach  the  shore  of  America 
by  sailing  directly  eastward.  In  this  attempt  he  was  baffled  by 
head  winds  and  was  driven  by  a  gale  into  the  Gulf  of  Okotsk.  He 
abandoned  the  effort  and  returned  to  St.  Petersburg  to  report  his 
discoveries.  During  the  few  succeeding  years  a  number  of  smaller 
expeditions  were  made  by  Russian  subjects;  one  of  these  being 
driven  upon  the  Alaskan  coast  in  1732,  when  it  was  discovered  that 
not  an  open  sea  but  a  strait  connected  the  two  great  oceans.  Upon 
this  was  bestowed  the  name  of  the  Danish  explorer — the  pioneer 
navigator  of  the  North  Pacific. 

Catherine  died,  and  after  the  consequent  delay,  her  successor, 
the  Empress  Anne,  fitted  out  an  expedition  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  on  a  more  extended  scale  than  had  previously  been  done. 
This  consisted  of  two  vessels,  Behring  being  in  command  of  one, 
and  Alexei  Tchirikof,  a  Russian,  who  had  been  his  lieutenant  on  the 
first  voyage,  of  the  other.  Anne  died  before  the  %  expedition  was 
ready  to  sail,  but  Elizabeth,  who  succeeded  to  the  throne,  did  not 
interfere  with  the  plans  which  had  been  laid,  and  the  two  consorts 
sailed  from  the  Bay  of  Avatscha  on  the  fourth  of  June,  1741.  They 
were  soon  separated  in  a  gale  and  were  not  again  united.  Tchirikof 's 
vessel,  the  St.  Paul,  returned  on  the  eighth  of  October,  in  a  sad 


58  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

plight.  She  had  reached  a  group  of  islands  in  latitude  56°,  where 
sixteen  of  the  crew,  who  landed  to  make  a  reconnoisance,  were 
slaughtered  by  the  Indians.  Besides  these,  twenty-one  more  suc 
cumbed  to  the  ravages  of  the  scurvy  before  the  vessel  found  her  way 
back  to  port. 

Sad  as  were  the  misfortunes  that  befel  the  crew  of  the  St.  Paul, 
they  were  slight  compared  with  the  disasters  which  crowded  upon 
their  comrades  on  board  the  St.  Peter.  Behring  steered  a  south 
easterly  course  for  many  days,  and  at  last  reached  latitude  46°,  with 
out  having  encountered  land.  This  is  the  latitude  of  the  Columbia 
River,  but  how  near  the  coast  of  America  he  approached  at  that 
point  is  not  recorded.  The  mysteries  of  longitude  seem  to  have 
been  beyond  the  penetration  of  the  explorers  of  those  days.  Captain 
Cook,  nearly  fifty  years  later,  is  the  first  explorer  who  seems  to  have 
understood  the  necessity  of  locating  an  object  by  its  longitude  as 
well  as  its  distance  from  the  equator.  Behring  then  turned  his  prow 
to  the  northeast  and  continued  his  voyage  until  he  had  ascended  to 
the  sixtieth  degree,  when  he  discovered  land,  the  first  thing  to  meet 
his  gaze  being  a  giant  snow- crowned  peak.  This  he  named  "  Mount 
St.  Elias,"  in  honor  of  the  saint  whose  name  appeared  in  the  Rus 
sian  calendar  as  patron  of  the  eighteenth  of  July,  the  date  of  the 
discovery.  The  St.  Peter  sailed  into  a  passage  leading  between  the 
mainland  and  a  large  island,  when  Behring  discovered  that  the  water 
was  discolored,  as  though  it  had  been  discharged  from  a  large  river, 
the  volume  indicating  the  stream  to  be  the  water  drain  of  a  land  of 
continental  proportions.  That  this  was  America  no  one  on  board 
doubted.  The  subordinate  officers  desired  to  explore  the  coast 
southward,  in  the  direction  of  the  Spanish  colonies,  but  Behring, 
who  was  in  ill  health,  refused  to  do  so,  and  started  upon  the  return 
voyage.  They  made  but  slow  progress  among  the  islands  lying  to 
the  southwest  of  the  Peninsula  of  Alaska,  and  finally,  being  driven 
by  a  severe  storm  far  to  the  southward,  the  vessel  wandered  aimlessly 
about  for  two  months,  the  sport  of  the  winds  and  ocean  cm-rents. 
Horrible  were  the  sufferings  of  the  crew.  Scurvy,  in  its  most  ghastly 
form,  preyed  upon  them  unchecked.  Famine  and  disease  went 
hand  in  hand.  '  The  surgeon's  journal  says:  uThe  general  distress 
and  mortality  increased  so  fast  that  not  only  the  sick  died,  but  those 
who  pretended  to  be  healthy,  when  relieved  from  their  posts,  fainted 


TAPE  HOKN,  HUDSON  S  BAY,  AND  BEHBING  tS  STRAITS.  59 

and  fell  down  dead;  of  which  the  scantiness  of  water,  the  want  of 
biscuits  and  brandy,  cold,  wet,  nakedness,  vermin,  and  terror,  were 
not  the  least  causes."  At  last  these  horrors  came  to  an  end.  On 
the  fifth  of  November  they  sighted  a  small  island  lying  between  the 
Aleutian  Archipelago  and  Kamtchatka,  and  running  the  vessel  close 
in  they  all  landed,  with  the  purpose  of  spending  the  winter.  The 
island  was  a  small,  rocky  speck  on  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  consisting 
( >f  a  few  barren  granite  peaks  thrust  up  from  the  water,  whose  sides 
were  continually  lashed  by  a  heavy  surf  and  upon  which  the  waves 
furiously  dashed  when  storms  swept  across  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 
Here  they  lived  upon  the  flesh  of  fur -bearing  animals  which  abounded 
in  the  water,  and  upon  the  fish  they  were  able  to  catch.  Their 
house  was  constructed  of  the  timbers  of  their  vessel,  which  w^as 
wrecked  upon  the  rocky  coast  during  a  gale  immediately  after  they 
disembarked,  and  whose  broken  pieces  were  washed  up  by  the  surf. 
Their  sufferings  did  not  end  with  their  removal  to  this  new  abode. 
Disease  had  taken  too  firm  a  grasp  upon  that  afflicted  crew.  Beh- 
ring  died  on  the  eighth  of  December,  and  before  spring  thirty  of 
his  followers  also  found  a  grave  on  those  water- bound  rocks.  The 
skins  of  slaughtered  animals  served  them  for  both  clothes  and  bed 
ding.  Had  this  island  been  located  at  the  same  latitude  in  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  not  one  of  these  enfeebled  men  could  have  survived 
the  rigors  of  winter.  Here  the  great  ocean  river,  known  as  the 
Japan  Current,  imparts  its  genial  warmth  to  the  islands  of  the 
Aleutian  Archipelago  and  fringes  the  icy  peaks  and  glaciers  of 
Alaska  with  a  coast -line  of  verdure.  Owing  to  this  great  modify 
ing  element  even  floating  ice  from  the  frozen  Arctic  is  not  seen  in 
Bearing's  Sea,  though  on  the  Atlantic  side  the  ocean  is  rendered 
unsafe  by  floes  and  icebergs  at  a  much  lower  latitude.  Upon  the 
return  of  spring  the  survivors  constructed  a  small  vessel  from  the 
wreck  of  the  S/.  Peter,  and  when  that  long  task  was  finished,  em 
barked  and  sailed  directly  westward,  reaching  the  Bay  of  Avatscha 
in  August.  That  bleak  island  which  had  been  their  winter  home, 
and  where  were  the  graves  of  their  commander  and  many  of  their 
comrades,  they  christened  "Behring's  Isle,"  and  as  such  it  is  known 
to  the  present  day. 

Twenty  years  elapsed  before  another  official  exploration  was 
made,  and  half  a  century  passed  ere  the  full  account  of  this  fatal 


60  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

one  was  published  to  the  world.  Accompanying  Eehring  on  the 
St.  Peter  was  a  German  surgeon  and  scientist  named  Steller,  and 
his  journal,  which  was  not  published  until  1795,  long  after  the 
Alaskan  coast  had  been  thoroughly  explored  by  Spanish,  Russian, 
English  and  American  navigators,  is  the  only  record  preserved  of 
the  adventures  and  terrible  sufferings  endured  by  the  discoverers  of 
Alaska.  The  general  features  of  the  voyage,  however,  were  well 
known  in  Europe  soon  after  its  fatal  termination.  The  skins  which 
the  survivors  wore  when  they  returned  to  Avatscha  were  found  to 
be  exceedingly  valuable — probably  seal  and  sea -otter — and  several 
private  expeditions  were  fitted  out  by  Russian  traders,  to  visit  the 
islands  lying  to  the  eastward,  in  search  of  furs.  In  this  way  the 
fur  trade  of  the  Pacific  began,  and  before  the  government  was  pre 
pared  for  another  expedition  this  trade  had  reached  considerable 
proportions.  Greenhow  thus  describes  the  infancy  of  this  great 
industry  :— 

The  trade  thus  commenced  was,  for  a  time,  carried  on  by  individual  adventurers, 
each  of  whom  was  alternately  a  seaman,  a  hunter,  and  a  merchant;  at  length, 
however,  some  capitalists  in  Siberia  employed  their  funds  in  the  pursuit,  and  expe 
ditions  to  the  islands  were,  In  consequence,  made  on  a  more  extensive  scale,  and 
with  greater  regularity  and  efficiency.  Trading  stations  were  established  at  partic 
ular  points,  where  the  furs  were  collected  by  persons  left  for  that  object ;  and  vessels 
were  sent,  at  stated  periods,  from  the  ports  of  Asiatic  Russia,  to  carry  the  articles 
required  for  the  use  of  the  agents  and  hunters,  or  for  barter  with  the  natives,  and 
to  bring  away  the  skins  collected. 

The  vessels  employed  in  this  commerce  were,  in  all  respects,  wretched  and  inse 
cure,  the  planks  being  merely  attached  together,  without  iron,  by  leathern  thongs ; 
and,  as  no  instruments  were  used  by  the  traders  for  determining  latitudes  and  lon 
gitudes  at  sea,  their  ideas  of  the  relative  positions  of  the  places  which  they  visited 
were  vague  and  incorrect.  Their  navigation  was,  indeed,  performed  in  the  most 
simple  and  unscientific  manner  possible.  A  vessel  sailing  from  the  Bay  of  Avat&cha, 
or  from  Cape  Lopatka,  the  southern  extremity  of  Kamtchatka,  could  not  have  gone 
far  eastward,  without  falling  in  with  one  of  the  Aleutian  islands,  which  would 
serve  as  a  mark  for  her  course  to  another ;  and  thus  she  might  go  on  from  point  to 
point  throughout  the  whole  chain.  In  like  manner  she  would  return  to  Asia,  and 
if  her  course  and  rate  of  sailing  were  observed  with  tolerable  care,  there  could 
seldom  be  any  uncertainty  as  to  whether  she  were  north  or  south  of  the  line  of  the 
islands.  Many  vessels  were,  nevertheless,  annually  lost,  in  consequence  of  this 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  coast,  and  want  of  means  to  ascertain  positions  at  sea ; 
and  a  large  number  of  those  engaged  in  the  trade,  moreover,  fell  victims  to  cold, 
starvation  and  scurvy,  and  to  the  enmity  of  the  bold  natives  of  the  islands.  Even 
as  late  as  1806,  it  was  calculated  that  one-third  of  these  vessels  were  lost  in  each 
year.  The  history  of  the  Russian  trade  and  establishments  in  the  North  Pacific, 
is  a  series  of  details  of  dreadful  disasters  and  sufferings ;  and,  whatever  opinion  may 
be  entertained  as  to  the  -humanity  of  the  adventurers,  or  the  morality  of  their  pro- 


CAPE  HOKN,  HUDSON  S  BAY,  AND  BEHRING  8  STRAITS.  61 

ceedings,  the  courage  and  perseverance  displayed  by  them,  in  struggling  against 
such  appalling  difficulties,  must  command  universal  admiration. 

The  furs  collected  by  these  means,  at  Avatscha  and  Ochotsk,  the  principal  fur- 
trading  points,  were  carried  to  Irkutsk,  the  capital  of  Eastern  Siberia,  whence  some 
of  them  were  taken  to  Europe  ;  the  greater  portion  were,  however,  sent  to  Kiakta, 
a  small  town  just  within  the  Russian  frontier,  close  to  the  Chinese  town  of  Maimat- 
chin,  through  which  places  all  the  commerce  between  these  two  empires  passed, 
agreeably  to  a  treaty  concluded  at  Kiakta  in  1728.  In  return  for  the  furs,  which 
brought  higher  prices  in  China  than  anywhere  else,  teas,  tobacco,  rice,  porcelain, 
and  silk  and  cotton  goods,  were  brought  to  Irkutsk,  where  all  the  most  valuable  of 
these  articles  were  sent  to  Europe.  These  transportations  were  effected  by  land, 
except  in  some  places  where  the  rivers  were  used  as  the  channel  of  conveyance,  no 
commercial  exportation  having  been  made  from  Eastern  Russia  by  sea  before  1779 ; 
and  when  the  immense  distances  between  some  of  the  points  above  mentioned  are 
considered  (Irkutsk  to  Pekin,  1,300  miles;  to  Bay  of  Avatscha,  3,450  miles;  to  St. 
Petersburg,  3,760  miles),  it  becomes  evident  that  none  but  objects  of  great  value,  in 
comparison  with  their  bulk,  at  the  place  of  their  consumption,  could  have  been 
thus  transported  with  profit  to  those  engaged  in  the  trade,  and  that  a  large  portion 
of  the  price  paid  by  the  consumer  must  have  been  absorbed  by  the  expense  of  trans 
portation.  A  skin  was,  in  fact,  worth  at  Kiakta  three  times  as  much  as  it  cost  at 
Ochotsk. 

For  years  the  furs  were  conveyed  to  Pekin  and  St.  Petersburg 
overland,  as  described  above,  China  being  then,  as  now,  the  general 
fur  market  of  the  world.  Not  until  1771  was  a  cargo  taken  directly 
by  sea  to  Canton,  and  not  until  then  was  it  known  that  the  Bay  of 
Avatscha  and  the  Chinese  Sea  were  connected  by  water.  For  the 
first  time  was  realized  the  immense  magnitude  of  the  Paciiic;  that 
the  same  waters  which  beat  upon  Behring's  Isle  washed  the  shores 
of  the  thousand  islands  of  the  South  Sea,  gazed  up  at  the  frowning 
rocks  of  Cape  Horn,  and  bore  the  Spanish  galleons  on  their  long 
voyage  from  Acapulco  to  the  Indies.  This  innovation  was  not  by 
any  means  the  result  of  Russian  enterprise.  A  few  of  the  patriotic 
defenders  of  Poland,  who  had  been  exiled  to  Siberia  by  the  Russian 
Czar,  made  their  escape  in  a  small  vessel  from  a  port  on  the  south 
west  coast  of  Kamtchatka,  under  the  leadership  of  a  Hungarian 
exile,  Count  Maurice  de  Benyowsky.  After  much  aimless  wander 
ing  among  the  Aleutian  Islands,  where  they  procured  from  the 
natives  a  large  quantity  of  furs,  they  sailed  southward  and  finally 
reached  Canton,  where  their  cargo  found  a  good  market.  This  was 
the  first  vessel  from  the  Russian  Possessions  of  the  Pacific  to  enter 
the  harbor  of  a  foreign  nation,  and  the  spreading  of  the  information 
that  rich  fur  regions  at  the  north  were  accessible  to  Canton  by  sea 
was  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  the  subsequent  rapid  growth  of 
the  fur  trade. 


62  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  increasing  value  of  the  fifr  business  led  the  Russian  Govern 
ment  to  dispatch  other  exploring  expeditions  in  1766  and  1769. 
They  found  the  coast,  wherever  they  reached  the  mainland  at  all, 
fringed  with  islands  and  the  sea  through  which  they  passed  dotted 
with  them.  That  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  Behring's  Straits  was 
of  considerable  proportions  was  evident.  This  they  called  "Alaska," 
or  "Aliaska,"  and  supposed  it  to  be  a  large  island.  In  1774  a  map 
was  prepared,  representing  their  ideas  of  the  geography  of  Russian 
America.  Upon  this  the  coast  of  America  was  represented  as  run 
ning  northwesterly  from  California  to  the  seventieth  degree  of  lati 
tude,  which  was  its  extreme  northern  and  western  limit.  Lying 
between  America  and  Asia,  in  that  latitude,  was  a  vast  sea  of  islands, 
of  which  the  largest  was  Alaska,  with  only  the  channel  of  Behring's 
Straits  separating  it  from  the  coast  of  Asia.  With  this  map  was 
published  an  account  of  the  last  two  voyages,  the  book  being  enti 
tled  "Description  of  the  Newly  Discovered  Islands  in  the  Sea  be 
tween  Asia  and  America."  Such  was  the  Russian  idea  of  a  region 
in  which  four  official  explorations  had  been  made,  and  private  enter 
prise  had  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  for  thirty  years.  It  remained 
for  an  Englishman,  the  celebrated  Captain  Cook,  only  a  few  years 
later,  to  reveal  to  them  their  error.  He  commanded  the  first  English 
vessel  to  visit  the  North  Pacific,  and  in  one  voyage  straightened  out 
the  geographical  tangle  the  Russians  had  made  in  Alaska,  and 
reformed  the  ideas  the  Spaniards  entertained  about  the  coast  they 
had  several  times  explored  further  to  the  south.  Such  was  the 
difference  between  scientific  navigation  and  haphazard  sailing. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK. 

The  Jesuits  Colonize  Lower  California — -The  Franciscans  Enter  Califor 
nia — Discovery  of  San  Francisco  Bay — Early  Erench  Explorers — 
The  River  of  the  West —  Verendrye  Explores  the  Rocky  Mountains — 
—France  Sells  Louisiana  to  Spain  and  Looses  Canada  to  England 
by  Conquest— Journey  of  Captain  Career — He  calls  the  River  of 
the  West  "Oregon" — Argument  upon  the  Origin  of  the  Word  "Ore 
gon1'1 — The  Generally  Accepted  Spanish  Theory  does  not  Stand  the 
Light  of  Investigation — The  Hudson's  Bay  Company^  Policy  of 
Keeping  tkt  World  Ignorant  of  the  Geography  of  the  Country  Occu 
pied  hy  Them — Samuel  Hearne  Discovers  Great  Slave  Lake,  Cop 
permine  River  and  the  Arctic  Ocean — Russia's  Activity  in  Alaska 
Incites  Spain  to  Renew  her  Explorations —  Voyage  of  Perez  and 
Martinez — Perez  enters  Port  San  Lorenzo,  or  Nootka  Sound — Mar 
tinez  Claims  to  have  Observed  the  Straits  of  Euca —  Voyage  of  Heceta 
and  Bodega  y  Quadra— BellMs  Wonderful  Chart — Discovery  of 
Trinidad  Bay — Isla  de  Dolores^  or  Destruction  Island — Heceta  At 
tempts  to  Enter  the  Columbia — Spanish  and  English  Methods  of  Ex 
ploration  Compared  -Bodega  and  Maurelle  Discover  Mount  San 
Jacinto,  or  Edgecumb — They  Land  and  Take  Possession  for  the  King 
of  Spain — They  Reach  Latitude  58°  and  Return — England,  in  Alarm 
at  the  Progress  Made  by  Spain  and  Russia,  Sends  Captain  Cook  to 
the  Pacific — His  Particular  Instructions — Cook  Names  the  Sand 
wich  Islands,  Cape  Flattery  and  Nootka  Sound,  and  Searches  for 
the  Straits  of  Euca,  River  of  Kings  and  Straits  of  Anian — He 
Passes  Through  Eehring^s  Straits  and,  Around  the  Northwestern  Ex 
tremity  of  Alaska — Winters  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  is  Killed 
by  the  Natives — The  Expedition  Again  Visits  the  Arctic,  Takes  a 
Cargo  of  Furs  to  Canton  and  Retivrns  to  England — The  Record  of 
the  Voyage  Pigeonholed  Until  the  War  is  Over — Enterprise  of  John 


64  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Ledyard — Arteaga,  Bodega  and  Maurelle  Follow  Cook's  Route   Up 
the  Coast. 

DURING  all  the  long  absence  of  Spain  from  the  North  Pacific 
she  was  not  neglecting  her  interests  still  further  to  the  south. 
With  the  abandonment  of  Otondo's  colony  in  Lower  California  in 
1680,  a  council  of  chief  authorities  in  Mexico  decided  that  the  re 
duction  of  California  by  means  of  official  colonies  arid  expeditions 
was  impracticable.  A  few  years  later  the  Society  of  Jesus,  whose 
zealous  missionaries  had  long  since  carried  the  cross  into  the  remote 
frontiers  of  Mexico,  solicited  the  privilege  of  planting  a  colony  and 
founding  missions  in  Lower  California;  and  though  this  was  just 
the  object  the  government  had  sought  so  long  to  accomplish,  it 
took  ten  years  to  obtain  the  royal  warrant,  so  jealous  was  the 
throne  of  the  growing  power  of  the  Jesuits.  In  1097  the  first  mis 
sion  was  founded  at  Loretto,  and  in  1707,  when  the  Society  of 
Jesus  was  deprived  of  all  its  property  in  the  Spanish  dominions 
and  its  members  thrown  into  prison  upon  the  order  of  Charles  III., 
there  existed  in  Lower  California  sixteen  thriving  missions  and 
thirty-six  villages.  This  rich  inheritance  was  bestowed  upon  the 
Dominicans,  while  at  the  same  time  the  Franciscans  were  granted 
full  and  exclusive  authority  to  found  missions  in  Alta  California 
and  take  possession  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  crown. 

The  first  mission  in  Alta  California  was  founded  by  Father 
Junipero  Serra  at  San  Diego,  July  10,  1709,  which  was  followed 
by  that  of  San  Carlos,  at  Monterey,  August  3,  1770;  San  Antonio 
de  Padua,  July  14,  1771;  San  Gabriel,  near  Los  Angeles,  Septem 
ber  8,  1771;  San  Luis  Obispo,  in  September,  1772;  Dolores,  at 
San  Francisco,  October  10,  1770;  and  others  at  later  dates,  to  the 
total  number  of  twenty -two.  The  missions  became  so  numerous 
and  powerful  that  the  Mexican  government  began  in  1824  a  series 
of  hostile  acts  which  ended  in  1845  in  their  complete  secularization, 
just  one  year  before  the  country  was  conquered  by  the  United 
States. 

It  was  in  1709,  while  Gaspar  de  Portala,  at  the  head  of  a  party 
from  San  Diego,  was  searching  for  the  Harbor  of  Monterey,  that 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  was  discovered  and  named.  On  the 
thirtieth  of  October  they  came  upon  a  bay  which  "they  at  once 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  65 

recognized,"  says  Father  Crespi,  the  historian  who  accompanied 
them.  There  exists  now  no  record  of  any  prior  discovery  of  the 
great  harbor  at  San  Francisco,  except  the  Manila  chart  previously 
referred  to,  and  it  certainly  seems  strange  that  they  would  spend 
nearly  four  months  searching  for  such  an  inferior  port  as  Monterey 
at  which  to  found  a  mission  and  harbor  of  refuge,  when  such  a 
glorious  one  existed  only  a  few  miles  further  north.  They  now  re 
membered  that  Father  Junipero  Serra  had  been  grieved  because 
the  Visitadore  General  had  neglected  St.  Francis,  the  patron  saint 
of  the  order,  in  selecting  names  for  their  future  missions,  and  that 
he  had  said,  "  If  St.  Francis  wants  a  mission,  let  him  show  you  a 
good  port  and  we  will  put  one  there."  They  believed  that  their 
patron  had  purposely  led  them  to  this  harbor,  and  they  named  it 
"  San  Francisco,"  in  his  honor.  It  was  first  entered  by  a  vessel  in 
June,  1775,  when  the  San  Carlos  sailed  through  the  Golden  Gate 
and  cast  anchor  before  the  site  upon  which  the  pueblo  (town )  of 
Yerba  Buena  (now  San  Francisco)  was  afterward  built. 

Having  seen  the  Spaniards  take  possession  of  California,  it  is 
necessary  to  consider  the  relative  claims  of  the  contending  nations 
in  North  America,  in  order  to  fully  understand  -the  various  acts  of 
each,  which  led  to  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  Oregon.  To  do 
this  requires  a  return  to  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  Treaty  of  Ryswick  was  concluded  in  1695,  in  which  was  a 
provision  defining  the  boundaries  of  the  colonial  possessions  of  the 
various  rival  nations  in  America.  This  was  definite  and  positive; 
but,  owing  to  the  crude  ideas  of  American  geography  which  pre 
vailed  at  that  time,  was  imperfect  in  many  respects.  Florida,  as 
the  Spanish  possessions  north  of  Mexico  were  called,  was  bordered 
on  the  north  by  the  Carolinas,  but  further  west  the  boundaries 
were  quite  indefinite,  conflicting  with  the  Louisiana  of  the  French. 
France  claimed  as  Louisiana  all  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Missis 
sippi  and  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  the  western  boundary  being  in 
definite  because  no  one  knew  how  far  toward  the  Occident  the  con 
tinent  extended.  She  also  claimed  the  region  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  the  chain  of  great  lakes  under  the  general  title  of  Canada, 
these  two  provinces  joining  and  interlacing  without  any  line  of  di 
vision  either  expressed  or  understood.  The  Hudson's  Bay  country 
was  also  claimed  by  France,  though  not  with  much  persistence,  and 


66  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

it  was  at  that  time  actually  in  the  possession  of  England,  in  the 
person  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  English  colonies  were 
east  of  the  Alleghanies,  from  Main  to  Georgia.  In  1713  France 
relinquished  to  England  her  claim  upon  the  Hudson's  Bay  region, 
and  turned  her  attention  to  strengthening  her  position  in  Canada 
and  Louisiana. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  the  first 
half  of  the  eighteenth,  French  explorers  and  Jesuit  missionaries 
traversed  the  Mississippi  Valley,  established  a  chain  of  stations  be 
tween  Canada  and  Louisiana,  among  them  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
and  even  penetrated  the  unknown  wilderness  lying  between  the 
headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  u  Shining  Mountains,"  as 
they  first  called  the  Rocky  Mountains,  whose  snowy  sides  and 
lofty  spires  of  rock  reflected  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun  hundreds  of 
miles  to  the  westward.  The  most  noted  of  these  French  pioneers 
were  La  Salle,  Pere  Marquette,  Baron  La  Hontan,  Chevalier  La 
Verendrye  and  his  sons,  Father  Hennepin,  Dupratz  and  Charlevoix. 
Nearly  all  of  these  wrote  accounts  of  their  travels,  gave  descriptions 
of  the  country  and  the  native  tribes,  and  from  their  own  observa 
tions  and  the  information  gleaned  from  the  Indians  made  maps  of 
that  region,  embracing  a  little  which  they  knew  and  a  great  deal 
which  they  guessed  at.  These  maps,  to  say  the  least,  are  very 
queer.  One  of  them,  drawn  in  1710  to  show  the  results  of  a  west 
ern  journey  accomplished  by  La  Hontan,  is  especially  odd.  It 
shows  a  great  river  (called  the  "  Long  River"),  up  which  he  passed, 
as  entering  the  Mississippi  in  the  region  of  Dubuque,  Iowa.  This 
Avas,  beyond  doubt,  the  Missouri,  though  that  stream  is  also  repre 
sented  in  its  proper  place  where  it  unites  with  the  "Father  of 
Waters,"  and  is  made  to  extend  almost  due  west  to  the  mountains. 
Passing  across  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  and  coming 
upon  the  Missouri  so  far  to  the  north,  he  naturally  supposed  it  to 
be  another  stream.  Up  this  he  followed,  apparently  branching  off 
to  ascend  the  Platte.  He  describes  the  upper  part  of  the  stream  as 
a  series  of  lakes  and  swamps.  Some  of  his  descriptions  and  the 
features  of  his  map  are  very  peculiar,  so  much  so  that  historians 
have  been  inclined  to  doubt  the  extent  of  his  journey.  There  is 
one  feature,  however,  which  tells  in  his  favor.  The  map  shows,  at 
some  distance  to  the  southwest  of  the  point  indicated  as  the  west- 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  67 

ern  limit  of  his  wanderings,  a  large  lake,  which  the  Indians  told 
him  contained  bitter  water.  This  was  undoubtedly  Great  Salt 
Lake,  the  one  which  years  before  the  Indians  of  Mexico  had  en 
deavored  to  describe  to  the  Spanish  explorers.  The  lakes  indicated 
as  existing  along  the  river  beyond  the  point  where  the  journey 
ended  were  probably  so  marked  because  he  misunderstood  the  In 
dians  when  they  spoke  of  the  many  large  lakes  existing  in  the 
region  to  the  westward. 

One  feature  is  very  prominent  in  the  reports  of  nearly  all  these 
early  French  explorers — the  fact  that  beyond  the  u  Shining  Moun 
tains  "  was  a  large  river  flowing  westward  to  the  u  Great  Water," 
in  the  latitude  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi.  This  they 
learned  from  the  Indians  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  Though, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Verendryes  and  their  successors  in  com 
mand  along  the  Saskatchewan,  probably  none  of  them  went  further 
west  than  the  Red  River  of  the  North;  still  the  Indians  of  that 
region,  in  the  years  of  peaceful  intercourse  or  bloody  hostilities  with 
the  tribes  beyond  the  mountains,  must  have  become  sufficiently 
familiar  with  the  geography  of  the  country  lying  between  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Pacific  to  know  of  the  existence  of  such  a  large 
stream  as  the  Columbia.  When  the  trappers  appeared  among  the 
Cheyennes,  Crows,  Blackfeet,  Pawnees,  Sioux,  and  other  tribes, 
early  in  the  present  century,  they  found  them  to  be  possessed  of 
quite  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  the  country  west 
of  the  mountains  occupied  by  the  Shoshones,  Bannocks,  Flatheads 
and  Nez  Perces,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  a  hundred 
years  earlier  their  knowledge  was  not  nearly  as  great.  The  asser 
tion  that  a  great  river  existed  beyond  the  mountains  was  not  like 
those  tales  of  the  u  City  of  Quivira  "  and  the  "  Land  of  Cibola," 
which  led  the  Spaniards  to  take  such  long  journeys  into  the  deserts 
of  Mexico  and  Arizona  two  centuries  before.  Coining  from  differ 
ent  tribes,  through  sources  that  were  recognized  as  being  totally 
distinct,  it  was  accepted  as  a  geographical  fact  that  such  a  river 
existed,  and  a  stream  of  that  nature  was  indicated  on  the  maps  of 
the  period,  bearing  the  various  titles  of  "  River  of  the  West," 
"River  Thegayo,"  "  Rio  de  los  Reyes"  (the  mythical  stream  of 
Admiral  Fonte),  and  "  Rio  de  Aguilar "  (the  one  whose  mouth 
Aguilar  claimed  to  have  discovered  in  1603).  The  most  definite 


68  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

published  account  of  this  great  stream  was  given  by  Lepage  Dujjratz, 
a  French  traveler  of  note,  who  received  it  from  a  Yazoo  Indian. 
It  was  to  the  effect  that  this  Indian  ascended  the  Missouri  north 
westerly  to  its  head,  and  going  still  further  west  came  upon  another 
large  river  flowing  to  the  westward.  He  passed  down  the  stream 
until  he  was  compelled  to  halt  because  of  a  war  existing  between 
the  natives  living  along  its  banks  and  a  tribe  further  west.  He 
participated  in  the  hostilities,  during  which  his  friends  captured  a 
squaw  of  the  western  tribe,  and  from  her  he  learned  that  the  river 
flowed  many  miles  until  it  emptied  into  a  great  water  where  ships 
had  been  seen,  on  which  were  men  with  beards  and  white  faces. 
The  geographical  statements  are  so  accurate  that  there  is  no  room 
to  doubt  the  knowledge  of  the  Yazoo  savage  of  the  existence  of  the 
Columbia  River;  but  his  statement  about  ships  and  white  men  is 
historically  impossible,  since  no  vessel  had. ever  visited  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  or  even  been  so  far  north  as  that,  unless  it 
be  admitted  that  Sir  Francis  Drake  reached  latitude  48°  and  was 
near  enough  to  the  coast  to  have  the  faces  and  beards  of  his 
men  recognized;  but  that  was  a  century  and  a  half  before,  and  if 
his  visit  was  known  to  the  Indians  at  all  it  would  probably  be  in 
the  form  of  a  legend  about  a  great  white  bird  that  swam  in  the 
water,  or  the  canoe  of  the  Great  Spirit.  That  portion  of  the  story 
was  probably  a  creation  of  the  Indian,  or  an  amplification  of  the 
tale,  made  by  Dupratz  himself. 

De  L'Isle,  geographer  of  the  Academy  of  Science,  Paris,  wrote 
March  15,  1716:  "They  tell  me  that  among  the  Scioux  of  the 
Mississippi  there  are  always  Frenchmen  trading;  that  the  course  of 
the  Mississippi  is  from  north  to  west,  and  from  west  to  south  [  evi 
dently  the  Mississippi  is  here  confounded  with  the  Missouri  |,  from 
that  it  is  known  that  towards  the  source  there  is  in  the  highlands  a 
river  that  leads  to  the  western  ocean."  De  L'Isle  warmly  urged 
the  government  to  explore  the  far  West,  in  search  of  this  river  and 
the  u  Western  Ocean  v  into  which  it  flowed,  and  was  seconded  in 
his  efforts  by  a  learned  priest  named  Bode.  Temporary  posts  had 
been  established  many  years  before  in  various  parts  of  Minnesota. 
Du  Luth  built  one  near  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  in  1678;  Per- 
rot  founded  another  below  Lake  Pepin,  in  1683;  a  stockade  was 
erected  above  Lake  Pepin  on  Prairie  Island,  in  1695,  and  Le  Seur 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  69 

had  a  post  in  1700  on  the  Blue  Earth,  near  the  site  of  Mankato. 
The  importunities  of  De  L'Isle  and  Pere  Bode  caused  the  govern 
ment  to  begin  an  energetic  policy  of  Western  exploration  and  occu 
pation  in  1717,  commencing  with  the  re-establishment  of  the  fort 
of  I)u  Lutli  and  another  further  west  among  the  Sioux.  Other 
posts  followed  in  rapid  succession.  In  1 728,  Seur  de  la  Verendrye, 
A\rho  was  in  command  of  these  advanced  posts,  received  such  definite 
information  of  the  "Shining  Mountains'1  from  the  Indians,  and  of 
the  great  river  beyond  them  which  flowed  towards  the  western  sea, 
that  he  decided'  to  make  a  systematic  exploration  of  those  unknown 
regions.  His  application  for  authority  was  favorably  considered  by 
Charles  de  Beauharnois,  Governor- General  of  Canada,  and  orders 
were  given  for  the  fitting  out  of  an  expedition. 

In  1731  two  sons  of  the  Chevalier  Verendrye  left  Montreal  with 
a  detachment  of  fifty  men,  their  father  not  joining  them  until  two 
years  later.  They  reached  Rainey  Lake  in  the  fall,  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  lake  built  Fort  St.  Pierre,  named  in  honor  of  their  father, 
whose  baptismal  name  was  Pierre.  Next  year  they  established 
Fort  St.  Charles,  named  in  honor  of  the  Govern  or- General,  on  the 
southwestern  shore  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  Further  on  they 
built  a  post  on  the  Assiniboine,  five  leagues  from  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  Fort  Maurepas,  on  Winnipeg  River.  In  June,  1736,  a  party 
of  twenty-six,  among  whom  was  the  younger  son  of  the  Chevalier, 
were  massacred  by  the  Sioux  Indians  w^hile  encamped  on  a  small 
island  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  In  October,  1738,  the  Veren- 
dryes  built  Fort  La  Reine,  further  west  on  the  Assiniboine,  wrhich 
became  their  base  of  operations.  In  1742  the  two  sons  of  the 
Chevalier  left  Fort  La  Reine  with  a  small  party  for  the  purpose  of 
fully  exploring  the  "Shining  Mountains.'7  They  followed  up 
Mouse  River  in  a  southerly  direction  to  the  country  of  the  Mandans 
(called  by  them  "  Montanes "),  crossed  the  Missouri  a  little  below 
the  site  of  Fort  Berth  old,  and  ascended  the  stream  to  the  canyon 
below  Helena,  making  a  portage  around  the  Great  Falls,  which 
they  described  in  their  report,  differing  in  no  essential  particular 
from  the  description  given  by  Lewis  and  Clarke  sixty-two  years 
later.  At  this  point,  now  known  as  the  "  Gateway  of  the  Moun 
tains,"  they  ascended  the  summit  of  the  range  on  the  1 2th  day  of 
January,  1743,  not  far  from  Bear  Tooth  Peak,  of  which  they  speak 


70  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

as  a  tusk-shaped  mountain.  They  then  passed  up  Deep  Creek 
(Smith  River),  crossed  the  mountains  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Musselshell,  and  thence  across  to  the  Yellowstone  at  the  mouth  of 
Pryor  River.  They  followed  up  this  stream  to  the  Stinking  Water, 
and  on  over  the  mountains  to  Wind  River.  Here  their  progress 
was  arrested  by  a  fierce  war  raging  betwreen  the  Snakes  and  Sans 
Arc  branch  of  the  Sioux ;  but  they  were  told  by  the  friendly  Snakes 
of  the  location  of  Tongue  and  Green  Rivers.  They  then  returned 
to  the  Upper  Missouri,  and  raised  a  monument  of  stone  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Jefferson — in  what  they  called  the  '"  Petite  Cerise  " 
(Choke  Cherry  country) — as  a  witness  that  they  took  possession  of 
the  country  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France.  This  they  chris 
tened  "  Beauharnois,"  and  beneath  it  deposited  a  leaden  plate  bear 
ing  the  French  coat- of -arms.  This  ceremony  of  dedication  was  per 
formed  May  19,  1744.  They  then  resumed  the  homeward  journey. 
North  of  the  Assiniboine  they  explored  the  Saskatchewan — called 
by  them  "  Poskoiac  " — as  far  as  the  forks,  and  built  two  forts,  one 
near  Lake  Dauphin  (Swan  Lake)  and  the  other  on  the  "  River  des 
Biches."  They  reached  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  on  the  2d  of  July, 
and  reported  the  northern  route  by  the  Saskatchewan  as  preferable 
to  the  Missouri,  because  of  the  absence  of  danger  of  meeting  Span 
iards,  whom  they  feared  might  be  encountered  further  south.  They 
would  not  have  felt  so  much  solicitude  on  the  subject  if  they  had 
been  aware  that  the  Jesuit  missions  in  the  extreme  southern  portion 
of  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California  were  the  farthest  north  of  the 
Spanish  colonies  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Before  starting  upon  their  two  years'  journey  they  had  been  in 
formed  by  the  Indians  that  the  "  Shining  Mountains  "  were  full  of 
gold.  When  they  reached  the  mountains  they  were  disappointed  to 
find  that  it  was  not  gold,  but  barren  rock  and  snow,  which  reflected 
the  rays  of  the  sun  so  brightly,  and  they  changed  their  name  to 
u  Stony,  or  Rocky,  Mountains."  The  furthest  west  the  information 
gained  by  the  Verendrye  brothers  extends  is  to  the  Flathead  Indians, 
of  whom  they  speak,  living  just  west  of  the  main  chain  of  the 
Rockies  and  within  the  limits  of  Oregon,  as  that  territory  existed 
when  it  was  in  dispute  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
but  now  in  the  western  extremity  of  Montana.  They  encountered 
a  band  of  Flatheads,  who  told  them  of  their  country  west  of  the 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAFN  COOK.  71 

mountains,  and  of  the  great  lake  from  which  a  river  ran.  This 
lake,  they  understood  the  Indians  to  say,  was  the  source  of  a  tribu 
tary  of  the  Missouri,  but  the  cause  of  their  error  is  evident,  as  Sun 
River  flows  from  the  mountains  in  that  direction.  They  were  also 
told  of  the  great  river  running  westward  to  the  ocean,  but  were  not 
able  to  cross  the  divide  to  explore  it.  The  river  to  which  the  Indians 
referred  was  probably  the  stream  first  reached  by  Lewis  and  Clarke 
when  they  crossed  the  main  divide,  and  which  they  named  "  Clarke's 
River."  The  stream  is  now  known  at  various  points  along  its 
course  as  "  Deer  Lodge,"  "  Hellgate,"  "  Bitter- Root,"  uMissoula," 
u  Clarke's  Fork,11  and  uPend  d'Oreille,"  though  a  commendable 
fidelity  to  history,  and  a  proper  regard  for  the  honor  of  one  of  our 
greatest  explorers,  demands  that  the  use  of  every  name  but  that  of 
"Clarke's  River.11  to  be  at  once  abandoned. 

The  Chevalier  Verendrye  was  relieved  of  his  command  of  the 
frontier  soon  after  this  expedition,  but  was  restored  a  few  years  later 
by  Galissonere,  the  successor  of  Beauharnois.  He  died  December 
ti,  1  749,  while  planning  a  tour  up  the  Saskatchewan.  His  son  was 
deposed  by  Jonquierre,  the  next  Governor -General,  who  dispatched 
two  expeditions  in  search  of  the  Pacific.  One  of  these  was  com 
manded  by  St.  Pierre, -and  was  to  ascend  the  Saskatchewan,  while 
the  other,  headed  by  Marin,  was  to  go  up  the  Missouri.  St.  Pierre 
excited  the  hostility  of  the  Kinsteneaux  Indians,  who  attempted  to 
kill  him;  and  though  they  failed  in  this  they  succeeded  in  burning 
Fort  La  Heine.  lie  sent  Lieutenant  Bouchet  de  Neville  to  establish 
a  post  at  the  head  of  the  Saskatchewan.  This  effort  proved  a  failure 
because  of  sickness,  but  in  1753  some  of  the  men  established  Fort 
Jonquierre  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  In  1754  St.  Pierre  was  relieved 
by  De  la  Crone,  and  the  following  year  fell  in  the  battle  before 
Fort  St.  George.  The  proposed  expedition  of  Marin  up  the  Mis 
souri  was  a  complete  failure. 

The  explorations  of  these  French  travelers  ended  with  the  war 
between  England  and  France,  which  was  participated  in  by  their 
respective  colonies  in  America,  and  which  is  known  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic  as  the  "  French  and  Indian  War."  As  that  struggle 
drew  toward  its  close,  and  France  realized  that  her  possessions  in 
America  were  about  to  fall  into  the  grasp  of  her  immemorial  enemy, 
she  secretly  conveyed  to  Spain  her  province  of  Louisiana.  When 


72  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  gallant  Wolfe  died  upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham  in  the  very 
moment  of  triumph,  one  of  the  prizes  to  be  gained  by  this  crown 
ing  victory  of  the  war  had  already  passed  into  the  keeping  of  an 
other.  Louisana  belonged  to  Spain.  The  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763, 
conveyed  Canada  to  Great  Britain,  and  thus  France  was  shorn  of 
all  her  possessions  in  America.  All  these  frontier  posts  were  aban 
doned,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  again  became  the  undisputed 
home  of  the  aborigine. 

We  now  approach  the  memorable  journey  of  the  none  too  vera 
cious  Captain  Carver,  the  man  who  stands  sponsor  for  the  word 
u  Oregon."  This  has  led,  by  reason  of  the  superficiality  of  many 
historical  writers,  to  the  bestowing  upon  him  of  all  the  credit  of 
making  known  to  the  world  the  existence  of  the  Columbia  River, 
when  the  fact  is  that  it  was  known  long  before  his  doubtful  journey, 
and  his  account  of  it,  so  far  from  being  written  upon  original  infor 
mation,  was  but  the  re -publication  of  facts  made  known  by  the 
French  explorers  above  mentioned,  many  years  before.  Jonathan 
Carver  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  served  with  gallantry  as  a 
captain  of  the  English  colonial  army  in  the  war  with  France,  which 
was  terminated  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris  in  1 763.  He  then  conceived 
the  idea  of  exploring  the  western  portion  of  England's  new  posses 
sions.  In  1766  he  left  Boston,  and  going  by  the  way  of  Detroit 
and  Fort  Michilimacinac,  reached  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi. 
Thus  far  historians  admit  that  he  traveled,  probably  to  the  Lake 
Park  region  of  Minnesota,  where  rise  streams  flowing  into  the  Mis 
sissippi,  the  Missouri  and  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  Carver's 
claim  to  extensive  traveling  west  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  covering  a  period  of  five  months,  is  a  very  doubtful  one; 
since  his  descriptions  of  the  names,  manners  and  customs  of  the  Indian 
tribes  of  that  region  are  but  the  translations  into  English  of  the 
works  of  the  earlier  French  explorers.  His  object,  as  stated  in 
the  introduction  to  his  book  was,  "  after  gaining  a  knowledge  of 
the  manners,  customs,  languages,  soil  and  natural  productions  of  the 
different  nations  that  inhabit  the  back  of  the  Mississippi,  to  ascer 
tain  the  breadth  of  the  vast  continent  which  extends  from  the  At 
lantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  its  broadest  part,  between  the  forty - 
third  and  forty -sixth  degrees  of  north  latitude.  Had  I  been  able  to 
accomplish  this,  I  intended  to  have  proposed  to  the  government  to 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  73 

establish  a  post  in  some  of  those  parts,  about  the  Straits  of  Anian, 
which,  having  been  discovered  by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  of  course  be 
longs  to  the  English."  The  captain  exposes  his  want  of  fitness  as  a 
geographer  or  historian  by  asserting  that  Drake  discovered  the 
Straits  of  Anian.  The  circumstances  of  Drake's  voyage  were  more 
widely  known  than  those  of  any  other  navigator,  and  in  neither  of 
the  two  accounts  published  was  there  a  statement  that  the  great 
robber  had  discovered  those  mythical  straits,  or  any  other  passage 
leading  inland  from  the  Pacific.  Carver  did  not  seem  to  consider  his 
adventures  or  discoveries  worthy  of  publication  until  twenty  years 
later,  at  a  time  when  unusual  interest  was  felt  in  England  in  the 
discovery  of  the  Northwest  Passage,  to  find  which  the  celebrated 
Captain  Cook  had  just  been  dispatched  on  a  voyage  of  exploration 
to  the  North  Pacific.  Carver  was  at  that  time  living  in  London  in 
much  financial  distress,  and  his  friends  advised  him  to  take  advan 
tage  of  the  public  interest  to  publish  a  book.  He  consequently 
wrote  one,  evidently  compiled  in  a  large  measure  from  the  narratives 
before  alluded  to,  large  portions  of  them  being  translated  literally 
into  English.  He  died  in  1780  in  extreme  penury.  The  only 
interest  this  work  or  its  author  can  have  to  modern  historians,  is  the 
appearance  therein  of  the  word  "  Oregon,"  the  first  use  of  that 
term  which  has  anywhere  been  discovered.  It  appears  in  the  fol 
lowing  connection  : 

From  these  natives,  together  with  my  own  observations,  I  have  learned  that  the 
four  most  capital  rivers  on  the  continent  of  North  America,  viz.: — the  St.  Lawrence? 
the  Mississippi,  the  River  Bourbon  (Red  River  of  the  North),  and  the  Oregon,  or 
River  of  the  West— have  their  sources  in  the  same  neighborhood.  The  waters  of 
the  three  former  are  within  thirty  miles  of  each  other ;  [this  is  practically  correct, 
and  this  point,  somewhere  in  Western  Minnesota,  is  probably  the  limit  of  his  west 
ward  journey,]  the  latter,  however,  is  rather  further  west.  This  shows  that  these 
parts  are  the  highest  in  North  America ;  and  it  is  an  instance  not  to  be  paralleled 
in  the  other  three-quarters  of  the  world,  that  four  rivers  of  such  magnitude  should 
take  their  rise  together,  and  each,  after  running  separate  courses,  discharge  their 
waters  into  different  oceans,  at  the  distance  of  two  thousand  miles  from  their 
sources,  for  in  their  passage  from  this  spot  to  the  Bay  of  St.  Lawrence,  east,  to  the 
Bay  of  Mexico,  south,  to  Hudson's  Bay,  north,  and  to  the  Bay  at  the  Straits  of 
Anian,  west,  each  of  these  traverse  upwards  of  two  thousand  miles. 

In  this  statement  Carver  does  not  claim  to  have  visited  the  head 
waters  of  the  River  Oregon,  or  even  to  know  their  exact  location. 
He  expressly  observes  that  he  derived  his  information  chiefly  ufrom 


74  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

these  natives,"  aiid  it  is  possible  that  even  from  them  it  reached  him 
through  the  medium  of  his  French  predecessors. 

Whence  Carver  derived  his  authority  for  calling  the  River  of  the 
West  "Oregon"  has  been  a  matter  of  much  discussion.  Though 
it  is  now  generally  admitted  that  the  word  originated  with  Carver 
himself,  or  was  supposed  by  him  to  be  the  name  of  the  stream  from 
some  half -understood  words  uttered  by  the  Indians  in  referring  to 
it ;  yet  there  are  many  who  are  not  content  unless  they  can  build  up 
some  theory  founded  upon  a  similarity  of  sound,  and  plausible  only 
to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  details  of  the  early  explorations  in 
the  Pacific.  Of  these  the  one  most  generally  accepted  in  Oregon  is 
the  following  from  the  pen  of  Archbishop  Blanchet,  speaking  of 
himself  in  the  third  person:— 

Jonathan  Carver,  an  English  captain  in  the  wars  by  which  Canada  came  into 
the  possession  of  Great  Britain,  after  the  peace,  left  Boston,  June  6,  1766,  crossed  the 
continent  to  the  Pacific,  and  returned  October,  1768.  In  relation  to  his  travels, 
which  were  published  in  1774,  and  republished  in  1778,  he  is  the  first  who  makes 
use  of  the  word  "Oregon."  The  origin  of  that  word  has  never  been  discovered  in 
the  country.  The  first  Catholic  missionaries — Father  Demers,  now  Bishop  of  Van 
couver  Island,  and  Father  Blanchet,  now  Bishop  of  Oregon  City — arrived  in  Oregon 
in  1838.  They  traveled  through  it  for  many  years,  from  south  to  north,  from  west 
to  east,  visiting  and  teaching  the  numerous  tribes  of  Oregon,  Washington  Territory 
and  British  possessions.  But  in  all  their  various  excursions  among  the  Indians 
they  never  succeeded  in  finding  the  origin  of  the  word  "  Oregon."  Now  it  appears 
that  what  could  not  be  found  in  Oregon  has  been  discovered  by  Archbishop  Blan 
chet  in  Bolivia,  when  he  visited  that  country,  Chile  and  Peru  in  1855  and  1857. 
The  word  "Oregon,"  in  his  opinion,  most  undoubtedly  has  its  root  in  the  Spanish 
word  oreja  (ear),  and  came  from  the  qualifying  word  Oregon  (big  ear).  For  it  is 
probable  that  the  Spaniards,  who  first  discovered  and  visited  the  country,  when 
they  saw  the  Indians  with  big  ears,  enlarged  by  the  load  of  ornaments,  were  natur 
ally  inclined  to  call  them  orejon  (big  ears).  That  nickname,  first  given  to  the  In 
dians,  became  also  the  name  of  the  country.  This  explains  how  Captain  Carver 
got  it  and  first  made  use  of  it.  But  the  travelers,  perhaps  Carver  himself,  not 
knowing  the  Spanish  language,  nor  the  peculiar  pronunciation  of  the  j  in  Spanish, 
for  facility  sake  would  have  written  it  and  pronounced  it  Oregon,  instead  of  Orejon, 
in  changing  j  to  g.  Such,  in  all  probability,  must  be  the  origin  of  the  word  "  Ore 
gon."  It  comes  from  the  Spanish  word  Orejon. 

This  is  certainly  a  scientific  explanation,  and  were  it  only  sus 
tained  by  facts  would  be  a  satisfactory  one;  it  will  not,  however, 
stand  for  a  moment  the  light  of  investigation.  At  the  time  Carver 
made  his  journey  no  Spanish  explorer  had  set  foot  in  Oregon  nor 
had  the  least  communication  with  its  native  inhabitants;  they  were 
not  even  familiar  enough  with  the  coast  line  to  be  aware  of  the 
existence  of  the  Columbia  River.  The  only  expeditions  had  been 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  75 

those  of  Ferrelo  and  Aguilar,  and  neither  of  these  had  even  made 
an  attempt  to  land.  Consequently  they  had  not  and  could  not 
apply  the  title  Orejon  to  its  inhabitants — people  whom  they  had 
never  seen  and  of  whom  they  knew  nothing.  No  allusion  is  made 
to  the  natives  of  this  unknown  land  in  the  record  of  any  Spanish 
explorer  previous  to  that  date,  and  the  Bishop's  supposition  that 
they  "  discovered  and  visited  this  country,'7  shows  how  unfamiliar 
he  was  with  the  history  of  Spanish  explorations  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
His  assertion  that  Carver  crossed  the  continent  to  the  Pacific  is 
equally  at  variance  with  the  facts.  The  word  "  Oregon  "  was  un 
known  to  the  Indians  until  after  the  country  was  visited  by  trap 
pers,  and  the  Bishop  himself  bears  testimony  to  the  fact  that  in 
all  their  extensive  travels  among  the  natives  he  and  his  missionary 
associates  were  unable  to  find  authority  for  its  use.  Thus  we  see 
that  the  Spaniards  had  not  visited  Oregon,  and  knowing  nothing  of 
its  inhabitants  could  not  have  called  them  "big  ears";  that  Carver 
did  not  visit  the  Columbia;  that  the  word  "Oregon"  was  unknown 
by  the  Indians,  and,  therefore,  could  not  have  been  conveyed  by 
them  from  tribe  to  tribe  until  it  reached  Carver's  ears;  therefore, 
the  Bishop's  theory  is  untenable. 

Equally  so  is  the  idea  that  Oregon  was  the  Indian  name  of  the 
Columbia,  since  if  such  were  the  case  the  early  settlers  of  this  region 
would  have  learned  the  name  from  the  natives,  instead  of  having 
to  teach  it  to  them.  The  same  objections  are  valid  to  the  theory 
that  the  early  Spanish  explorers  bestowed  the  name  because  of  the 
wild  majoram  (origanum)  found  along  the  coast,  since  we  have  seen 
that  the  Spaniards  had  never  set  foot  on  the  coast  of  Oregon,  and 
that  the  name  nowhere  appears  in  Spanish  records.  If  euphony  of 
sound  is  to  be  relied  upon,  combined  with  the  popular  but  errone 
ous  idea  that  Oregon  was  explored  in  early  times  by  the  Spaniards, 
then  the  writer  desires  to  announce  that  he,  also,  has  a  theory — that 
in  sailing  along  the  coast  some  romantic  Spaniard  conceived  a 
resemblance  between  the  graceful  summits  of  the  Coast  Range  and 
the  blue  hills  of  his  native  Aragon,  and  bestowed  that  name  upon 
this  new  land.  To  support  this  he  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  Spaniards  named  Mexico  "New  Spain";  the  Dutch  called  their 
settlement  on  the  Atlantic  coast  "  New  Amsterdam,"  it  being  sub 
sequently  christened  "New  York"  by  the  English;  the  region  set- 


76  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tied  by  the  Puritans  and  the  Massachusetts  Colony  was  named  "New 
England";  and  the  French  at  one  time  called  Canada  "New 
France."  Instances  of  this  kind  might  be  easily  multiplied,  though, 
perhaps,  the  nearest  and  most  convincing  is  the  bestowal  of  the  title 
"  New  Albion  "  upon  California  by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  because  of 
the  chalky  bluffs  he  had  observed  along  the  coast.  Profound  and 
brilliant  as  the  writer  conceives  this  theory  to  be,  he  feels  compelled 
to  give  place  to  the  Irishman,  who  believed  Oregon  to  be  named  in 
honor  of  his  royal  ancestors,  the  O'Regons.  There  we  have  not 
only  euphony  of  sound,  but  correct  orthography,  combined  with  a 
proper  degree  of  ignorance  upon  the  subject. 

The  traditionary  policy  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  head 
off,  or  render  nugatory,  all  attempts  by  the  government  to  explore 
its  chartered  domains  in  search  of  the  Straits  of  Anian,  or  some 
other  passage  «in to  the  Pacific  Ocean  from  the  North  Atlantic,  was 
strictly  adhered  to  during  the  eighteenth  century.  They  did  not 
want  the  government  itself  nor  the  people  to  have  any  knowledge 
whatever  of  the  regions  lying  contiguous  to  Hudson's  Bay.  To 
that  end  they  kept  to  themselves  all  geographical  knowledge  gained 
year  by  year  by  their  representatives  in  the  course  of  business  trans 
actions,  or  when  sent  upon  special  journeys  of  exploration  by  the 
company.  In  1745  Parliament  offered  a  reward  of  £  20,000  to  any 
one  discovering  a  passage  into  the  Pacific  from  Hudson's  Bay,  but 
no  one  made  a  serious  effort  to  earn  the  money.  The  company 
was  powerful  enough  to  prevent  it.  Nearly  thirty  years  later, 
however,  having  become  satisfied  from  information  gathered  by 
their  employees  that  no  such  passage  existed,  they  dispatched 
Samuel  Hearne  in  search  of  a  copper  mine,  of  which  much  had 
been  said  by  the  Indians,  and  which  was  to  be  found  on  the  bank 
of  a  stream  called  by  the  natives  the  "  Far-off  Metal  River."  That 
they  might  have  the  credit  of  exerting  themselves  in  searching  for 
the  passage  whose  discovery  had  ostensibly  been  one  of  the  leading 
objects  in  organizing  the  company,  they  instructed  Hearne  to  keep 
his  weather  eye  open  for  the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  permitted  it  to 
be  understood  that  this  was  the  chief  aim  of  his  journey.  The  first 
object  of  note  discovered  by  Hearne  was  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  he 
followed  this  and  the  connecting  system  of  lakes  and  the  Copper 
mine  River  to  the  point  of  its  discharge  into  the  Arctic  Ocean. 


OF   THI 

UNIVERSITY 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOtf.  77 


The  Coppermine  he  believed  to  be  the  stream  to  which  the  Indians 
referred,  but  he  found  the  proverbial  enchantment  of  distance  was 
alone  responsible  for  the  stories  of  its  great  richness  in  copper,  and 
that,  so  far  as  minerals  were  concerned,  his  journey  and  sufferings 
—for  he  endured  many  hardships  and  privations  —  had  been  in  vain. 
The  Arctic  he  conceived  to  be  an  inland  sea,  similar  to  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  such  he  reported  it  upon  his  return  to  the  company's 
headquarters;  also  that  no  water  passage  connected  the  two  great 
bodies  of  water.  Though  the  journal  kept  by  Hearne  was  not 
published  for  twenty  years,  the  company  immediately  communi 
cated  to  the  admiralty  the  failure  of  Hearne  to  discover  any  North 
west  Passage.  This  seemed  to  end  all  hope  of  finding  such  it 
waterway  leading  out  of  Hudson's  Bay;  but  the  discovery  of  the 
new  sea  opened  the  door  to  new  hopes.  There  might  be  a  means  of 
communication  between  it  and  Baffin's  Bay,  and  from  it  might 
possibly  be  found  the  long-  sought  Straits  of  Anian,  leading  into  the 
Pacific.  It  certainly  resembled  Maldonado's  "  North  Sea." 

The  rapidity  with  which  Russia  was  extending  her  outposts  in 
Alaska  began  to  cause  serious  alarm  in  Spain.  Inactivity  and 
apparent  apathy  had  marked  the  conduct  of  that  nation  for  a 
century  and  a  half,  so  far  as  the  region  lying  north  of  California  was 
concerned.  This,  however,  was  not  caused  by  lack  of  interest,  but 
by  circumstances  easily  understood.  All  voyages  of  exploration 
had  to  be  made  at  the  expense  of  the  Viceroy's  treasury,  and  this 
the  chief  executive  in  the  New  World  objected  to.  As  long  as 
Spain  was  not  threatened  with  the  loss  of  exclusive  dominion  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  there  was  nothing  to  arouse  the  government  to 
action;  nor  was  there  anything  in  those  unknown  regions  which 
was  sufficiently  tempting  to  induce  the  Viceroy  to  undergo  the 
expense  of  a  voyage  of  exploration  unless  stimulated  by  the  positive 
orders  of  the  crown.  Now,  however,  affairs  presented  a  different 
aspect.  The  extent  of  Russian  exploration  and  occupation  of  the 
North  Pacific  were  unknown;  no  definite  information  had  been 
received;  the  report  of  none  of  the  Russian  voyages  had  been  pub 
lished  ;  yet  that  Russia  was  making  quite  extensive  discoveries  in 
that  region  was  well  known  in  Europe,  and  it  caused  much  anxiety 
in  Spain.  She  was  aroused  to  the  display  of  great  activity, 
apparently  combined  with  a  purpose  of  discovering  and  taking 


78  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

possession  of  all  the  coast  not  already  occupied  by  the  Muscovites. 
The  first  movement  made  by  Spain  was  the  colonizing  of  Cali 
fornia,  previously  spoken  of.  The  next  was  a  series  of  explorations 
by  sea.  January  25,  1774,  the  corvette  Santiago  sailed  from  San 
Bias,  commanded  by  Juan  Perez,  and  piloted  by  Estivan  Martinez. 
Perez  was  instructed  to  proceed  as  far  north  as  the  sixtieth  degree 
of  latitude,  and  then  to  return  slowly  along  the  coast,  landing  at 
sundry  accessible  points  to  take  possession  in  the  name  of  the  King. 
The  Santiago  touched  at  San  Diego  and  Monterey.  He  sailed  from 
the  latter  port  on  the  sixteenth  of  June,  and  sighted  land  again 
thirty -two  days  later,  in  latitude  54°,  off  the  coast  of  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands.  Warned  by  the  appearance  of  the  dreaded 
scurvy  among  his  crew  that  the  voyage  could  not  be  prolonged, 
Perez  turned  about  and  coasted  along  to  the  southward.  For  a 
hundred  miles  he  thus  followed  the  coast,  enjoying  a  highly  profit 
able  trade  in  furs  with  the  natives,  who  came  out  to  the  vessel  in 
great  canoes  and  exchanged  sea  otter  and  other  valuable  skins  for 
merest  trifies.  A  storm  then  drove  the  Santiago  seaward,  and  she 
did  not  again  make  the  land  until  the  ninth  of  August,  when  she 
anchored  at  the  entrance  of  a  deep  wrater  bay  in  latitude  49° 
and  30/.  In  the  direction  of  nomenclature  the  Spaniards  were 
never  at  a  loss,  provided  not  more  than  one  name  was  required 
per  day.  Whenever  an  object  was  discovered  of  sufficient  impor 
tance  to  require  christening,  the  devout  Catholic  turned  to  his  Roman 
calendar,  and  whatever  saint  was  found  to  have  been  declared  by 
the  Church  to  be  worthy  of  special  honor  upon  that  day,  the  name 
of  that  canonized  mortal  was  bestowed  upon  it.  Following  this 
rule  Perez  discovered  that  the  proper  name  of  this  harbor  was  "  San 
Lorenzo,"  and  that  name  he  entered  upon  his  journal  and  chart. 
This  harbor  was  afterward  re-christened  by  the  English,  and  is  now 
known  as  "King  George's  Sound,"  or  uNootka  Sound."  It-  lies 
on  the  west  coast  of  Vancouver  Island,  and  was  a  few  years  later 
the  scene  of  an  interesting  episode  which  nearly  precipitated  a 
bloody  conflict  between  Great  Britain  and  Spain.  Perez  stopped 
for  a  few  days  to  trade  with  the  natives,  of  whose  intelligence  and 
light  complexion  he  makes  special  mention,  and  then  continued 
southward.  He  observed  Mount  Olympus,  in  latitude  47°  and  47', 
which  he  christened  "  Santa  Rosalia."  A  few  days  later  he  sighted 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CAEVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  79 

Cape  Mendoeino,  whose  exact  latitude  lie  ascertained,  and  in  due 
time  arrived  at  Monterey,  having  by  his  superficial  method  added 
hut  little  to  geographical  knowledge.  Many  years  afterward,  when 
the  Straits  of  Fuca  had  been  discovered  by  an  English  captain,  and 
Spain  was  eager  to  prove  a  prior  discovery,  Martinez,  the  pilot  of 
the  Santiago,  declared  that  he  had  observed  a  broad  opening  in 
the  coast  line  between  latitudes  48°  and  49°,  and  that  he  had  be 
stowed  his  own  name  upon  the  point  of  land  at  its  entrance  on 
the  south.  Though  there  was  nothing  recorded  in  the  journal  of 
the  voyage,  Spanish  geographers  accepted  this  questionable  state 
ment  as  worthy  of  credence,  and  designated  upon  their  maps  as 
"  Cape  Martinez"  the  headland  now  known  as  u  Cape  Flattery." 
X  A  second  expedition  was  dispatched  the  following  year,  with  in 
structions  to  proceed  as  far  north  as  the  sixty-fifth  parallel.  This 
was  composed  of  two  vessels,  the  Santiago,  commanded  by  Bruno 
Heceta,  and  piloted  by  Perez,  its  former  captain;  and  the  Sonora, 
under  Juan  de  Ayala,  whose  pilot  was  Antonio  Maurelle.  A  French 
geographer  named  Bellin  had  prepared  a  chart  of  the  Pacific,  founded 
upon  printed  reports  and  rumored  discoveries  made  by  various 
nations,  a  chart  which  was  "'wonderfully  and  fearfully  made."  It  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  such  a  map  could  have  been  produced  ; 
certainly  nothing  but  the  phosphorescent  intellect  of  a  Frenchman 
could  have  evolved  such  a  geographical  monstrosity.  With  Bellin's 
chart,  the  latest  issued,  the  explorers  were  supplied,  and  it  is  a  fact 
far  from  creditable  that  Spaniards  had  made  so  long  a  voyage  the 
year  before  without  being  able  to  correct  any  of  its  excentricities. 
The  Santiago  and  Sonora,  accompanied  by  the  San  Carlos,  sailed 
from  San  Bias,  March  15,  1 775,  and  proceeded  to  Monterey.  There 
Ayala  was  transferred  to  the  San  Carlos,  Lieutenant  Juan  Fran 
cisco  de  la  Bodega  y  Quadra  succeeding  to  the  command  of  the 
Sonora.  The  latter  vessel  and  the  Santiago  then  sailed  from  Mon 
terey  on  their  voyage  of  discovery.  On  the  ninth  of  June  they 
anchored  in  an  open  roadstead  some  distance  north  of  Cape  Men 
doeino,  calling  it  Port  Trinidad  for  the  all -satisfying  reason  that  the 
day  mentioned  was  dedicated  in  the  calendar  to  the  Holy  Trinity. 
This  is  the  same  Bay  of  Trinidad  which  caused  so  much  excitement 
among  the  gold  hunters  in  1850,  and  the  f  olio  wing  year  became  the 
landing  place  for  the  devotees  of  "  Gold  Bluff."  Having  spent  nine 


80  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

days  at  Trinidad,  the  vessels  again  put  to  seaffand  did  not  sight 
land  again  till  in  latitude  48°  and  27X,  according  to  their  somewhat 
faulty  reckoning,  being  almost  at  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca. 
The  Greek  pilot  had  located  his  passageAvay  between  latitudes  47° 
and  48°  ;  and  it  being  thus  indicated  on  Bellin's  chart,  the  ex 
plorers  turned  to  the  southward  to  search  for  what  was  almost 
within  the  horizon  line  on  the  north.  Of  course  they  found  nothing. 
The  only  adventure  worthy  of  note  in  that  region,  was  the  killing 
of  seven  of  the  Sonoras  crew  by  the  Indians.  This  occurred  on  the 
mainland  near  a  small  island  in  latitude  47°,  which  was  named 
"  Isla  de  Dolores "  ( Island  of  Sorrows),  the  title,  as  usual,  being 
dictated  by  the  calendar.  It  was  afterward  christened  u  Destruction 
Island  "  by  an  English  captain  who  lost  a  boat's  crew  near  that 
point  in  precisely  the  same  manner. 

Here  Heceta  became  alarmed  at  the  ravages  the  dreaded  scurvy 
was  committing,  and  desired  to  return  before  his  crews  entirely 
succumbed  to  the  scourge.  He  was  persuaded  to  continue  the 
voyage,  but  a  few  days  later  a  storm  separated  the  two  consorts, 
and  Heceta  at  once  headed  his  vessel  for  Monterey.  He  observed 
land  in  latitude  50°,  being  the  southwest  portion  of  Vancouver 
Island,  but  overlooked  the  Port  San  Lorenzo  of  Perez,  and  the 
Straits  of  Fuca,  beginning  again  the  search  for  the  latter  in  latitude 
48°.  He  made  a  great  discovery  on  the  fifteenth  of  August, 
1775,  being  no  less  than  the  entrance  to  the  Columbia  River. 
While  sailing  quietly  along  the  coast  he  suddenly  noticed  an  open 
ing  in  the  land  from  which  flowed  a  stream  of  water  with  great 
force.  He  endeavored  to  enter,  but  the  current  was  too  strong,  and 
for  a  whole  day  he  was  thus  baffled  in  his  efforts  to  explore  what 
he  was  satisfied  was  the  channel  of  a  great  river,  perhaps  the  Rio 
de  Aguilar,  or,  possibly,  the  Straits  .of  Fuca,  for  which  he  had  been 
so  diligently  searching.  He  at  last  abandoned  the  effort  and  sailed 
again  toward  Monterey,  observing,  for  the  first  time,  the  coast  of 
Oregon  with  sufficient  carefulness  to  enter  upon  his  journal  quite 
accurate  descriptions.  This  was  the  first  time  the  coast  of  Oregon 
was  actually  explored  by  the  Spaniards,  or  any  other  nation,  being 
a  year  later  than  the  first  publication  of  Carver's  book  containing 
the  word  "Oregon,"  and  nineteen  years  after  the  journey  of  which 
the  volume  treated.  It  is  plainly  evident  that  the  name  was  not 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  81 

bestowed  by  the  Spaniards.  Upon  his  chart  Heceta  entered  the 
river  he  had  discovered  not  as  a  river,  since  he  had  not  proved  it  to 
be  such,  but  as  an  inlet,  calling  it  "  Ensenada  de  Asuncion."  This 
name  was  bestowed  for  the  all-sufficient  reason,  to  a  Spaniard, 
that  the  fifteenth  of  August  was  the  day  of  the  Assumption.  The 
sixteenth  was  devoted  by  the  calendar  to  the  glorification  of 
Saint  Roc,  and  -  he  therefore  called  the  promontory  on  the  north 
"  Cabo  de  San  Roque."  The  calendar  having  been  exhausted  he 
was  compelled  to  bestow  a  more  sensible  title  upon  the  low  point 
of  land  on  the  south,  which  he  christened  "  Cabo  de  Frondoso  " 
(Leafy  Cape).  Maps  made  by  the  Spaniards  thereafter  had  in 
dicated  upon  them  an  indentation  in  the  shore  line  at  this  point, 
variously  marked  "  Ensenada  de  Heceta  "  and  "  Rio  de  San  Roque," 
according  as  the  map-maker  believed  it  to  be  a  river  or  simply  an 
inlet. 

While  Heceta  was  making  these  discoveries  Bodega  and  Mau- 
relle  were  still  sailing  northward  in  the  little  Sonora<  endeavoring 
to  obey  their  instructions.  It  was,  apparently,  the  policy  of  Span 
ish  explorers  to  give  the  land  as  wide  a  berth  as  possible.  English 
navigators  always  kept  as  close  in  shore  as  circumstances  would 
permit,  carefully  examining  every  bay  and  inlet,  making  frequent 
observations  and  copious  entries  upon  their  journals.  When  their 
voyage  was  completed  they  were  prepared  to  make  an  approximately 
correct  map  of  the  coast,  accompanied  by  long  and  careful  descrip 
tions.  Not  so  with  the  Spaniards.  They  kept  well  out  to  sea, 
sighting  land  here  and  there,  and  when  they  returned  were  utterly 
unable  to  report  anything  save  that  they  had  sailed  to  a  certain  lat 
itude  and  had  seen  land  several  times  during  the  voyage.  Whether 
the  laud  observed  was  an  island  or  a  portion  of  the  continent,  or 
whether  the  coast  line  was  continuous,  or  was  much  indented  with 
bays  and  inlets,  they  could  not  tell.  This  is  why  the  Spaniards, 
even  after  the  voyages  of  Perez,  Heceta  and  Bodega,  were  utterly 
unable  to  prepare  a  map  of  the  coast  which  was  the  least  approach 
to  the  original.  It  was  now  they  began  to  appreciate  the  beauties 
of  Bellin's  Chart,  which  had  been  prepared  partly  from  the  worth 
less  reports  of  their  predecessors,  partly  from  the  reports  of  equally 
superficial  Russian  explorers,  and  partly  from  imagination.  On  the 
sixteenth  of  August,  when  the  chart  assured  them  they  were  one 


82  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

hundred  and  thirty  -five  leagues  distant  from  the  American  shore — 
and  it  is   difficult  to  understand  how  they  could  flatter  themselves 
that  they  were  exploring  a  coast  line  which  was  one  hundred  and 
thirty -five  leagues  distant — they  suddenly  discovered  land  both  to 
the  north  and  east  of  them.     They  were  then  above  the  fifty -sixth 
parallel,  in  the  vicinity  of  a  huge  snow-mantled  peak,  rising  abruptly 
from  a  headland  on  the  coast,  which  they  christened  "Mount  San 
Jacinto.r     This  is  the  one  named  "Mount  Edgecumb"  by  Captain 
Cook,  and  stands  on  the  chief  island  of  King  George  III.'s  Archi 
pelago.     Supposing  it  to  be  a  portion  of  the  main  land,  the  Span 
iards   landed    to  take   possession  in  the  name  of   their  sovereign. 
They  planted  a  cross,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  were  busily 
engaged  in  procuring  a  supply  of  fish  and  fresh  water,  when  they 
were  suddenly  interrupted  by  the  native  proprietors.     The  cross 
was  uprooted  in  scorn  and  those  who  had  erected  it  were  given  to 
understand  that  a  hasty  departure  would  be  agreeable,  though  they 
were  not  permitted   to  make -so  much  haste  that  payment  for  the 
fish  and  water  was  neglected.     Thus  ended  the  first  effort  of  Spain 
to  take  possession  of    the  coast  north  of   California.     They  then 
continued  their  northward   journey  as  far  as  latitude  58°,  when 
Bodego  decided  to  begin  the  homeward  voyage   and  explore  the 
coast  line  more  thoroughly.     They  searched  carefully  for  the  Rio 
de  los  Reyes  as  far  south  as  latitude  54°,  but  did  not  find  it;  nor 
would  they  have  found  it  had  it  been  in  existence,  since  Admiral 
Fonte  located  his  wonderful  stream  under  the  fifty-third   parallel. 
They  landed  again  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  August,  in  a  little  harbor 
on  the  west  coast  of  Prince  of  A\Tales  Island,  where  they  took  pos 
session  without  interference  from  the  Indians,  and  named  the  place 
"  Port  Bucareli,"  in  honor  of  the  Viceroy  under  whose  directions 
they  were  acting,  and  whose  proud  privilege  it  was  to  pay  the  ex 
penses  of  the  voyage..   Occasionally  observing  the  coast  south  of 
this  point,  they  began    again,   in    latitude   45°,   to    scrutinize    the 
Oregon  shore  in  search  of  Aguilar's  River,  and  though  they  ob 
served  several  streams  of  water  entering  the  sea,  they  were  not  of 
sufficient  magnitude  to  indicate  a  large  stream,  such  as  Aguilar  re 
ported  having  seen  near  the  forty -third   parallel  in    1603.     They 
did,  however,  observe  a  prominent  headland  answering  Aguilar's 
description  of  Cape  Blanco.     Their  next  stopping  place  was  in  a  bay 


FKOM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK. 

which  the  Sonora  entered  on  the  third  of  October,  and  which  Bo 
dega  supposed  was  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  He  learned  later 
that  it  was  a  much  smaller  one  lying  a  little  further  north,  and  this 
has  ever  since  been  known  as  Bodega  Bay. 

These  three  voyages  justly  entitled  Spain  to  a  claim  to  the  entire 
coast  from  Cape  Mendocino  to  Mount  San  Jacinto  by  title  of  explo 
ration.  If  that  title  was  of  any  value,  it  belonged  to  Spain ;  but  in 
these  modern  times,  possession  is  a  far  stronger  title  than  simple 
discovery,  and  the  United  States  found  the  claim  acquired  from 
Spain  hard  to  defend  against  England's  actual  possession  of  the  soil. 
In  fact,  had  she  depended  upon  it  at  all  Oregon  would  now  be  a 
province  of  Great  Britain.  Accounts  of  these  important  voyages 
did  not  reach  the  public  through  the  medium  of  the  press;  yet  the 
fact  that  the  Spaniards  had  made  several  important  voyages  in  the 
Pacific,  and  were  evidently  seeking  to  take  possession  of  the  entire 
coast,  soon  became  known  in  England,  and  created  great  uneasi 
ness.  She  could  not  stand  supinely  by  and  see  her  ancient  enemy 
secure  a  territory  which  she  had  coveted  for  years,  ever  since  the 
marauding  expedition  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  two  centuries  before, 
but  which,  as  yet,  she  had  made  no  direct  effort  to  reach  from  the 
Pacific  side.  This  year,  1776,  saw  England  involved  in  war  with 
her  colonies  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  yet  she  was  none  the  less  eager 
to  plant  new  ones  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  continent.  Her 
passion  for  acquiring  broad  territorial  dependencies  could  not  be 
checked  by  her  unpleasant  experiences  with  the  confederate  colonies 
who  had  just  declared  themselves  free  and  independent.  It  is 
this  policy  of  colonial  aggrandizement,  systematically  maintained 
through  long  series  of  years,  which  has  made  her  the  center  of  an 
empire  upon  which  the  sun  never  sets,  and  in  which  her  "  morning 
drum  beat  follows  the  course  of  the  sun  in  one  continuous  roll 
around  the  world."  Parliament  at  once  renewed  her  offer  made  in 
1745,  of  a  reward  of  £20,000  for  the  discovery  of  the  Northwest 
Passage,  though  not  limiting  it  to  exploration  in  Hudson's  Bay. 
The  reward  was  offered  to  any  vessel,  sailing  in  any  direction, 
through  any  straits  connecting  the  Atlantic  with  the  distant  Pacific, 
north  of  latitude  52°. 

This  was  inimical  to  the  business  interests  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  consequently  was  productive  of  no  greater  results 


84  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

than  the  former  one.     The  Admiralty  had  by  this  time  become 
satisfied  that  it  was  useless  to  seek  for  the  passage  on  the  Atlantic 
side,  since  all  their  efforts  were  in  some  manner  rendered  abortive; 
and  they  decided  to  dispatch  an  expedition  to  the  Pacific  to  search 
for  the  passage  on  that  side,  and  to  learn,  if  possible,  the  extent  of 
Spanish  and  Russian  occupation.     For  this  important  task  the  most 
renowned  navigator  of  his  time  was  selected,  Captain  James  Cook, 
whose  recent  extensive  explorations  in  the  South  Sea  and  Indian 
Ocean,  extending  into  the  Antarctic  regions,  had  been  so  thoroughly 
and  intelligently  conducted  that  little  was  left  for  his  successors  to 
accomplish  in  the  same  field.     It  was  vitally  necessary  that   this 
means  of  entering  the  Pacific  be  discovered  if  England  would  plant 
colonies  in  this  region,  f <  >r  communication  with  them  by  way  of  the 
Horn  or  Cape  of  Good  Hope  would   be  too  long  and  uncertain. 
The  public  gaze  was  centered  upon  Captain  Cook,  and  during  the 
four  years  that  passed   between  the  departure   and   return   of   his 
vessels,  the  gallant  navigator  and  his  mission  wrere  not  forgotten, 
even  amid  the  exciting  incidents  of  the  conflict  in  America  and  the 
graver  political  complications  in  Europe.     The  expedition  was  coin- 
posed  of  two  vessels — the  Resolution,  a  craft  which  had  just  taken 
Cook  around  the  world,  and  a  consort  named  the  Discovery,  com 
manded  by  Captain  Charles  Clerke.     In  every  particular  the  vessels 
were  fitted  for  the  work  expected  of  them.      Charts  were  pre 
pared,    embracing  all   the   geographical    knowledge  of  the  time, 
except  that  recently  gained  by  the  Spaniards,  the  details  of  which 
had  not  yet  been  received  in  England.     This  left  a  comparative 
blank    in  the    Pacific  between   latitudes    43°,   the    northern    limit 
of   Aguilar's  voyage,  and    56°,  the  most   southerly  point   on    the 
coast  reached  by  the  Russian  explorers.     In  this  were  indicated 
three  important  objects — the  great  river  supposed  to  exist  some 
where  within  those  limits,  the  Straits  of   Fuca  and   the  River  of 
Kings.       Cook's   instructions   were    very    minute    and   particular. 
England  was  involved  in  war  with  her   American  colonies,  while 
her  old  enemies,  France  and  Spain,  seemed  about  to  add  material 
aid  to  the  open  encouragement  they  gave  the  struggling  rebels.     It- 
was  incumbent  upon  her  to  do  nothing  whatever  to  incur  the  open 
hostility  of  these  warlike  nations,  or  to  even  give  them  a  plausible 
excuse  for  declaring  a  war  which  they  seemed  more  than  willing  to 


FKOM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  85 

embark  in.     To  thus  send  an  expedition  into  waters  which  Spain 
had  for  centuries  looked  upon  as  her  own   special    inheritance,  and 
to  explore  a  coast  line   which  she  had   just  visited    and   formally 
taken  possession  of,  was  a  delicate  matter,  and  Captain   Cook  was 
relied  upon  to  do  nothing  to  offend  the  Spaniards  or  antagonize  the 
Russians,   whom   he   was  expected   to   encounter  on   the  coast  of 
Alaska.     He  was  instructed  to  first  reach  the  coast  of  New  Albion, 
for  such  the  English  still  called    California,  in  latitude  45°,  and 
was  "strictly  enjoined  on  his  way  thither,  not  to  touch  upon  any 
part  of  the  Spanish  dominions  on  the  western  continent  of  America, 
unless  driven  to  it   by  some  unavoidable  accident;    in  which  case 
he  should  stay  no  longer  than  should    be  absolutely  necessary,  and 
to  be  very  careful  not  to  give  any  umbrage  or  offense  to  any  of 
the  inhabitants  or  subjects  of  his  Catholic  majesty.     And  if,  in  his 
further  progress  northward,  he  should  meet  any  subjects  of   any 
European  prince   or   state  (referring  to  the  Russians),  upon    any 
part  of  the  coast  which  he  might  think  proper  to  visit,  he  was  not  to 
disturb  them  or  give  them  just  cause  of  offense,  but,  on  the  con 
trary,  to  treat  them   with  civility  and  friendship."     He  was  also 
instructed  to  examine  the  coast  thoroughly,  and  "  with  the  consent 
of  the  natives,  to  take  possession  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Great 
Britain,  of  convenient  stations  in  such  countries  as  he  might  dis 
cover  that  had  not  been  already  discovered  or  visited  by  any  other 
European  power,    and  to   distribute   among  the  inhabitants  such 
things  as  would  remain  as  traces  of  his  having  been  there;  but  if 
he  should  find  the  countries  so  discovered  to  be  uninhabited,  he  was 
to  take  possession  of  them  for  his  sovereign,  by  setting  up  proper 
marks  and  descriptions,  as  first  discoverers  and  possessors.1' 

A  literal  adherence  to  these  instructions  would  have  barred  Cook 
from  the  whole  coast,  since  Spanish  explorers  had  visited  and  taken 
formal  possession  at  various  points  but  the  year  before.  It  was 
generally  supposed  that  the  ocean  Hearne  had  discovered  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Coppermine  River  was  identical  with  the  Pacific,  and 
that  as  progression  was  made  northward  the  coast  would  be  found 
trending  sharply  to  the  east,  the  region  occupied  by  the  Russians 
being  a  sea  of  islands  lying  much  to  the  westward  of  the  main  land 
of  America.  Beginning  when  he  first  espied  land,  he  was  to  search 
for  Aguilar's  River,  or  the  Great  River  of  the  West,  then  in  latitude 


86  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

48°,  to  look  for  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  and  near  the  fifty- third 
parallel  to  hunt  for  Foute's  Eio  de  los  Reyes.  Upon  reaching  the 
sixty -fifth  parallel  he  was  expected  to  find  the  coast  trending  rapidly 
northeastward  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine ;  and  from  that 
point  he  was  to  explore  carefully  "such  rivers  or  inlets  as  might 
appear  to  be  of  considerable  extent  and  pointing  toward  Hudson's 
or  Baffin's  bays."  Through  all  such  he  was  to  endeavor  to  pass, 
either  in  his  larsfe  vessels  or  in  smaller  ones  to  be  constructed  for 

o 

that  purpose  from  materials  taken  with  him  for  that  emergency. 
If,  however,  he  discovered  that  the  Pacific  and  North  Sea  were  not 
identical,  and  that  the  coast  line  turned  westward  or  held  a  north 
ward  course,  he  was  to  continue  on  to  the  Russian  settlements  at 
Kanitchatka,  and  from  that  point  sailed  northward  "  in  further 
search  for  a  northeast  or  northwest  passage  from  the  Pacific  Ocean 
into  the  Atlantic  or  North  Sea."  Cook  certainly  had  a  gigantic- 
task  before  him. 

On  the  twelfth  of  July,  1776,  eight  days  after  the  bell  of  In 
dependence  Hall  had  rung  out  to  the  world  the  glad  tidings  that  a 
free  people  had  pledged  "  their  lives,  their  fortunes  and  their  sacred 
honor"  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  Cook  sailed  from  Plymouth  on  his 
mission.  He  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  spent  nearly 
a  year  in  exploring  the  coast  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  New  Zea 
land,  and  the  Friendly  and  Society  groups  of  islands.  It  was  not 
until  the  eighteenth  of  January,  1778,  that  he  encountered  the 
Hawaiian  group  of  islands,  making  thus  one  of  the  most  important 
discoveries  in  the  Pacific.  Upon  these  he  bestowed  the  name  of 
"  Sandwich  Islands,"  in  courtesy  to  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 
After  a  brief  stay  at  this  mid -ocean  refuge,  he  resumed  his  course 
eastward,  and  on  the  seventh  of  March  espied  the  coast  of  New 
Albion,  near  the  forty -fourth  parallel.  This  was  the  coast  of 
Oregon  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Unipqua  River.  After  being  forced  by 
headwinds  as  far  south  as  Rogue  River,  he  sailed  a  northerly  course 
well  out  to  sea,  and  did  not  again  see  land  until  he  reached  latitude 
48°.  To  the  prominent  headland  he  then  saw  he  gave  the  name 
"Cape  Flattery,"  because  of  the  encouraging  condition  of  affairs. 

Immediately  north  of  Cape  Flattery  lay  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  but 
on  his  chart  the  passage  supposed  to  have  been  discovered  by  the 
old  Greek  pilot  was  indicated  as  lying  south  of  the  forty-eighth  par- 


KllOM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  87 

allel ;  and  so  he  coasted  southward  to  find  it,  little  imagining  that  what 
he  sought  was  within  a  few  miles  of  him,  and  that  he  was  deliber 
ately  turning  his  back  upon  it.  Naturally  he  was  unsuccessful  in 
his  search,  and  concluded  that  no  such  passage  existed.  He  then 
sailed  north,  passing  directly  by  the  entrance  to  the  straits  without 
observing  them,  and  cast  anchor  in  Nootka  Sound,  unaware  that  it 
was  the  one  which  Perez  had  entered  a  few  years  before  and  named 
"  Port  San  Lorenzo";  in  fact,  he  was  unacquainted  with  any  of  the 
particulars  of  the  recent  Spanish  voyages.  This  port  he  at  first 
called  "St.  George's  Sound,"  but  soon  changed  the  name  to  "Noot 
ka,"  the  proper  Indian  title.  The  natives  were  very  intelligent,  \ 
possessed  copper,  iron  and  brass,  and  were  familiar  with  the  methods  / 
of  working  them.  They  were  extremely  friendly  and  bartered  val 
uable  furs  for  trinkets  of  any  kind,  preferring  metal  to  anything 
else.  The  vessels  were  constantly  surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  canoes, 
whose  occupants  had  come  for  many  miles  along  the  coast  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  the  white  strangers  and  trading  with  them.  Here 
he  lay  nearly  a  month,  repairing  his  vessels  and  permitting  the  sea 
men  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  their  long  voyage.  About  the 
first  of  April  he  resumed  his  northward  course.  In  the  vicinity  of 
the  fifty-third  parallel  he  intended  to  search  for  Admiral  Fonte's 
River  of  Kings,  but  was  driven  to  sea  by  a  gale  and  did  not  again 
see  land  until  considerably  north  of  that  point.  This  did  not  appear 
to  him  in  the  light  of  a  disaster,  for  his  journal  says:  "For  my 
own  part  I  gave  no  credit  to  such  vague  and  improbable  stories,  that 
convey  their  own  confutation  along  with  them;  nevertheless,  I  was 
very  desirous  of  keeping  the  American  coast  aboard,  in  order  to  clear 
up  this  point  beyond  dispute."  From  the  fifty-fifth  parallel,  where 
he  again  saw  land,  he  continued  north,  in  full  view  of  the  coast, 
observing  the  peak  called  "  San  Jacinto "  by  Bodega,  but  which 
he  named  "Edgecumb";  discovering  and  naming  Mount  Fair- 
weather,  and  on  the  fourth  of  May  reaching  an  immense  snow  peak, 
standing  near  the  water's  edge,  which  he  at  once  recognized  as  the 
Mount  St.  Elias  discovered  by  Behring. 

The  sharp  westward  trend  of  the  coast  from  this  point  led  Cook 
to  begin  there  a  careful  search  for  the  Straits  of  Anian,  which  he 
hoped  to  find  leading  northward  into  the  North  Sea,  the  existence 
of  which  Hearne  had  verified,  or  eastward  into  Hudson's  or  Baffin's 


88  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Bay.  The  Russian  charts  showed  this  to  be  the  end  of  the  Ameri 
can  continent,  all  to  the  westward  being  a  vast  sea  of  islands;  con 
sequently  he  had  good  reasons  for  expecting  to  find  a  passage  into 
the  North  Sea.  He  began  a  diligent  search,  exploring  carefully  all 
bays  and  inlets  along  the  coast.  Prince  William's  Sound  and 
Cook's  Inlet  received  special  attention,  and  on  his  map  are  very 
accurately  laid  down.  The  latter  he  at  first  supposed  to  be  a 
river,  and  called  it  "  Cook's  River,"  but  the  error  was  soon  discov 
ered.  Unsuccessful  in  finding  the  desired  passage  in  either  of  these 
favorable  localities,  he  continued  westward,  and  soon  found  the 
coast  trending  toward  the  southwest.  His  careful  explorations  con 
vinced  him  that  this  region  was  by  no  means  a  sea  of  islands,  but 
that  the  American  continent  "  extended  much  further  to  the  west 
than,  from  the  modern  most  reputable  charts,  he  had  reason  to 
expect,"  and  that  the  Russians  had  been  extremely  superficial  in 
their  explorations.  He  determined  to  abandon  his  present  effort 
and  to  follow  the  coast  line  to  its  termination,  and  then  to  enter 
Behring's  Straits.  On  the  nineteeenth  of  June  he  fell  in  with  the 
Schumagiin  Islands,  where  he  saw  the  first  tokens  of  Russian  pres 
ence  in  that  region.  One  of  the  many  natives  who  swarmed  about 
the  vessel  possessed  a  piece  of  paper,  upon  which  was  writing 
which  he  conceived  to  be  in  the  Russian  language.  When  he  had 
passed  the  Aleutian  Islands,  he  sailed  around  them  to  the  north, 
and  then  returned  eastward,  soon  reaching  the  large  island  of 
Ounalaska,  where  he  remained  five  days  without  encountering  any 
Russians,  though  he  knew  this  to  be  an  important  station  in  the  fur 
trade.  On  the  second  of  July  he  resumed  his  search  for  an  east 
ward  passage,  sailing  northerly  along  the  west  coast  of  the  Alaskan 
Peninsula.  He  reached  a  point  on  the  ninth  of  August  which  he 
properly  concluded  was  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of  America, 
since  the  coast  beyond  trended  steadily  to  the  eastward.  This  he 
named  "  Cape  Prince  of  Wales."  He  then  crossed  Behring's 
Strait  and  followed  the  Asiatic  Coast  on  the  Arctic  side  as  far  as 
Cape  North,  in  latitude  68°  and  56'.  Returning  to  the  American 
side,  he  proceeded  beyond  Cape  Prince  of  Wales  until  his  progress 
was  arrested  by  the  ice  in  latitude  70°  and  29'.  This  point  he 
named  "  Icy  Cape,"  and  then  returned  to  Ounalaska,  where  he  found 
a  few  Russian  fur  traders  who  were  greatly  surprised  to  learn  how 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  89 

erroneous  had  been  the  opinions  they  entertained  of  the  geography 
of  the  North  Pacific.  From  Ounalaska  he  sailed  directly  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  where  he  spent  the  winter. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  February,  1779,  while  preparing  to  renew 
his  voyage,  he  was  slain  in  an  unfortunate  encounter  with  the 
natives  of  Hawaii,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  every  museum 
in  England  and  America  has  on  exhibition  uthe  club  that  killed 
Captain  Cook,'7  it  is  a  well  authenticated  fact  that  he  was  slain  with 
a  spear.  The  command  now  devolved  upon  Captain  Clerke,  whose 
ill  health  seriously  affected  the  future  movements  of  the  expedition. 
The  loss  cf  Cook  was  a  calamity.  Clerke  sailed  in  March,  with  the 
design  of  pushing  still  further  eastward  in  the  North  Sea,  and,  if 
possible,  passing  by  that  route  into  the  Atlantic.  On  his  way  he 
entered  the  Bay  of  Avatscha,  and  cast  anchor  in  the  Harbor  of 
Petropaulovski,  the  chief  settlement  of  Kamtchatka.  The  Russian 
officials  received  the  visitors  with  great  courtesy,  being  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  learn  of  the  geographical  discoveries  the  English 
men  had  made.  The  voyage  was  then  resumed,  but  ignorance  of 
the  climatic  peculiarities  of  the  Arctic  region  had  led  him  to  under 
take  the  passage  too  early  in  the  Spring.  The  consequence  was 
that  he  was  prevented  by  ice  from  progressing  even  as  far  as  the 
season  before,  and  returned  to  Petropaulovski  with  the  conviction 
that  no  northern  passage  existed  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pa 
cific  oceans.  Being  in  ill  health,  Clerke  lay  at  anchor  in  the 
Russian  harbor  until  the  twenty -second  of  August,  when  he  died. 
The  command  of  the  expedition  then  devolved  upon  Lieutenant 
John  Gore,  who  sailed  at  once  for  England  by  the  way  of  Canton 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  deeming  his  vessels  unfit  to  encounter 
another  season  in  the  Arctic. 

The  object  of  going  to  Canton  was  to  dispose  of  a  large  collec 
tion  of  furs  both  the  men  and  officers  had  made,  chiefly  by  trading 
for  them  with  the  natives  of  Nootka  Sound.  They  had  not  been 
purchased  for  market,  nor  had  they  been  selected  according  to  their 
commercial  value,  and  many  had  been  rendered  unsalable  by  being 
used  for  clothing  and  beds.  It  was  only  when  the  Russians  offered 
a  large  price  for  them  that  they  realized  the  value  of  what  they 
possessed;  but  as  the  traders  had  inadvertently  told  them  what 
great  profits  they  made  by  shipping  furs  to  Canton,  they  declined 


90  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

to  sell,  preferring  to  take  them  to  the  better  market.  For  this 
miscellaneous  collection  of  furs  the  Chinese  paid  them  $10,000. 
The  men  became  excited  at  the  prospect.  The  thought  of  return 
ing  to  England  without  engaging  for  a  time  in  the  fur  trade  made 
them  rebellious,  notwithstanding  they  had  been  afloat  over  three 
years.  As  the  narrative  of  the  voyage  says,  they  became  "  possessed 
with  a  rage  to  return  to  the  northern  coast,  and,  by  another  cargo 
of  skins,  to  make  their  fortunes,  which  was,  at  one  time,  not  far 
from  mutiny. "  The  rebellious  crew  was  reduced  to  subordination, 
and  the  homeward  voyage  was  resumed. 

It  was  early  in  October,  1780,  that  the  Resolution  and  Discovery 
reached  England,  after  an  absence  of  four  years  and  three  months, 
during  which  time  the  country  had  been  engaged  in  war  with  her 
American  colonies  and  her  two  immemorial  enemies  across  the  chan 
nel.  Cook  and  his  expedition  had  almost  become  forgotten  in  the 
excitement  of  current  events,  and  the  return  of  the  vessels  with  in 
telligence  of  the  death  of  the  two  senior  commanders  and  of  the 
geographical  discoveries  which  had  been  made,  was  an  unexpected 
surprise.  Until  the  cpmplications  of  war  were  removed,  England 
had  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  attempt  further  discoveries  or 
plant  new  colonies,  and  so  the  Lords  of  Admiralty  pigeon-holed  the 
official  record  of  the  v7oyage,  to  be  published  after  the  conclusion  of 
peace.  They  could  not  seal  the  lips  of  the  seamen,  who  scattered 
about  the  story  of  their  adventures,  and  the  wonderful  profits  to  be 
gained  in  buying  furs  for  nothing  from  the  Indians  on  the  American 
side  of  the  Pacific,  and  selling  them  for  a  great  deal  to  the  Chinese 
on  the  Asiatic  side.  One  of  these  seamen,  John  Ledyard,  an  Amer 
ican,  endeavored  to  influence  American  and  French  capitalists  in  a 
fur  enterprise,  but  unsuccessfully.  He  then  conceived  the  idea  of 
traveling  around  the  world  by  way  of  Russia,  Siberia,  the  Pacific 
and  America.  Having  secured  a  passport  from  the  Empress  of 
Russia,  he  traveled  as  far  as  Irkutsk,  when  he  was  arrested,  con 
ducted  to  the  Polish  frontier  and  released  upon  the  condition  that 
he  never  again  enter  the  empire.  This  arbitrary  act  is  ascribed  to 
the  influence  of  the  Russian  fur  monopoly,  which  did  not  relish  the 
idea  of  foreigners  prying  into  their  business. 

While  Cook's  vessels  were  lying  at  Hawaii,  and  only  nine  days 
before  the  famous  commander  was  killed,  another  Spanish  expedi- 


FROM  CAPTAIN  CARVER  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK.  91 

tion  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  in  the  North  Pacific.  This 
was  not  caused  by  Cook's  movements,  for  the  Spanish  authorities 
were  unaware  of  his  presence  in  the  Pacific,  but  was  tfre  result  of 
the  government's  desire  to  examine  the  northern  regions  more  criti 
cally  than  Bodega  and  Heceta  had  done.  After  three  years  of 
preparation  the  Princess  and  Favorita  sailed — the  former  com 
manded  by  Ignacio  Arteaga  and  the  latter  by  Bodega  and  Maurelle. 
The  route  of  the  vessels  was  much  the  same  as  that  traversed  by 
Bodega  and  Cook,  and  nothing  of  importance  was  noticed  which 
had  not  been  seen  by  those  explorers.  When  they  observed  the 
coast -line  beyond  Mount  St.  Elias  to  trend  westward,  they  began 
searching  for  the  Straits  of  Anian,  as  had  Cook  the  year  before,  but 
were  by  no  means  as  thorough  as  the  English  navigator  had  been. 
Arteaga  lacked  the  quality  of  perseverance  under  disappointment 
and  hardships  which  is  so  necessary  to  the  successful  explorer,  and 
discouraged  by  his  want  of  success,  and  frightened  by  the  appear 
ance  of  scurvy  symptoms  among  his  crew,  ordered  the  vessels  back 
to  San  Bias.  Instead  of  being  reprimanded  for  the  superficial  nature 
of  his  explorations,  his  faulty  observations  and  useless  charts,  he  and 
his  associates  were  rewarded  by  promotion.  Spain  was  now  well 
satisfied  of  the  extent  and  value  of  the  coast  to  the  north,  but  being 
involved  in  war  was  compelled  to  postpone  any  effort  at  coloniza 
tion  until  her  foreign  complications  were  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN. 

The  Russian- American  Trading  Company — France  sends  La  Perouse 
to  the  Pacific — James  If  anna  makes  the  first  Voyage  in  the  Fur 
Trade  from  England — England's  Short-sighted  Policy  of  Granting 
Monopoly  Charters — The  East  India  Company  and  South  Sea  Com 
pany — Their  Conflicting  Interests  Leads  to  the  Organisation  of  the 
King  George's  Sound  Company — -Belief  that  North  America  above 
Latitude  49°  was  an  Archipelago  of  Huge  Islands — First  Voyage  of 
Captain  Meares — His  Terrible  Winter  on  the  Alaskan  Coast — Cap 
tain  Barclay  Discovers  the  Straits  of  Fuca- — Meares  Engages  in  the 
Fur  Trade  under  the  Portuguese  Flag — He  Builds  the  Schooner 
"Northwest  America"  at  Nooika  Sound — Explores  the  Straits  of 
Fuca — His  Unsuccessful  Search  for  the  Rio  de  San  Roque — Decep 
tion  Bay  and  Cape  Disappointment — The  United  States  Enters  the 
Contest  for  Control  of  the  Pacific  C~oast — The  "Columbia  Rediviva" 
and  "Lady  Washington" — The  Latter  Attacked  by  Indians,  and  the 
Former  Supplies  Spain  with  an  Opportunity  to  Promulgate  her  Doc 
trine  of  Exclusive  Rights  in  the  Pacific-  Martinez  sent  to  Explore 
the  Coast  and  Investigate  the  Russians — His  Report  of  Russian 
Operations  Causes  Spain  to  Send  a  Remonstrance  to  the  Empress — 
Martinez  Fortifies  Nooika,  and  Takes  Possession  in  the  JVame  of  the 
King  of  Spain — He  Seizes  the  "Iphigenia  "  and  "Northwest  Ameri 
ca  " — Colnett  and  Hudson  arrive  in  the  "Argonaut "  and  "Princess 
Royal" —Are  made  Prisoners  by  Martinez  and  sent  to  Mexico — 
The  Prisoners  Released  and  Vessels  Restored — Controversy  between 
England  and  Spain  Terminated  by  the  Nooika  Convention — Stipu 
lations  of  the  Treaty  Displease  both  Parties. 

THE  first  to  avail  themselves  of  the  discoveries  made  by  Cook 
were  the  Russians    They  were  not  embroiled  in  war  with  any 
nation  contending  for  supremacy  in  America,  nor  with  any  other 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  93 

power  which  could  attack  their  Pacific  possessions.  Cook's  voyage 
opened  their  eyes  to  the  nature  and  value  of  the  fur  regions,  and 
they  resolved  to  enter  deeply  into  that  which  they  had  been  simply 
skimming  for  forty  years.  The  Russian -American  Trading  Com 
pany  was  organized  in  1781.  Two  years  later  three  vessels  were 
sent  from  Petropaulovski,  to  establish  stations  on  the  islands  and 
main  land  as  far  east  as  Prince  William's  Sound.  Three  years 
were  consumed  in  this  work.  The  hold  Russia  then  took  upon 
Alaska  was  not  relaxed  until  that  region  was  purchased  by  the 
United  States  nearly  a  century  later  (in  1867)  for  $7,200,000. 

The  first  official  voyage  made  by  the  contending  nations,  after 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent  was  signed,  was  sent  out  by  France,  In  the 
winter  of  1784-5  Cook's  journal  was  published,  and  though  the 
"  yarns  "  of  his  sailors  had  been  freely  circulated,  this  was  a  reve 
lation  to  the  people,  and  caused  much  eagerness  to  be  displayed  to 
take  advantage  of  the  golden  opportunity  therein  pointed  out.  The 
French  government  immediately  dispatched  a  skillful  and  scientific 
navigator,  named  La  Perouse,  with  instructions  to  u  explore  the  parts 
of  the  northwestern  coast  of  America  which  had  not  been  examined 
by  Cook,  and  of  which  the  Russian  accounts  gave  no  idea,  in  order 
to  obtain  information  respecting  the  fur  trade,  and  also  to  learn 
whether,  in  those  unknown  parts,  some  river  or  internal  sea  might 
not  be  found  communicating  with  Hudson's  Bay,  or  Baffin's  Bay." 
La  Perouse  sailed  in  1785,  and  on  the  twenty-third  of  June,  1786, 
reached  the  American  Coast  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Fairweather. 
After  remaining  several  weeks  at  anchor,  he  proceeded  slowly  south 
ward,  minutely  examining  the  coast,  and  discovering  that  the  places 
where  the  English  and  Spanish  explorers  had  formerly  landed  were 
not  on  the  main  land,  but  on  a  long  range  of  islands  which  fringe 
the  coast.  For  this  important  discovery  he  received  no  credit,  as 
his  vessels  were  wrecked  in  the  New  Hebrides  on  the  return  voyage, 
and  his  journal  was  not  published  for  ten  years,  long  after  other 
explorers  had  discovered  the  same  facts  and  made  them  known  to 
the  world. 

The  first  successful  venture  in  the  fur  trade  was  made  by  James 
Hanna,  an  Englishman,  who  sailed  from  the  Portuguese  East  India 
port  of  Macao,  in  1785,  secured  a  load  of  furs  at  Nootka  Sound, 
and  disposed  of  them  in  China  for  $20,000.  The  next  year  he 


94  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

repeated  the  voyage,  but  found  that  other  traders  had  arrived, 
whose  competition  prevented  the  securing  of  a  good  cargo;  also, 
that  the  Chinese  market  was  glutted  with  this  avalanche  of  furs. 
There  was  no  profit  in  the  business  that  year.  England  adopted 
an  extremely  short-sighted  policy  in  her  treatment  of  the  Pacific 
question,  and  surrendered  her  claims  into  the  hands  of  private 
monopolies.  A  century  before,  eager  to  discover  the  long-sought 
Northwest  Passage,  she  chartered  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
granting  it  almost  royal  power,  and  conferring  upon  it  absolute 
dominion  in  that  vast  region  whose  waters  fall  into  Hudson's  Bay. 
Two  centuries  have  gone  by  and  it  is  still  a  wilderness.  In  her 
anxiety  to  command  the  commerce  of  the  Pacific,  and  plant  her 
foot  on  the  western  shore  of  America,  she  again  committed  the 
fatal  error  of  delegating  her  powers  to  private  and  selfish 
monopolies.  At  that  time  the  East  India  Company  was  already 
firmly  established  in  India,  and  had  laid  well  the  foundation  of 
that  power  which  has  since  added  the  title  of  "Empress  of  the 
Indies*'  to  the  crown  of  England.  To  this  gigantic  corporation 
was  granted  the  monopoly  of  all  trade  with  the  ports  of  Asia  and 
adjacent  islands — all  other  subjects  of  Great  Britain  being  prohib 
ited  from  trading  under  severe  penalties.  A  new  association, 
called  the  "  South  Sea  Company,"  was  chartered,  upon  which  was 
conferred  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trade  on  the  American  Coast. 
Thus  was  the  Avhole  commerce  of  the  Pacific,  so  far  as  England 
was  concerned,  given  into  the  hands  of  two  corporations,  and  all 
other  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  no  matter  how  eager  they  might  be 
to  embark  in  the  fur  trade  and  explore  the  unknown  mysteries  of 
the  great  South  Sea,  were  debarred  from  so  doing.  No  English 
ships  could  pass  around  Cape  Horn  save  those  of  the  South  Sea 
Company,  while  the  ensign  of  the  powerful  East  India  Company 
must  fly  at  the  mast-head  of  every  British  vessel  that  doubled  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  was  of  course  the  supposition  that  these 
two  corporations,  being  rich  and  powerful,  would  at  once  embark 
in  the  fur  trade  on  an  extensive  scale,  and,  as  the  representatives 
of  the  British  crown,  would  lay  as  broad  and  deep  a  foundation  for 
English  power  on  the  American  Coast  and  the  Islands  of  the 
Pacific,  as  one  of  them  had  already  done  in  the  land  of  the  Brah 
mins.  Such  was  not  the  case,  owing  primarily  to  the  conflicting 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY   IN   THK  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  95 

interests  of  the  two  companies.  The  great  fur  market  was  China, 
but  from  the  ports  of  that  company  the  ships  of  the  South  Sea 
Company  were  debarred  by  the  exclusive  trade  privileges  of  the 
rival  association.  Nor  was  the  East  India  Company  more  happily 
situated;  with  complete  control  of  England's  commerce  in  Asiatic 
ports,  it  was  excluded  from  the  fur-producing  coast  of  America. 
One  controlled  the  source  of  supply  and  the  other  the  market,  and 
neither  could  accomplish  anything.  The  chasm  between  the  rival 
companies  was  bridged  by  the  organization  of  a  third  one — the 
King  George's  Sound  Company.  This  association  was  formed  in 
1785,  and  was  granted  special  permits  from  -both  monopolies, 
enabling  it  to  embark  in  the  Pacific  fur  trade  under  favorable 
auspices.  Two  vessels  were  dispatched  by  this  company,  the  King 
George  and  Queen  Charlotte,  commanded  by  Captains  Portlock 
and  Dixon.  They  traded  two  years  without  paying  expenses,  the 
Chinese  market  having  been  flooded  by  this  sudden  shower  of 
fur.  Two  other  vessels  sent  the  next  year  by  the  same  company, 
and  which  reached  Nootka  in  1787,  prior  to  the  return  of  Portlock 
and  Dixon  to  England,  were  equally  unsuccessful,  and  the  South 
Sea  Company  suddenly  collapsed.  Shares  in  the  company,  which 
it  had  formally  taken  fortunes  to  purchase,  were  thrown  into  the 
street,  and  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise  barely  escaped  the  rude 
clutches  of  a  mob.  The  South  Sea  Bubble  was  completely  bursted. 
These  traders,  in  passing  up  and  down  the  coast,  learned  what 
La  Perouse  had  discovered  two  years  before — that  all  points  north 
of  Nootka  yet  visited  by  traders  and  explorers,  were  but  islands  and 
not  portions  of  the  main  land.  The  former  Russian  idea  of  the 
region  occupied  by  them  was  revived,  and  extended  to  embrace  the 
whole  northern  portion  of  America.  It  was  conceived  that  not  a 
continent,  but  an  immense  archipelago  of  islands  occupied  that  re 
gion,  and  that  through  the  channels  separating  them  it  was  possible 
to  reach  the  Atlantic.  This  idea  was  also  supported  two  years 
later  by  Captain  Meares,  who  assigned  as  one  of  his  reasons  for  hold 
ing  the  belief,  that  "the  channels  of  this  archipelago  were  found  to 
be  wide  and  capacious,  with  near  two  hundred  fathoms  deep  of 
water,  and  huge  promontories  stretching  out  into  the  sea,  where 
whales  and  sea- otters  were  seen  in  incredible  abundance.  In  some 
of  these  channels  there  are  islands  of  ice,  which  we  may  venture  to 


96  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

say  could  never  have  formed  on  the  western  side  of  America,  which 
possesses  a  mild  and  moderate  climate;  so  that  their  existence  can 
not  be  reconciled  to  any  other  idea,  than  that  they  received  their 
formation  in  the  eastern  seas,  and  have  been  drifted  by  the  tides 
and  currents  through  the  passage  for  whose  existence  we  are  con 
tending.'1  He  was  not  aware  that  the  Alaska  glaciers  were  con 
stantly  dropping  frozen  offerings  into  the  sea.  A  few  years  later 
Captain  Vancouver  demonstrated  the  fallacy  of  this  theory,  and 
j^ave  us  the  first  correct  idea  of  the  American  continent  with  its 
coast  fringe  of  islands. 

In  1786  the  great  East  India  Company,  either  having  made  some 
commercial  arrangement  with  the  South  Sea  Company,  or  purposely 
infringing  upon  the  chartered  rights  of  the  rival  organization,  dis 
patched  two  small  vessels  to  the  American  Coast  for  furs.  They 
met  with  sufficient  success  to  encourage  the  company  to  engage  in 
the  business  on  a  larger  scale;  consequently,  two  vessels  were  fitted 
out,  the  Nootka  and  Sea-Otter,  in  1787,  and  dispatched  to  Nootka 
Sound,  which  was  then  the  objective  point  of  all  fur  traders.  The 
former  was  under  the,  command  of  Captain  John  Meares,  a  former 
lieutenant  of  the  royal  navy,  and  the  latter  by  Lieutenant  Walter 
Tipping. 

The  Sea-Otter  followed  the  Japan  Current  until  she  reached  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  and  then  coasting  along  eastward  arrived  at  Prince 
William's  Sound.  Thus  far  was  she  traced  by  her  consort,  but  be 
yond  that  point  her  movements  never  were  known,  nor  was  she 
ever  heard  from  again.  She  was  probably  swamped  in  mid  ocean, 
for  had  she  been  wrecked  on  the  coast  some  traces  of  her  would 
have  been  discovered  by  the  natives  and  reported  to  the  traders. 
The  Nootka  followed  the  same  general  course,  and  came  to  anchor 
in  Prince  William's  Sound  about  the  first  of  October,  Captain  Meares 
designing  to  spend  the  winter  in  that  port  and  resume  the  voyage 
along  the  coast  in  the  spring.  Unacquainted  with  the  climatic  con 
ditions,  he  had  selected  a  place  sufficiently  removed  from  the  path 
of  the  Japan  Current  and  its  branches  to  be  practically  beyond  its 
influences,  and  thus  a  place  where  all  the  rigors  of  an  Arctic  winter 
prevailed.  During  October,  November  and  even  December,  the 
climate  was  generally  pleasant  and  always  endurable,  but  there  sud 
denly  came  a  change.  All  the  chilling  winds  of  the  Borean  cave 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  97 

were  unchained,  and  howled  about  the  vessel,  which  was  soon  bound 
in  icy  fetters  and  buried  beneath  the  drifting  snow.  The  migratory 
Indians  disappeared  in  search  of  a  more  agreeable  abode,  and  were 
quickly  followed  by  all  animal  and  aquatic  life.  The  sun  hid  its 
face,  save  for  a  few  moments  at  midday,  when  it  seemed  to  raise  its 
head  above  the  horizon  to  cast  a  derisive  glance  upon  the  sufferers, 
and  then  quickly  disappeared.  Meares'  journal  says :  "  Tremendous 
mountains  forbade  almost  a  sight  of  the  sky,  and  cast  their  noctur 
nal  shadows  over  the  ship  in  the  midst  of  day."  Deprived  of  proper 
food  and  exercise,  the  imprisoned  crew  were  quickly  attacked  with 
scurvy,  whose  horrible  ravages  it  was  impossible  to  check.  Twenty  - 
three  died  during  the  four  months  of  their  imprisonment,  while  the 
others  were  rendered  so  feeble  as  to  be  unfit  to  perform  duty.  At 
last,  in  May,  the  ice  released  the  vessel  from  its  confining  grasp; 
animals  and  birds  returned,  the  natives  again  appeared,  and  won  to 
health  and  strength  by  fresh  food  and  the  invigorating  rays  of  the 
sun,  the  afflicted  crew  were  soon  ready  to  resume  the  voyage.  Dis 
heartened  by  his  terrible  experience,  and  rendered  snort-handed  by 
the  death  of  so  many  of  his  seamen,  Mears  sailed  in  June  for  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  from  there  proceeded  to  China.  Discouraged 
by  these  two  disastrous  voyages,  the  East  India  Company  abandoned 
the  Pacific  fur  trade  and  confined  its  attention  to  the  enormous  com 
merce  of  India. 

Another  vessel  was  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  in  1787,  the  Impe 
rial  Eagle,  belonging  to  the  Austrian'  East  India  Company,  and 
commanded  by  Captain  Barclay,  or  Berkeley,  an  Englishman  whose 
name  is  perpetuated  in  Barclay  Sound,  on  the  west  coast  of  Van 
couver  Island.  Nothing  is  remarkable  in  connection  with  this  voy 
age  but  the  discovery  of  what  was  then  believed  to  be  the  much 
sought  and  generally  uncredited  Straits  of  Fuca,  only  a  few  miles 
north  of  the  location  assigned  by  the  old  Greek  pilot  to  the  passage 
he  claimed  to  have  entered.  This  Barclay  observed  while  passing 
southward  across  the  entrance;  but  he  made  no  effort  to  explore  it, 
simply  entering  its  location  upon  his  chart.  He  continued  his 
course,  and  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  river  just  above  the  Isla  de 
Dolores,  where  Bodega  had  lost  a  portion  of  his  crew  a  few  years 
before  at  the  hands  of  the  natives,  sent  a  boat's  crew  ashore,  who 
met  a  similar  fate  to  that  which  had  befallen  their  Spanish  prede- 


98  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cessors.  In  commemoration  of  the  sad  event  he  christened  the  ill- 
fated  place  "  Destruction  River,"  a  title  which  was  later,  by  one  of 
those  errors  incident  to  map  making,  transferred  to  the  adjacent 
island. 

When  Captain  Meares  returned  to  China  from  his  unfortunate 
winter  in  Prince  William's  Sound,  he  did  not,  like  the  East  India 
Company,  abandon  the  fur  trade;  on  the  contrary,  he  entered  into 
it  on  his  own  responsibility.  In  order  to  avoid  the  restriction  placed 
upon  British  subjects  by  the  charters  Parliament  had  granted  the 
two  great  monopolies,  he  entered  into  a  commercial  arrangement 
with  Juan  Cavallo,  a  Portuguese  merchant  of  Macao,  a  port  near 
Canton  belonging  to  the  crown  of  Portugal.  Two  vessels  were 

o      o  o 

fitted  out  and  commissioned  by  the  Portuguese  Governor  of  Macao, 
nominally  belonging  to  Senor  Cavallo,  and  having  Portuguese  cap 
tains  named  in  their  shipping  papers.  Nominally,  Meares  went  in 
the  ship  Felice  Adventurer  as  supercargo,  though  actually  in  com 
mand;  and  William  Douglas  occupied  the  same  position  in  the 
Iphigenia  Nubiana.  A  double  purpose  was  served  by  thus  cloth 
ing  the  enterprise  with  Portuguese  apparel,  as  special  privileges  were 
enjoyed  by  the  subjects  of  that  nation  in  the  ports  of  China.  Just 
what  interest  Cavallo  and  the  two  nominal  captains  had  in  the 
enterprise  is  uncertain ;  for  Meares,  as  long  as  his  interests  lay  in  that 
direction,  asserted  that  the  undertaking  was  purely  a  Portuguese 
one,  but  when  circumstances  placed  the  balance  of  interest  on  the 
other  side,  as  strenuously  asserted  that  he  alone  was  the  owner  and 
manager  of  the  enterprise.  The  Iphigenia  sailed  for  Cook's  Inlet, 
where  she  was  to  begin  operations,  and  trade  southward  along  the 
coast  until  she  reached  Nootka  Sound  and  united  with  her  consort. 
The  Felice  headed  for  Nootka  direct,  where  she  arrived  early  in  the 
spring  of  1788.  Immediately  upon  reaching  that  general  rendez 
vous  of  the  fur  trade,  Meares  began  .the  construction  of  a  small 
schooner  for  the  purpose  of  coasting  along  the  shore  to  trade  Math 
the  Indians.  He  secured  from  Maquinna,  the  chief,  permission  to 
erect  a  small  house  to  shelter  his  men  while  at  work  upon  the  craft, 
the  consideration  for  this  privilege  being  a  brace  of  pistols  and  the 
house  and  contents  when  he  should  finally  depart  from  that  region. 
Leaving  his  builders  at  work,  the  house  having  been  erected  and 
encompassed  by  a  rampart  of  earth,  from  which  frowned  the  rusted 


SPAI^S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  99 

mouth  of  a  diminutive  cannon,  Meares  sailed  down  the  coast  in 
search  of  the  passage  reported  by  Barclay  as  having  been  seen  by 
him  the  year  before.  June  29,  1788,  he  observed  a  broad  inlet  in 
latitude  48°  39'.  Though  in  the  introduction  to  his  narrative  he 
states  that  the  observations  of  Captain  Barclay  were  known  to  him, 
in  the  journal  itself  he  takes  the  full  credit  of  the  discovery,  saying: 
— "  The  coast  along  whi^h  we  were  now  sailing  had  not  been  seen 
by  Captain  Cook,  and  we  know  of  no  other  navigator  said  to  have 
been  this  way  except  Maurelle."  He  continues:  "  From  the  mast 
head  it  w^as  observed  to  stretch  to  the  east  by  the  north,  and  a  clear 
and  unbounded  horizon  was  seen  in  this  direction  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  The  strongest  curiosity  impelled  us  to  enter  this  strait, 
which  we  shall  call  by  the  name  of  its  original  discoverer,  John  de 
Fuca."  The  mate  of  the  Felice,  John  Duffin,  was  dispatched  with 
a  boat's  crew  of  thirteen  men  and  a  month's  provisions,  to  explore 
the  strait.  In  a  week  they  returned,  all  of  them  having  been 
wounded  in  a  conflict  with  the  natives.  Ten  miles  up  the  passage 
(according  to  Duffin's  statement,  but  thirty  as  given  by  Meares), 
they  were  fiercely  attacked  by  Indians,  who  fought  with  great  des 
peration  and  seemed  not  to  be  intimidated  by  either  the  noise  or 
deadly  effect  of  the  guns.  Their  weapons  were  clubs,  arrows,  stone 
bludgeons,  spears  and  slings,  all  of  which  they  handled  with  great 
skill.  So  fierce  was  their  onslaught  and  so  effectively  did  they  use 
their  weapons  that  only  to  the  protection  afforded  the  seamen  by 
the  boat's  awning  was  due  their  escape  with  their  lives. 

Having  found  Fuca's  Strait,  or  one  which  he  believed  to  be  the 
passage  spoken  of  by  Lock,  he  sailed  southward  in  search  of  the  Rio 
de  San  Roque  of  the  Spaniard  Heceta.  On  the  sixth  of  July  he 
discovered  a  promontory  which  he  believed  to  be  the  one  Heceta 
had  named  "  Cabo  de  San  Roque."  He  describes  his  subsequent 
movements  as  follows: 

After  we  had  rounded  the  promontory  a  large  bay,  as  we  had  imagined,  opened 
to  our  view,  that  bore  a  very  promising  appearance,  and  into  it  we  steered  with 
every  encouraging  expectation.  The  high  land  that  formed  the  boundaries  of  the 
bay  was  at  a  great  distance,  and  a  flat,  level  country  occupied  the  intervening  space  ; 
the  bay  itself  took  rather  a  westerly  direction.  As  we  steered  in,  the  water  shoaled 
to  nine,  eight  and  seven  fathoms,  when  breakers  were  seen  from  the  deck  right 
alidad,  and,  from  the  mast-head,  they  were  observed  to  extend  across  the  bay ;  we 
therefore  hauled  out,  and  directed  our  course  to  the  opposite  shore,  to  see  if  there  was 
any  channel,  or  if  we  could  discover  any  point.  The  name  of  u  Cape  Disappoint- 


100  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ment "  was  given  to  the  promontory  (Cape  Hancock),  and  the  bay  obtained  the  title 
of  "Deception  Bay."  *  *  *  We  can  now  with  safety  assert  that  there  is  no  such 
river  as  that  of  St.  Roc  exists,  as  laid  down  in  the  Spanish  charts.  To  those  of 
Maurelle  (Bodega's  pilot)  we  made  continual  reference,  but  without  deriving  any 
information  or  assistance  from  them.  We  now  reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay, 
where  disappointment  continued  to  accompany  us,  and,  being  almost  certain  that 
there  we  should  obtain  no  place  of  shelter  for  the  ship,  we  bore  for  a  distant  head 
land,  keeping  our  course  within  two  miles  of  the  shore. 

The  distant  headland  he  named  "  Cape  Lookout,"  it  being  the 
one  called  "  Cape  Falcon "  by  the  Spaniards,  and  now  known  as 
u  Tillamook  Head." 

Meares  then  returned  to  Nootka,  having,  as  he  expressed  it, 
u  traced  every  part  of  the  coast  which  unfavorable  weather  had  pre 
vented  Captain  Cook  from  approaching."  The  Iphigenia  soon 
arrived  from  the  north  with  a  large  cargo  of  furs.  The  little 
schooner  being  now  completed,  she  was  launched  and  christened  the 
Northwest  America.  She  was  the  first  vessel  constructed  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  north  of  Mexico.  About  this  time  appeared  two 
American  vessels,  the  Columbia  Rediviva,  commanded  by  Captain 
John  Kendrick,  and  the  Lady  Washington,  by  Captain  Robert  Gray. 
The  new-born  republic  of  the  United  States,  as  soon  as  a  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed,  began  at  once  to  resume  those  maritime  commer 
cial  ventures  which  the  war  with  England  had  suspended.  Ameri 
can  vessels  visited  the  ports  of  every  country,  and  the  whale  fishing 
around  Cape  Horn,  which  had  been  abruptly  terminated,  was 
resumed. 

In  1784  an  American  vessel  entered  the  harbor  of  Canton,  and 
in  1787  five  vessels  were  engaged  in  the  China  trade.  Uiitram- 
meled  with  the  commercial  restrictions  which  Parliament  had 
imposed  upon  British  subjects,  they  could  engage  in  the  fur  trade 
with  every  prospect  of  success.  It  was  for  this  purpose  the  Colum 
bia  Rediviva  and  Lady  Washington,  two  names  now  so  intimately 
associated  with  this  region,  had  started  from  Boston  with  a  load 
of  Indian  goods,  and  had  come  to  anchor  in  Nootka  Sound.  Their 
voyage  thither  had  not  been  unattended  with  adventure.  In  Jan 
uary,  soon  after  passing  Cape  Horn,  a  severe  storm  separated  the 
two  consorts.  The  Washington  continued  the  voyage  and  reached 
the  Oregon  Coast  in  August,  where,  near  the  forty-sixth  parallel, 
Captain  Gray  ran  his  vessel  aground  in  attempting  to  enter  an 
opening  in  the  land,  which  he  had  explored  in  a  boat  and  believed 


SPAIN^S  SUPREMACY   IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  101 

to  be  the  entrance  to  the  great  River  of  the  West.  While  in  this 
position  the  ship  was  attacked  by  Indians,  and  in  repelling  them  and 
getting  the  craft  into  deep  water  again,  one  man  was  killed  and  the 
mate  wounded.  This  place  he  called  "  Murderer's  Harbor,"  and  is 
considered  by  Greenhow  to  have  been  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 
and  by  Bancroft  as  Tillamook  Bay.  Captain  Gray  then  proceeded 
to  Nootka  Sound,  where  lay  the  three  vessels  belonging  to  Meares, 
his  appearance  being  a  great  surprise  to  the  Englishmen.  The 
Columbia  was  damaged  by  the  storm  which  had  driven  the  two 
vessels  apart  near  Cape  Horn,  and  entered  the  Spanish  port  on  the 
Island  of  Juan  Fernandez  to  repair  damages.  The  commandant, 
Don  Bias  Gonzales,  treated  Captain  Kendrick  with  great  courtesy 
and  hospitality,  for  which  he  was  promptly  cashiered  by  the  Cap 
tain-General  of  Chile,  and  this  action  was  approved  by  the  Viceroy 
of  Peru.  From  the  position  taken  by  Spain  in  the  sixteenth  cen 
tury,  she  had  never  in  the  least  degree  receded.  She  still  claimed 
complete  dominion  of  the  west  coast  of  America,  and  the  sole  right 
of  trade  with  all  regions  approachable  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn. 
In  1692,  nearly  a  century  before,  a  royal  ordinance  had  been  pro 
mulgated,  decreeing  that  foreign  vessels  of  every  nation,  irrespective 
of  the  relations  existing  between  those  nations  and  Spain,  should  be 
seized  wherever  found  in  Pacific  waters,  unless  they  possessed  a  trad 
ing  license  from  the  government  of  Spain.  The  commandant  at 
Juan  Fernandez  was  informed  that  he  should  have  enforced  this 
ordinance  and  seized  the  Columbia,  and  the  authorities  of  all  the 
Spanish  Pacific  ports  were  then  specially  instructed  to  carry  out  the 
decree  to  the  letter.  Not  only  was  this  done,  but  the  Viceroy  dis 
patched  a  cruiser  from  Callao  to  overtake  and  capture  the  Columbia. 
In  this  it  was  unsuccessful,  and  Captain  Kendrick  reached  Nootka 
unmolested.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  two  American  vessels, 
Captain  Meares  loaded  all  his  furs  upon  the  Felice  and  sailed  for 
China;  the  Iphigenia  and  Northwest  America  soon  after  departing 
for  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  spend  the  winter.  The  Columbia  and 
Washington  remained  at  anchor  in  Nootka  Sound  until  spring. 
The  sight  of  these  English  and  American  vessels  venturing  into 
the  Pacific — and  those  spoken  of  above  were  by  no  means  the  only 
ones,  since  several  exploring  expeditions  traversed  the  South  Pacific 
whose  work  had  no  particular  bearing  upon  the  history  of  this 


102  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

region — admonished  Spain  that  if  she  would  maintain  her  supremacy 
she  must  be  up  and  doing.  While  she,  in  her  sluggish  nature,  had 
been  content  with  an  occasional  superficial  exploration,  productive 
of  little  information  of  value  to  her  or  the  rest  of  the  world,  these 
foreigners  were  boldly  infringing  her  prerogative  and  skimming 
the  rich  cream  of  the  fur  trade.  The  northern  limit  of  actual  Span 
ish  occupation  was  then  at  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  and  the 
authorities  determined  to  extend  it  still  further  without  delay. 
This  resulted  in  the  dispatching  of  an  expedition  for  the  purpose 
of  selecting  suitable  locations  for  several  Spanish  colonies,  as  well 
as  to  ascertain  the  extent  and  character  of  the  Russian  settlements 
in  the  extreme  north.  The  fleet  consisted  of  the  Princesa,  com 
manded  by  Estivan  Martinez,  former  pilot  of  Juan  Perez,  and  the 
San  Carlos,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Gonzalo  Haro. 

On  the  eighth  of  March,  1788,  the  fleet  sailed  from  San  Bias  and 
cast  anchor  in  Prince  William's  Sound  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  May. 
There  they  lay  inactive  for  nearly  a  month.  The  Spanish  idea  of 
exploration  was  very  peculiar.  While  the  English  officers  examined 
carefully  every  bay  and 'inlet,  took  frequent  observations  and  sound 
ings,  and  prepared  careful  charts  of  their  course  and  discoveries,  the 
representatives  of  Spain  seem  to  have  been  satisfied  with  an  occa 
sional  sight  of  the  coast,  and  their  map  making  consisted  of  the 
drawing  of  a  straight  line  on  a  piece  of  paper,  with  an  occasional 
cape  or  bay  marked  upon  it.  Their  maps  of  this  region  were  cer 
tainly  very  peculiar.  In  June  the  San  Carlos  sailed  towards  the 
southwest,  and  encountering  a  Russian  trading  post  upon  the  Island 
of  Kodiak,  Haro  interrogated  the  man  in  charge  as  to  the  number 
and  condition  of  the  Russian  settlements  in  America.  With  the 
information  thus  obtained  he  sailed  again  to  Prince  William's  Sound 
to  join  his  superior.  Meanwhile  Martinez  had  made  a  few  super 
ficial  explorations  of  the  Sound,  to  drive  away  the  ennui.  The  two 
vessels  then  proceeded  to  Ounalaska  and  their  officers  were  hospit 
ably  entertained  by  the  Russian  traders  for  an  extended  period. 
With  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  of  the  Russian  settlements,  Mar 
tinez  returned  with  his  fleet  to  San  Bias.  He  reported  that  there 
were  eight  settlements  in  Alaska,  all  of  them  west  of  Prince  Wil 
liam's  Sound,  while  another  was  about  to  be  established  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Sound  itself.  These  were  chiefly  occupied  by  natives 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  103 

of  Siberia  ami  Kamtchatka,  all  subjects  of  the  Russian  Crown.  He 
also  reported  that  he  had  been  informed  of  two  Russian  vessels 
which  had  been  sent  to  effect  a  settlement  at  Nootka,  and  of  two 
others  under  construction  at  Ochotsk  to  be  used  for  a  similar  pur 
pose. 

The  information  thus  gained  by  Martinez  was  forwarded  to 
Madrid,  and  the  Spanish  Court  was  much  agitated  by  the  disclosure 
of  Russian  encroachment  upon  what  were  considered  the  dominions 
of  Spain.  Her  settlements  were  already  sufficiently  extensive  to 
give  her  undisputed  title  to  Alaska,  and  she  was  now  threatening 
to  extend  her  colonies  far  to  the  southward.  The  infringement  of 
English  and  American  fur  traders  upon  the  commercial  rights  of 
Spain  was  annoying  enough,  but  here  was  a  positive  and  imminent 
danger  of  being  supplanted  entirely.  The  government  determined 
to  take  a  firm  stand,  to  meet  the  crisis  and  ward  off  the  impending 
blow.  A  remonstrance  was  sent  to  the  Empress  of  Russia,  calling 
attention  to  the  encroachments  of  her  subjects  upon  the  dominions 
of  Spain  in  the  Pacific,  to  wrhich  the  Empress  responded  that  her 
subjects  were  acting  in  accordance  with  her  express  instructions  not 
to  invade  the  territory  of  other  powers.  As  neither  communication 
stated  what  the  corresponding  powers  considered  the  limit  of  their 
claims  in  America,  the  diplomatic  interchange  settled  neither  the 
question  nor  the  intent  of  the  two  sovereign  powers. 

Meanwhile  active  operations  were  undertaken  by  the  Mexican 
Viceroy.  Early  in  1789  Martinez  and  Haro  were  ordered  to  sail 
for  Nootka  in  the  Princesa  and  San  Carlos,  and  to  take  possession 
of  that  port  in  the  name  of  Spain.  Their  instructions  were  to  treat 
foreigners  courteously,  but  at  all  hazards  to  maintain  the  right  and 
authority  of  Spain  in  this  region.  On  the  sixth  of  May  the  Prin 
cesa  reached  her  destination,  finding  two  vessels  lying  there  at 
anchor,  the  Columbia  and  Iphigenia.  Only  a  few  days  before,  the 
Iphigenia,  Captain  Douglas,  and  the  little  Northwest  America,  Cap 
tain  Robert  Funter,  had  arrived  from  their  winter's  sojourn  at  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  still  carrying  the  Portuguese  flag  at  their  mast 
heads.  They  reached  port  in  a  condition  of  exhaustion,  so  far  as 
supplies  were  concerned.  From  the  natives  and  the  American  ves 
sels  enough  supplies  and  articles  of  barter  were  procured  to  enable 
the  little  schooner  to  leave  port  upon  a  cruise  along  the  coast  in 


104  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

search  of  furs,  and  she  accordingly  took  her  departure.  Captain 
Gray  also  started  out  upon  a  similar  errand  in  the  Lady  Washing 
ton,  meeting  the  Princesa  just  without  the  harbor.  Immediately 
upon  entering  the  port,  Martinez  informed  Captains  Douglas  and 
Kendrick  that  he  had  come  to  take  possession  in  the  name  of  his 
sovereign,  examined  their  papers,  and  then  landed  and  began  the 
erection  of  fortifications  on  Hog  Island,  a  commanding  position  in 
the  bay,  calling  the  port  "  Santa  Cruz  de  Nootka."  No  objections 
were  made  either  by  the  Americans  or  the  English  officers  of  the 
quasi  Portuguese  vessel,  and  everything  appeared  satisfactory  and 
harmonious.  Apparently  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Spanish  com 
mandant  to  seize  the  Iphigenia,  as  subsequent  events  indicate,  but 
his  action  was  delayed  for  prudential  reasons.  On  the  thirteenth, 
Haro  arrived  in  the  San  Carlos,  and  the  next  day,  deeming  his  force 
now  sufficiently  strong,  he  summoned  Douglas  and  Viana,  the  actual 
and  nominal  captains  of  the  Iphigenia,  on  board  the  Princesa,  to 
have  their  papers  again  inspected.  This  time  the  documents  were 
not  as  satisfactory  as  he  had  previously  found  them.  He  took  ex 
ceptions  to  the  clause  ,in  their  instructions  requiring  the  officers  to 
capture  any  Spanish  vessels  which  might  interfere  with  them,  and 
carry  their  crews  to  Macao,  to  be  tried  for  piracy.  He  considered 
a  vessel  sailing  under  such  instructions  a  lawful  prize  as  soon  as  she 
entered  a  Spanish  port.  In  vain  it  was  urged  that  the  instructions 
were  only  to  apply  to  such  vessels  as  might  unjustifiably  attack 
them,  and  were  purely  defensive  in  their  nature;  the  Spanish  officer 
refused  to  view  the  matter  in  that  light,  and  put  them  under  arrest, 
sending  a  force  to  take  possession  of  the  brig  and  raise  the  Spanish 
flag.  Twelve  days  later,  having  had  plenty  of  time  to  reflect  and 
becoming  convinced  that  the  objectionable  clause  was  not  of  as 
hostile  a  nature  as  he  had  at  first  assumed  to  believe  it,  and  fearing 
that  he  had  overstepped  the  'bounds  of  prudence,  he  released  the 
brig  and  restored  his  prisoners  to  their  liberty.  He  also  furnished 
all  the  supplies  needed  for  a  voyage  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  taking 
in  exchange  drafts  upon  Juan  Cavallo,  the  nominal  Portuguese 
owner  of  the  vessel.  He  also  secured  the  signatures  of  Douglas  and 
Viana  to  a  certificate  that  he  had  found  the  vessel  in  distress,  had 
furnished  her  with  necessary  supplies,  and  had  not  interfered  with 
her  voyage.  This  certificate  Douglas  afterwards  claimed  to  be  un- 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY   IK  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  105 

true;  that  he  had  signed  it  under  duress,  at  the  urgent  solicitation 
of  his  men,  in  order  to  secure  the  release  of  his  vessel,  and  that  the 
brig  had  been  plundered  by  her  captors.  That  this  was  not  the 
case  was  attested  by  a  letter  signed  by  Captain  Gray  and  Joseph 
Ingraham,  mate  of  the  Columbia,  and,  further,  by  the  fact  that, 
although  ostensibly  bound  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Douglas  turned 
northward  as  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight,  and  engaged  in  a  season 
of  highly  profitable  traffic  along  the  coast. 

The  certificate  was  not  the  only  paper  Douglas  signed  to  procure 
his  release  and  supplies.  He  entered  into  a  written  agreement  to 
restore  the  Iphigenia  or  pay  her  value,  in  case  the  Viceroy  of 
Mexico  should  decide  the  capture  to  have  been  lawful.  Martinez 
desired  to  possess  the  little  schooner,  and  having  her  value  appraised 
by  the  Americans,  requested  Douglas  to  sell  her  at  that  price.  He 
was  told  that  no  one  there  had  the  authority  to  dispose  of  the 
vessel,  but  he  insisted.  Douglas  therefore  gave  him  a  letter  to 
Captain  Funter,  which  Martinez  supposed  to  be  an  order  for  her 
delivery,  but  which  was  simply  a  note  informing  the  commander  of 
the  little  craft  of  the  Spanish  officer's  wishes,  and  intimating  that 
he  might  follow  his  own  inclinations.  He  then  set  sail  at  once, 
fearful  his  duplicity  would  be  discovered,  and  made  the  voyage 
previously  alluded  to.  When  the  Northwest  America  arrived  on 
the  ninth  of  June,  Martinez  seized  her,  claiming  to  do  so  by  right 
of  his  agreement  with  Captain  Douglas. 

Meamvhile,  two  other  vessels  were  on  their  way  to  Nootka. 
Meares,  when  he  reached  China  the  fall  before,  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  a  pooling  arrangement  with  the  representative  of  the  King 
George's  Sound  Company;  and  as  that  company  possessed  trading 
licenses  from  both  the  East  India  Company  and  South  Sea  Com 
pany,  there  was  no  necessity  for  longer  maintaining  the  Portuguese 
subterfuge.  The  two  vessels  of  the  company  were  combined  with 
the  three  belonging  to  Meares.  The  Prince  of  Wales  had  been 
sent  to  England,  leaving  the  Princess  Royal  still  in  China.  This 
vessel  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Thomas  Hudson, 
and  the  Felice  having  been  sold  and  the  Argonaut  purchased,  Cap 
tain  Colnett  assumed  command  of  the  latter.  The  last  named 
gentleman  was  given  charge  of  the  expedition,  since  Meares  remained 
in  China,  and  was  instructed  to  establish  a  permanent  station  on 


106  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  American  Coast,  to  be  called  "Fort  Pitt."  A  small  vessel,  to 
be  launched  upon  arrival  and  used  for  the  coasting  trade,  formed 
part  of  the  cargo,  and  seventy  Chinamen  were  taken  along  to  be 
employed  at  the  new  settlement.  According  to  Spanish  authority, 
the  Chinese  passengers  claimed  they  had  embarked  for  Bengal,  and 
not  America.  What  became  of  them  after  the  subsequent  troubles 
there  is  no  evidence  to  indicate. 

The  two  vessels  sailed  from  China,  one  in  April  and  the  other 
in  May — the  Princess  Royal  being  the  first.  She  cast  anchor  in 
Nootka  Sound  just  five  days  after  the  seizure  of  the  Northwest 
America.  As  she  brought  intelligence  of  the  bankruptcy  of 
Cavallo,  the  reputed  owner  of  the  little  schooner,  Martinez  decided 
to  retain  personal  possession  of  the  craft  to  indemnify  himself  for  the 
unpaid  bills  drawn  upon  the  insolvent  Portuguese  by  Captain 
Douglas.  He  accordingly  changed  her  name  to  Gertrudis,  and 
placing  her  in  charge  of  David  Coolidge,  mate  of  the  Lady  Wash 
ington,  sent  her  out  on  a  trading  cruise  on  the  joint  account  of  him 
self  and  the  Americans,  with  whom  he  had  been  on  the  most  friendly 
terms.  The  furs  which  had  been  collected  were  turned  over  to 
Captain  Hudson,  with  wjiom  he  did  not  interfere.  By  this  time  the 
Americans  had  decided  to  send  one  of  their  vessels  to  China  with 
the  furs  which  had  been  collected,  and  from  there  to  Boston  to  report 
the  condition  of  affairs.  Accordingly,  Captains  Gray  and  Kendrick 
exchanged  vessels,  the  former  sailing  for  China  in  the  Columbia. 
Martinez  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity,  and  placed  the  crew 
of  the  captured  schooner  on  board  and  sent  them  to  China. 

On  the  second  of  July  the  Princess  Royal  sailed  on  a  trading 
voyage;  the  next  day  passing  the  Argonaiit  just  outside  the  harbor 
without  communicating  with  her.  Captain  Colnett  was  informed 
of  what  had  happened  by  parties  who  had  gone  out  to  meet  him 
in  a  boat,  and  decided  to  anchor  outside.  Martinez  came  out  and  in 
the  most  friendly  manner  invited  him  to  enter  the  harbor,  assuring 
him  of  perfect  security,  and  as  Colnett  afterward  stated  in  a  narra 
tive  of  his  voyages,  urgently  solicited  him  to  do  so  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  provisions  and  other  necessaries  to  the  Spaniards,  who 
were  in  great  distress.  Won  by  the  cordial  appearance  of  the  invi 
tation,  Colnett  assented,  and  the  Argonaut  was  towed  into  port  by 
Spaniards.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  it  was  not  the  inten- 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC!  OVERTHROWN.  107 

tion  of  Martinez  to  treat  the  Argonaut  with  the  same  courtesy  he 
had  shown  to  the  Princess  Royal,  when  he  invited  Colnett  to  enter 
port,  but  his  conduct  underwent  a  rapid  transformation  when  he 
learned  from  that  officer  that  he  was  instructed  to  found  a  fortified 
English  colony.  He  at  once  informed  the  English  Captain  that  he 
had  already  taken  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  and  could  not  permit  any  such  proceeding.  The 
next  day  Colnett  went  on  board  the  Princesa  and  requested  permis 
sion  to  sail  immediately,  which  was  refused,  since  the  Spanish 
commandant  feared  it  was  the  Englishman's  purpose  to  seek  some 
other  port  in  which  to  establish  himself,  and  his  duty  to  his  govern 
ment  required  that  he  prevent  such  a  consummation  at  all  hazards. 
He  asked  Colnett  to  exhibit  his  papers,  and  the  Englishman 
returned  to  his  vessel,  arrayed  himself  in  full  uniform,  sword 
included,  and  then  again  presented  himself  in  the  cabin  of  the 
Princesa,  with  the  papers  in  his  hand.  The  papers  were  examined, 
and  Colnett  was  informed  that  he  wrould  not  be  permitted  to  sail 
just  yet,  whereat  he  fell  into  a  passion  and  a  quarrel  ensued,  re 
sulting  in  the  arrest  of  the  captain  and  the  seizure  of  his  vessel. 

Ten  days  later  the  Princess  Royal  returned,  her  commander  being 
ignorant  of  what  had  happened  during  his  brief  absence,  and  was 
at  once  seized  by  the  Spaniards.  A  portion  of  the  furs  captured 
were  given  to  Captain  Gray  to  pay  the  passage  to  China  of  the 
crew  of  the  Northwest  America.  The  officers  and  men  of  the 
Argonaut  and  Princess  Royal  were  placed  on  board  the  former 
and  sent  to  San  Bias.  In  September,  Martinez  and  Haro,  in 
obedience  to  instructions  from  Mexico,  dismantled  the  fortifications 
and  departed  from  Nootka;  and  as  the  Lady  Washington  was  away 
upon  a  coasting  voyage,  that  bone  of  contention  was  left  without  a 
claimant. 

.  So  prostrated  was  Captain  Colnett  with  the  severity  and  sud 
denness  of  his  misfortunes  that  he  became  temporarily  insane,  recov 
ering,  however,  before  he  reached  San  Bias.  The  commandant  at 
that  port  was  the  well  known  explorer  Bodega  y  Quadra,  and  he 
received  the  two  captains  with  the  greatest  of  courtesy,  sending 
them  to  Mexico  to  lay  their  case  before  the  Viceroy,  Re  villa- Gigedo. 
After  considerable  delay  it  was  officially  decided  that  Martinez, 
though  only  following  his  special  instructions  and  the  royal 


JOS  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

decrees,  had  overstepped  the  bounds  of  prudence.  The  prisoners 
were  accordingly  released,  and  were  paid  the  regular  wages  of  the 
Spanish  navy  for  the  whole  time  of  their  captivity.  The  Argonaut, 
which,  with  the  other  two  prizes,  had  been  maintained  in  active 
service,  was  restored  to  Colnett,  rather  the  worse  for  wear.  He 
sailed  in  her  for  Nootka  in  the  spring  of  1790,  and  not  finding  his 
other  vessel  there,  set  out  in  search  of  her,  not  obtaining  possession 
till  a  year  later  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  During  all  these  occur 
rences  the  Americans  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  the 
Spaniards,  so  much  so  that  they  were  accused  of  co-operating  with 
them  against  the  English.  The  facts  are  that  they  were  inactive, 
though  not  entirely  disinterested  spectators,  since  it  naturally 
pleased  them  to  see  their  rivals  so  summarily  disposed  of;  and  it  is 
not  impossible  that  they  occasionally  dropped  a  hint  into  the  com 
mandant's  ear.  Captain  Kendrick  remained  on  the  coast  till  fall, 
collecting  a  large  cargo  of  furs,  and  then  sailed  for  Boston  by  the 
way  of  China.  It  is  claimed  by  some  historians  that  before  leaving 
he  sailed  clear  around  Vancouver  Island,  and  Meares'  chart  bears 
an  indication  of  the  route  pursued.  This  chart  is  of  itself  evidence 
that  the  maker  of  it  was  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  the  inland  chan 
nel,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  Meares  misunderstood  Kendrick's 
account  of  the  movements  of  the  Lady  Washington  while  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Gray,  and  confusing  them  with  Kendrick's 
assertion  that  there  was  a  channel  back  of  Nootka,  a  piece  of  infor 
mation  gleaned  from  the  Indians,  supposed  that  such  a  voyage  had 
been  made.  Although  it  is  possible  that  he  did  circumnavigate  the 
island,  yet  it  seems  improbable,  and  Kendrick  never  laid  claim  to 
such  distinction  in  after  years.  If  he  did,  then  an  American  vessel 
was  the  first  to  enter  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  explore  that  wonder 
ful  inland  sea,  the  Gulf  of  Georgia;  if  not,  then  the  honor  belongs 
to  Spain,  as  will  be  shown  later  on. 

So  much  for  the  events  at  Nootka;  but  there  was  a  greater  field 
of  action  on  which  these  differences  were  decided — Europe.  The 
Viceroy  of  New  Spain  made  haste  to  notify  the  home  government 
of  the  important  events  which  had  happened  in  the  far-off  Pacific. 
It  took  a  long  time  for  news  to  travel  in  those  days,  when  there 
were  no  telegraphs  and  no  regular  routes  of  intelligence  between 
these  distant  shores  and  Europe;  consequently  Spain,  which  was 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  109 

in  the  most  intimate  connection  with  the  Pacific  Coast,  received  the 
news  long  before  it  reached  England.  The  first  intelligence  received 
by  the  British  Cabinet  was  an  arrogant  and  very  undiplomatic  note 
from  Spain,  on  the  tenth  of  February,  1790,  notifying  the  King 
that  certain  of  his  subjects  had  been  trespassing  upon  the  Pacific- 
possessions  of  Spain,  and  that  in  consequence  of  this  the  ship  Ar 
gonaut  had  been  seized  as  a  prize  and  her  crew  made  prisoners. 
The  note  closed  with  an  assertion  of  that  exclusive  right  of  Pacific 
traffic  which  Spain  had  proclaimed  for  a  century,  and  the  enforce 
ment  of  which  had  led  to  the  present  complications;  in  pursuance 
of  that  idea  the  punishment  of  the  offenders  was  demanded,  and  an 
earnest  protest  made  against  the  King  permitting  any  of  his  subjects 
to  make  settlements,  or  engage  in  fishing,  or  trade  writh  the  natives 
on  the  American  Coast  of  the  Pacific.  To  such  haughty  language 
the  King  of  England  was  entirely  unaccustomed.  Great  Britain 
never  had  even  constructively  admitted  any  of  the  exclusive  privi 
leges  claimed  by  Spain,  and  she  was  not  now  likely  to  tamely  sub 
mit  to  them  when  they  were  so  arrogantly  promulgated  in  justifica 
tion  of  an  outrage  committed  upon  her  subjects.  The  response  was 
prompt  and  characteristic  of  that  nation,  whose  vigilant  guardian 
ship  of  her  citizens  extends  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  earth. 
The  Court  of  Madrid  was  notified  that  since  it  was  evident  from 
the  Spanish  protest  that  English  subjects  had  been  imprisoned  and 
their  property  confiscated,. full  reparation  must  be  made  and  satis 
faction  for  the  insult  given,  before  the  merits  of  the  controversy 
would  be  considered  at  all.  Spain,  England  and  France  were  just 
beginning  to  recuperate  from  the  effect  of  the  struggles  in  which 
they  had  been  engaged,  and  each  of  them  was  anxious  to  avoid 
further  hostilities;  yet  the  dignity  of  England  required  her  to  take 
a  bold  stand  in  defense  of  her  subjects.  The  belligerent  tone  of 
her  response  set  Spain  at  once  to  preparing  for  war,  to  avoid  which 
she  modified  her  demands  considerably,  notifying  His  Majesty  that 
the  restoration  had  already  been  made  and  the  matter  would  be 
allowed  to  drop,  if  he  would  promise  in  future  to  keep  his  subjects 
away  from  the  Spanish  possessions. 

This  was  the  status  of  affairs  in  April,  when  Meares  arrived  from 
China.  When  the  Columbia  reached  Canton,  in  the  fall  of  1789, 
with  intelligence  of  the  Nootka  proceedings,  Meares  armed  himself 


110  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

with  documents  and  depositions  and  embarked  for  London,  to  lay 
his  grievances  before  the  King.  On  the  thirtieth  of  May  he  addressed 
a  memorial  to  his  sovereign,  detailing  the  affair  from  his  standpoint, 
and  though  it  was  full  of  misrepresentations,  as  has  since  been  con 
clusively  shown,  it  was  adopted  as  the  correct  version  by  the  gov 
ernment.  From  this  report  it  seemed  that  three  vessels  had  been 
seized,  instead  of  one,  and  that  Englishmen  had  taken  possession  of 
Nootka  before  the  Spaniards,  since  Meares  declared  that  the  North 
west  America  was  an  English  vessel,  and  that  when  he  built  her 
he  had  established  a  permanent  settlement  on  land  purchased  from 
the  Nootka  Chief,  Maquinna.  He  did  not  inform  the  King  that  the 
little  schooner  had  never  flaunted  any  flag  but  that  of  Portugal,  and 
that  when  the  vessel  was  finished  the  building  in  which  the  work 
men  had  lived  was  turned  over  to  Maquinna  in  payment  for  the 
privilege  of  temporary  occupation  of  the  land,  as  had  been  agreed 
upon  in  the  beginning.  England,  on  the  fifth  of  May,  sent  a  reply 
to  the  second  note  from  Spain,  asserting  that  she  was  not  prepared 
to  admit  the  exclusive  privileges  claimed  by  Spain,  but  that  she  was 
prepared  to  protect  her  subjects,  and  would  not  consider  the  ques 
tion  at  all  until  proper  satisfaction  had  been  given.  On  the  six 
teenth  of  May,  England  made  a  formal  demand  upon  Spain  for 
restitution  of  the  captured  vessels,  indemnity  for  losses  sustained 
(estimated  by  Meares  at  $653,433),  and  full  acknowledgement  of 
the  right  of  English  subjects  to  trade  in  the  Pacific,  and  to  establish 
settlements  at  any  points  not  already  occupied  by  Spain.  On  the 
twenty -fifth  the  whole  correspondence  was  laid  by  the  King  before 
Parliament,  which  had  before  been  ignorant  of  it,  and  he  was  warmly 
applauded  for  his  conduct  and  assured  of  support. 

Spain's  position  was  an  exceedingly  humiliating  one.  Even  in 
her  decline  she  had  maintained  the  haughty  spirit  and  arrogant 
assumption  of  superiority  and  exclusive  rights  which  had  first  been 
asserted  by  those  potent  monarchs,  Charles  and  Philip,  but  which 
now,  with  her  fast  waning  power,  she  was  not  able  to  support  by 
force  of  arms.  England's  vigorous  preparations  for  war  seriously 
alarmed  her.  She  had  too  many  unprotected  colonies,  dependencies 
from  which  she  derived  great  revenues,  to  risk  a  war  with  a  power 
ful  maritime  nation,  whose  operations,  of  course,  would  be  chiefly 
directed  against  those  vulnerable  points.  In  the  long  negotiations 


SPAIN'S  SUPREMACY  IN  THE  PACIFIC  OVERTHROWN.  Ill 

which  followed  she  again  modified  her  position,  stating  that  she  had 
no  desire  to  claim  any  territory  not  justly  hers,  that  the  vessels  had 
already  been  restored,  and  that  she  was  willing  to  pay  any  damages 
which  might  be  assessed  against  her  by  arbitrators  to  whom  the 
case  should  be  submitted.  England  was  proud  and  overbearing, 
and  putting  aside  equity,  acted  throughout  as  her  interests  seemed 
to  indicate,  conscious  of  her  superior  power.  She  assembled  the 
greatest  armament  the  nation  had  ever  prepared,  and  was  ready  at 
a  day's  notice  to  make  a  descent  upon  the  Spanish  settlements  in 
America.  She  even  formed  an  alliance  with  Sweden  and  the 
Netherlands,  in  anticipation  of  the  co-operation  of  France  and  Spain 
against  her.  It  was  a  well-known  fact  that  there  existed  a  compact 
of  mutual  defense  between  the  monarchs  of  France  and  Spain,  both 
members  of  the  Bourbon  family,  and  it  was  natural  for  England  to 
expect  it  to  be  fulfilled.  The  King  of  Spain  formally  called  upon 
Louis  XVI.,  of  France,  for  the  promised  aid,  and  was  assured 
that  it  would  be  given;  but  when  the  matter  came  before  the  Na 
tional  Assembly  that  body  refused  to  sanction  any  increase  of  the 
military  forces,  and  the  King  was  powerless,  for  the  spirit  of  that 
bloody  revolution  which  broke  out  three  years  later  had  already 
banished  absoluteism  from  the  kingdom.  The  Assembly  examined 
the  treaty  between  England  and  Spain,  investigated  the  question  of 
Pacific  discoveries,  especially  the  alleged  voyage  of  Juan  de  Fuca, 
of  which  no  evidence  could  be  found,  and  finally  decided  that  the 
nation  would  stand  on  the  defensive  with  Spain,  but  could  not  be 
relied  upon  for  offensive  operations.  The  national  armament  was 
therefore  largely  increased.  It  \vas  now  England's  turn  to  come 
down  from  her  high  horse.  She  saw  that  France  would  be  drawn 
into  the  war,  and  finding  her  new  allies  unreliable  and  that  she 
could  not  well  afford  the  enormous  expense  of  a  war,  the  prepara 
tions  for  which  had  already  depleted  her  treasury,  she  adopted  a 
more  conciliatory  tone,  and  her  plenipotentiary  submitted  a  propo 
sition  which  was  accepted  by  the  representative  of  Spain.  This 
was  signed  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  October,  1790,  and  is  known  as 
the  "Nootka  Convention." 

By  this  treaty  it  was  stipulated  that  all  buildings  and  tracts  of 
land  on  the  northwest  coast  of  America  of  which  Spanish  officers 
had  dispossessed  any  British  subjects,  should  be  restored;  that  just 


112  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

reparation  should  be  made  by  both  parties  to  the  agreement  for  any 
acts  of  violence  committed  by  the  subjects  of  either  of  them  upon 
the  subjects  of  the  other;  that  any  property  seized  should  be  re 
stored  or  compensated  for;  that  subjects  of  Great  Britain  should 
not  approach  within  ten  leagues  of  any  part  of  the  coast  already 
occupied  by  Spain ;  that  north  of  that  point  both  parties  should 
have  equal  rights,  as  well  as  south  of  the  limits  of  Spanish  settle 
ments  in  South  America.  The  treaty  met  with  violent  opposition 
both  in  Spain  and  England,  but  was  finally  ratified  and  went  into 
effect.  The  Spaniards  looked  upon  it  as  a  voluntary  surrender  of 
their  hereditary  rights  acquired  by  the  explorations  and  conquests 
of  their  ancestors;  that  formerly  Spain  possessed  exclusive  rights 
in  the  Pacific,  which  were  now  being  surrendered  to  England  with 
out  any  compensation  whatever.  On  the  other  hand,  the  opposition 
in  England  claimed  that,  whereas,  formerly  British  subjects  enjoyed 
the  right  of  trade  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  the  Government 
had  agreed  by  this  treaty  to  surrender  these  rights  in  certain  re 
gions  to  Spain,  and  that  England  had  agreed  to  restrict,  her  settle 
ments  within  certain  limits  where  she  had  before  asserted  her  priv 
ilege  of  settling  colonies  at  any  place  not  previously  occupied.  It- 
seemed  to  both  parties  that  valuable  and  immemorial  rights  had 
been  surrendered  without  any  compensation.  Captain  George  Van 
couver  was  appointed  commissioner  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  to 
proceed  to  Nootka  and  execute  that  portion  of  the  treaty  which 
referred  to  the  restoration  of  property,  and  the  celebrated  Bodega 
y  Quadra  was  intrusted  with  the  same  duty  on  the  part  of  Spain. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA  RIVER  DISCOVERED. 

Explorations  of  Lieutenant  Quimper  in  the  Straits  of  Fuca — He  takes 
Formal  Possession  for  Spain — Elisa  Explores  the  Straits  of  Fuca 
and  Gulf  of  Georgia — Malaspina  and  Bustamante  Search  for  the 
Straits  of  Anian — Kendrick  Again  Visits  the  Coast  and  Buys  Land 
from  the  Indians — Gray  Arrives  in  the  Columbia  and  Winters  at 
Clayoquot — Events  of  1792 — Spain  makes  a  Last  Effort  to  Explore 
the  Disputed  Region — Arrival  of  Vancouver's  Expedition — He  Ex 
amines  the  Oregon  Coast — Searches  in  Vain  for  the  Rio  de  San 
Roque — He  Records  his  Unqualified  Disbelief  in  such  a  River — 
Gray  Builds  the  ^Adventure  "  at  Clayoquot — He  Discovers  the  Co 
lumbia  River —  Vancouver  Explores  Puget  Sound  and  Falls  in  with 
the  Spaniards — He  Examines  the  Coast  Carefully — Meets  Quadra  at 
Nootka — Finds  Him  Prepared  with  Proofs  to  Sustain  the  Cause  of 
Spain — They  Fail  to  Agree  on  Terms — They  Bestow  their  Names 
upon  the  Island  of  Vancouver  and  Quadra — Broughton  Explores 
the  Columbia —  Vancouver  Finishes  His  Explorations  and  Returns 
to  England — The  Nootka  Question  Settled  and  the  Port  Abandoned. 

WHILE  England  and  Spain  were  engaged  in  their  belligerent 
controversy,  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  was  busily  employed  in 
exploring  the  region  under  dispute.  His  object  was  two-fold — to 
learn  if  it  was  worth  an  effort  to  hold  it,  and  if  so,  and  Nootka  had 
to  be  abandoned  to  the  English,  to  find  a  desirable  point  south  of 
that  port  for  the  foundation  of  a  settlement.  This  he  was  doing  with 
out  being  aware  of  the  status  of  affairs  in  Europe.  To  this  end  he 
dispatched  a  fleet  in  the  spring  of  1790,  with  instructions  to  again 
take  possession  of  Nootka  Sound,  fortify  and  defend  it — artillery 
and  a  company  of  soldiers  were  taken  along  for  that  purpose — and 
use  it  as  a  base  of  explorations.  The  fleet  was  under  the  command 


114  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

of  Lieutenant  Francisco  Elisa,  and  consisted  of  the  Conception,  San 
Carlos  (Filipino^  and  the  Princesa  Real.  A  series  of  voyages  was 
at  once  undertaken,  some  of  them  directed  northward  to  gain  infor 
mation  of  the  movements  of  the  Russians.  The  most  important  was 
that  of  Lieutenant  Alferez  Manuel  Quimper,  in  the  Princesa  Real 
(Princess  Royal\  which  had  not  yet  been  restored  to  Captain  Col- 
nett.  In  the  summer  of  1790  he  left  Nootka  and  entered  the 
Straits  of  Fuca,  carefully  examining  both  shores  of  the  passage  for 
the  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  This  was  probably  the  first 
vessel  to  actually  enter  and  explore  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  He  was 
also  the  discoverer  of  Puget  Sound,  into  which  he  penetrated  a 
short  distance,  and  mistook  it  for  an  inlet,  calling  it  "  Encenada  de 
Caamano."  He  was  prevented  from  extending  his  explorations 
further  in  that  direction  by  lack  of  time.  He  bestowed  names  upon 
many  objects  in  that  region,  all  of  which  now  bear  the  titles  after 
ward  given  them  by  Vancouver  and  others,  except  the  main  chan 
nel  leading  north,  which  he  christened  "  Canal  de  Lopez  de  Haro." 
On  the  first  of  August  he  took  formal  possession  of  that  region  in 
the  name  of  his  sovereign,  at  Port  Nunez  Gaona,  now  known  as 
Neah  Bay.  He  was  prevented  by  head  winds  from  returning  to 
Nootka,  and  falling  in  with  the  San  Carlos,  which  had  been  on  a 
voyage  to  Alaska,  the  two  vessels  sailed  for  Monterey  and  San  Bias. 
There  was  no  other  vessel  in  those  waters  in  1790,  so  far  as  is 
known,  except  the  Argonaut,  in  which  Captain  Colnett  was  search 
ing  for  the  Princess  Royal,  as  before  stated. 

In  May,  1791,  Elisa  himself  embarked  in  the  San  Carlos,  which 
had  returned  to  Nootka,  and  started  out  to  make  a  complete  recon- 
noisance  of  the  coast  from  Mount  St.  Elias  to  Trinidad,  accompa 
nied  by  the  Santa  Saturnina  (or  Horcasitas),  under  Jose  Maria 
Narvaez.  They  entered  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  ascertained  that  Caa- 
mano  Inlet  was  an  inland  passage,  which  they  did  not  enter,  and 
explored  the  Gulf  of  Georgia  as  far  north  as  latitude  50°,  calling  it 
"Gran  Canal  de  Nuestra  Senora  del  Rosario  la  Marinera."  They 
bestowed  many  names,  some  of  which  are  still  retained  as  originally 
applied,  such  as  "San  Juan  Archipelago,"  u  Guemes,7'  "Tejada" 
("Texada")  "Islands,"  and  "Port  Los  Angeles."  Other  names 
which  appear  in  his  chart  are  still  in  use,  but  have  in  some  man 
ner  been  shifted  to  other  objects  than  those  to  which  they  were 


PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA   RIVER  DISCOVERED.  115 

originally  given,  such  as  "Caamano,"  "Fidalgo,"  "Bosario," 
"  Cordoba,"  etc.  Many  passages  leading  inland  were  observed  but 
not  explored  for  lack  of  time;  and  this  led  him  in  his  report  to 
the  Viceroy  to  say:  "It  appears  that  the  oceanic  passage  so  zeal 
ously  sought  for  by  foreigners,  if  there  is  one,  can  not  be  elsewhere 
than  by  this  great  channel." 

The  revival  of  interest  in  the  almost  forgotten  romance  of  Mal- 
donado,  caused  by  the  controversy  between  England  and  Spain,  led 
the  latter  to  make  another  effort  to  find  those  fabulous  straits  for 
which  so  many  had  searched  in  vain.  The  corvettes  Desciibierta 
and  Atrevida,  under  the  command  of  Alejandro  Malaspina  and 
Jose  de  Bustaniante  y  Guerra,  had  sailed  upon  a  voyage  of  circum 
navigation,  and  upon  their  arrival  at  Acapulco  in  the  spring  of 
1791,  were  met  by  orders  directing  them  to  search  for  Maldoriado's 
Straits  of  Anian.  They  sailed,  and  first  sighted  land  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  Jane,  near  Mount  Edgecunib.  The  coast  line  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  sixtieth  parallel  was  carefully  examined,  and  being  satisfied 
that  the  passage  he  sought  did  not  exist,  Malaspina  sailed  south  - 
ward  and  anchored  in  Nootka  Sound  on  the  thirtieth  of  August, 
about  the  time  Elisa  returned  from  the  Gulf  of  Georgia.  lie  soon 
sailed  southward  to  California. 

During  1791,  while  the  Spaniards  were  making  these  explora 
tions,  the  most  complete  and  satisfactory  ever  accomplished  by  them, 
one  French,  nine  English  and  seven  American  vessels  were  also  in 
Pacific  waters.  As  their  objects  were  purely  commercial,  little  of 
importance  was  accomplished  by  any  of  them  in  the  line  of  new 
discoveries,  though  each  added  something  to  the  increasing  knowl 
edge  of  the  coast.  No  trouble  occurred  between  them  and  the 
Spanish  forces  at  Nootka.  The  Viceroy  I\e villa -Gigedo  stated 
(Informe,  /J/):  "Although  various  craft  of  England  and  the 
American  Colonies  frequented  the  adjacent  coasts  and  ports,  some 
of  them  entering  Nootka,  nothing  occurred  to  cause  unpleasantness 
or  damage;  and  our  new  establishment  was  always  respected  by 
them,  and  provided  with  all  that  was  needed  by  the  other  San  Bias 
vessels,  which  brought  at  the  same  time  the  supplies  for  the  presid 
ios  and  missions  of  Alta  California."  Among  these  trading  vessels 
was  the  Lady  Washington,  which  had  been  transformed  into  a  brig 
in  China,  in  doing  which  Captain  Kent! rick,  who  was  an  easy-going, 


116  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

procrastinating  individual,  had  lost  a  season's  trade.  This  year  he 
was  fairly  successful  in  obtaining  furs,  and  also  in  securing  the  pur 
chase  of  a  large  tract  of  land  from  Chiefs  Maquinna  and  Wicana- 
nish,  for  which  he  received  written  deeds,  duly  signed  by  the  grant 
ors  with  a  cross.  Copies  of  these  deeds,  which  included  practically 
the  whole  of  Vancouver  Island  except  that  already  claimed  by  the 
Spaniards,  were  forwarded  to  Thomas  Jefferson,  Secretary  of  State, 
and  filed  in  the  public  archives.  The  other  American  vessel  of  note 
was  the  Cohimbia  Rediviva,  which  was  again  sent  to  the  Pacific  in 
the  fall  of  1790,  arriving  at  the  harbor  of  Clayoquot,  on  Vancouver 
Island,  just  north  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  in  June,  1791.  She  was 
still  under  the  command  of  Captain  Robert  Gray,  her  first  officer 
being  Robert  Haswell,  whose  diary  of  the  voyage,  as  well  as  of  the 
previous  one,  at  which  time  he  was  second  mate  of  the  Lady  Wash 
ington,  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  sources  of  information 
in  regard  to  the  events  of  those  voyages  and  the  complications  at 
Nootka.  Gray  soon  sailed  for  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands  and 
engaged  in  trade  with  the  natives  for  several  months,  exploring 
many  inlets  and  channels.  In  latitude  54°  33',  he  entered  a  passage 
and  sailed  northeastward  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles  without 
finding  an  end.  He  then  returned  to  the  sea,  supposing  he  had 
discovered  the  Rio  de  los  Reyes  of  Admiral  Fonte.  He  named  one 
portion  of  it  "  Massacre  Cove,"  because  of  the  murder  of  second 
mate  Caswell  and  two  seamen  by  the  natives.  This  supposed  pas 
sage  was  Portland  Inlet,  through  which  runs  the  boundary  separat 
ing  British  Columbia  from  Alaska.  Not  having  collected  a  suffi 
cient  quantity  of  furs,  owing  to  the  number  of  vessels  trading  on 
the  coast,  Gray  decided  to  spend  the  winter  at  Clayoquot.  He 
accordingly  anchored  the  Columbia  in  that  harbor,  built  a  house, 
mounted  cannon  upon  it,  and  then  began  the  construction  of  a  small 
schooner,  the  frame  of  which  he  had  brought  from  BosMi.  This 
place  he  called  "  Fort  Defiance."  Kendrick  had,  a  few  weeks  be 
fore,  been  engaged  in  repairing  the  Lady  Washington,  at  a  point 
in  the  same  harbor  which  he  had  christened  "  Fort  Washington,'7 
but  had  departed  for  China  soon  after  Gray's  arrival. 

The  year  1792  was  an  important  one  in  the  history  of  the  North 
west  Coast.  More  discoveries  were  made  and  more  important 
explorations  carried  on  than  in  any  year  before  or  since.  Spain, 


IM'liKT   SOTXD  AND  COLUMBIA    KIVKH    DISCOVERED.  117 

England  and  the  United  States  by  sea,  and  a  representative  of  the 
great  Northwest  Company  by  land,  threw  a  flood  of  light  upon  the 
dark  geography  of  the  Coast.  At  least  twenty-eight  vessels  visited 
this  region,  the  majority  of  them  to  engage  in  the  fur  trade,  repre 
senting  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  England  and  the  United  States. 
Passing  by  the  majority  of  these  without  further  mention,  let  us 
turn  our  attention  to  those  which  made  valuable  discoveries.  These 
were  the  Columbia,  under  Captain  Gray,  two  vessels  under  Captain 
Vancouver,  and  a  small  Spanish  fleet. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1792,  the  Mexican  Viceroy,  not  satisfied 
with  the  great  discoveries  made  by  Quimper,  Elisa,  Malaspina  and 
Bustamante,  made  a  last  effort  to  determine  the  existence  of  the 
Northwest  Passage  and  the  desirability  of  contending  further  for 
the  possession  of  Nootka.  If  there  existed  a  navigable  passage 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  then  a  station  in  that  region  would 
be  invaluable  to  the  interests  of  Spain ;  but  if  the  continent  was 
continuous,  so  that  vessels  must  always  enter  the  Pacific  from  the 
south,  then  an  establishment  in  such  a  high  latitude  would  not  be 
sufficiently  valuable  to  render  a  contest  for  its  possession  advisable. 
He,  therefore,  dispatched  a  vessel  to  search  for  the  Rio  de  los  Reyes 
in  latitude  53° ;  two  others  to  explore  more  fully  the  Straits  of  Fuca, 
and  ascertain  the  exact  nature  of  those  many  inland  channels  of  the 
existence  of  which  simply  the  previous  explorers  had  reported ;  and 
a  fourth  to  seek  a  desirable  location  along  the  coast  of  the  main  land 
south  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  where  a  station  might  be  established 
in  case  the  settlement  at  Nootka  had  to  be  abandoned  and  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  have  one  in  this  region.  At  the  same  time 
Bodega  y  Quadra,  who  had  been  appointed  commissioner  to  carry 
out  the  stipulations  of  the  Treaty  of  Nootka,  proceeded  to  that  port 
to  await  the  arrival  of  the  representative  of  Great  Britain.  The 
first  of  these  was  the  Aranzazu,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Jacinto 
Caamano,  who  minutely  examined  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands, 
sailed  through  the  passage  between  them  and  the  main  land  (enter 
ing  by  Dixon  Channel,  which  he  called  "  Entrada  de  Perez,"  in 
honor  of  the  original  discoverer),  and  made  a  comparatively  accu 
rate  map  of  that  region.  The  expedition  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca 
consisted  of  the  schooners  Sutil  and  Mexicana,  commanded  by  offi 
cers  detailed  from  Malaspina's  expedition,  and  supplied  by  him  with 


118  HISTORY   OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

scientific  instruments.  They  were  commanded  by  Dionisio  Galiano 
and  Cayetano  Valdez,  and  arrived  at  Nootka  on  the  twelfth  of  May, 
leaving  that  port  for  their  field  of  action  on  the  fourth  of  June. 
The  fourth  vessel  was  the  Princesa.  In  this  ship  Lieutenant  Sal 
vador  Fidalgo  sailed  from  San  Bias  on  the  twenty-third  of  March, 
and  arrived  at  Port  Nunez  Gaona  (Neah  Bay)  just  within  the  en 
trance  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  where  he  erected  buildings  and  forti 
fications.  In  September,  having  received  orders  from  Quadra  to 
abandon  this  post,  he  removed  everything  to  Nootka.  Other  Span 
ish  vessels  passed  up  and  down  between  Nootka  and  Monterey,  or 
San  Bias,  but  their  movements  were  immaterial. 

The  commissioner  appointed  on  the  part  of  England  to  carry 
into  effect  certain  provisions  of  the  Nootka  Treaty,  referring  to  the 
restoration  of  property  at  that  port,  was  Captain  George  Vancouver, 
of  the  Royal  Navy.  The  Admiralty  took  occasion  to  make  his 
voyage  one  of  extended  discovery,  directing  his  attention  especially 
to  the  clearing  up  of  geographical  conundrums  on  the  coast,  par 
ticularly  that  of  a  river  or  any  other  inter-oceanic  passage.  Special 
attention  was  to  be  directed  to  the  "  supposed  Strait  of  Juan  de 
Fuca,  said  to  be  situated  between  the  forty -eighth  and  forty -ninth 
degrees  of  north  latitude,  and  to  lead  to  an  opening  through  which 
the  sloop  Washington  is  reported  to  have  passed  in  1789,  and  to 
have  come  out  again  at  the  northward  of  Nootka.7'  This  voyage 
of  the  Washington,  as  has  been  already  stated,  was  never  made; 
Meares,  who  had  carried  the  report  to  England,  having  confused 
Captain  Kendrick's  account  of  the  movements  of  that  vessel  with 
geographical  statements  of  the  Indians.  Vancouver  commanded 
the  sloop  of  war  Discovery,  and  accompanied  by  the  armed  tender 
Chatham,  under  Lieutenant  W.  R.  Broughton,  sailed  in  March, 
1791.  It  is  needless  to  follow  his  movements  for  the  first  year,  as 
they  do  not  concern  the  purposes  of  this  volume;  it  is  sufficient  to 
say  that  after  a  year  of  exploration  in  other  regions,  he  arrived  off 
the  coast  of  California  in  April,  1792,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape 
Mendocino. 

Here  he  began  a  most  careful  examination  of  the  coast,  strict 
watch  being  kept  for  signs  of  harbors  and  navigable  rivers,  espec 
ially  at  first  of  the  river  reported  above  the  forty-third  parallel  by 
Martin  de  Aguilar  in  1603.  A  p'oint  in  latitude  42°  52'  was  at 


JH'GKT  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA    KIVKR   DISCOVERED.  119 

first  conceived  to  be  the  Cape  Blanco  of  the  Spaniards,  but  since  it 
was  composed  of  dark,  craggy  rocks,  instead  of  being  white,  Van 
couver  entered  it  on  his  chart  as  "  Cape  Orford."  A  little  further  on, 
in  latitude  48°  23',  he  observed  a  cape  with  white  cliffs,  which  he 
believed  to  be  the  true  Blanco,  but  as  he  also  considered  it  the  one 
Captain  Cook  had  called  "  Cape  Gregory,1'  he  entered  the  latter 
name  on  his  chart.  For  some  distance  he  ranged  along  the  shore 
within  a  league,  looking  carefully  for  Aguilar's  River,  but  observed 
no  stream  having  any  such  volume  of  water  as  was  ascribed  to  the 
one  reported  by  the  Spaniard,  and,  indeed,  saw  none  that  offered 
the  least  indication  of  being  navigable  for  ships.  The  next  point 
of  special  interest  to  be  examined  was  that  in  the  vicinity  of  lati 
tude  46°,  where  was  locatad  the  place  called  "  Ensenacla  de  Heceta," 
or  "  Rio  de  San  Roque,"  on  his  Spanish  charts,  and  "  Deception 
Bay"  on  the  English  ones.  "On  the  twenty -seventh  of  April  he 
recorded  in  his  journal: 

Noon  brought  us  up  with  a  conspicuous  point  of  land  composed  of  a  cluster  of 
hummocks,  moderately  high  and  projecting  into  the  sea.  On  the  south  side  of  this 
promontory  was  the  appearance  of  an  inlet,  or  small  river,  the  land  not  indicating 
it  to  be  of  any  great  extent,  nor  did  it  seem  to  be  accessible  to  vessels  of  our  burthen, 
as  the  breakers  extended  from  the  above  point  two  or  three  miles  into  the  ocean, 
until  they  joined  those  on  the  beach  nearly  four  leagues  further  south.  On  refer 
ence  to  Mr.  Meares'  description  of  the  coast  south  of  this  promontory,  I  was  at  first 
induced  to  believe  it  was  Cape  Shoal  water,  but  on  ascertaining  its  latitude,  I  pre 
sumed  it  to  be  what  he  calls  Cape  Disappointment;  and  the  opening  to  the  south  of 
it  Deception  Bay.  This  cape  was  found  to  be  in  latitude  46°  19',  and  longitude  236° 
6'.  [He  reckoned  east  from  Greenwich.]  The  sea  now  changed  from  its  natural  to 
river-coloured  water;  the  probable  consequence  of  some  streams  failing  into  the 
bay,  or  into  the  ocean  to  the  north  of  it,  through  the  low  land.  Not  considering 
this  opening  worthy  of  more  attention,  I  continued  our  pursuit  to  the  N.  W.,  being 
desirous  to  embrace  the  advantages  of  the  prevailing  breeze  and  pleasant  weather, 
so  favourable  to  our  examination  of  the  coast. 

Vancouver  rounded  Cape  Disappointment  and  continued  up  the 
shore.  He  says:  "The  country  before  us  presented  a  most  luxuri 
ant  landscape,  and  was  probably  not  a  little  heightened  in  value  by 
the  weather  that  prevailed.  The  more  interior  parts  were  some 
what  elevated,  and  agreeably  diversified  with  hills,  from  which  it 
gradually  descended  to  the  shore,  and  terminated  in  a  sandy  beach. 
The  whole  had  the  appearance  of  a  continued  forest  extending 
north  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  which  made  me  very  solicitous 
to  find  a  port  in  the  vicinity  of  a  country  presenting  so  delightful  a 
prospect  of  fertility;  our  attention  was  therefore  earnestly  directed 


1C20  HISTORY   OF   WILLAMETTE   VALLEY. 

to  this  object."  At  one  time  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  Shoalwater 
Bay  presented  a  suitable  harbor,  but  renounced  the  belief  upon 
attempting  to  enter  the  bay  and  failing  because  of  the  presence  of 
an  unbroken  line  of  breakers.  They  passed  Gray^s  Harbor  in  the 
night,  and  after  noting  the  position  of  Destruction  Island  and 
observing  Mount  Olympus,  "  the  most  remarkable  mountain  we 
had  seen  on  the  coast  of  New  Albion,"  fell  in  with  the  Columbia  a 
few  miles  south  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca. 

Vancouver  sent  an  officer  to  the  American  vessel  to  glean  infor 
mation  from  its  commander,  who  hesitated  not  to  tell  him  all  he 
knew  of  the  coast,  including  a  denial  of  the  report  that  he  had 
sailed  around  Vancouver  Island  in  the  Lady  Washington.  Among 
other  things  the  English  captain  notes  in  his  journal:  "He  likewise 
informed  them  of  his  having  been  off  the  mouth  of  a  river  in  lati 
tude  46°  10',  where  the  outset,  or  reflux,  was  so  strong  as  to  pre 
vent  his  entering  for  nine  days.  This  was  probably  the  opening 
passed  by  us  on  the  forenoon  of  the  twenty -seventh;  and  was, 
apparently,  inaccessible,  not  from  the  current,  but  from  the  breakers 
that  extended  across  it."  That  Gray  must  have  made  this  effort  to 
enter  the  Columbia  sometime  the  previous  year  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  Vancouver  states  that  he  "was  now  commencing 
his  summer's  trade  along  the  coast  to  the  southward."  The  above 
remarks  show  plainly  that  Vancouver  had  no  faith  in  the  existence 
of  such  a  stream  as  Aguilar's  River,  Rio  de  San  Roque,  Oregon,  or 
River  of  the  West,  and  this  is  rendered  more  certain  by  an  entry 
in  his  journal  made  upon  reaching  Cape  Flattery,  that  there- 
Was  not  the  least  appearance  of  a  safe  or  secure  harbour,  either  in  that  latitude,  or 
from  it  southward  to  Cape  Mendocino  ;  notwithstanding  that,  in  that  space,  geogra 
phers  had  thought  it  expedient  to  furnish  many.  *  *  So  minutely  had 
this  extensive  coast  been  inspected,  that  the  surf  had  been  constantly  seen  to  break 
upon  its  shores  from  the  mast-head ;  and  it  was  but  in  a  few  small  intervals  only, 
where  our  distance  precluded  its  being  visible  from  the  deck.  Whenever  the  weather 
prevented  our  making  free  with  the  shore,  or  on  our  hauling  off  for  the  night,  the 
return  of  fine  weather  and  of  daylight  uniformly  brought  us,  if  not  to  the  identical 
spot  we  had  departed  from,  at  least  within  a  few  miles  of  it,  and  never  beyond  the 
northern  limits  of  the  coast  which  we  had  previously  seen.  An  examination  so 
directed,  and  circumstances  happily  concurring  to  permit  its  being  so  executed, 
afforded  the  most  complete  opportunity  of  determining  its  various  turnings  and 
windings.  It  must  be  considered  as  a  very  singular  circumstance 
that,  in  so  great  an  extent  of  sea  coast,  we  should  not  until  now  [He  had  entered 
the  Straits  of  Fuca]  have  seen  the  appearance  of  any  opening  in  its  shores  which 
presented  any  certain  prospect  of  affording  shelter;  the  whole  coast  forming  one 


PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA    RIVER  DISCOVERED.  12l 

compact,  solid  and  nearly  straight  barrier  against  the  sea.  The  river  Mr.  Gray 
mentioned  should,  from  the  latitude  he  assigned  it,  have  existence  in  the  bay,  south 
of  Cape  Disappointment.  This  we  passed  on  the  forenoon  of  the  twenty-seventh  ; 
and,  as  I  then  observed,  if  any  inlet  or  river  should  be  found,  it  must  be  a  very  in 
tricate  one,  and  inaccessible  to  vessels  of  our  burthen,  owing  to  the  reefs  and  broken 
water  which  then  appeared  in  its  neighborhood.  Mr.  Gray  stated  that  he  had  been 
several  days  attempting  to  enter  it,  which  at  length  he  had  been  unable  to  effect,  in 
consequence  of  a  very  strong  outset.  This  is  a  phenomenon  difficult  to  account  for 
[Gray  accounted  for  it  easily  enough  by  the  theory  that  the  outset  was  the  discharg 
ing  of  an  unusually  large  river,  a  conclusion  Vancouver  would  not  admit  because  he 
had  been  there  and  had  not  seen  itj,  as,  in  most  cases  where  there  are  outsets  of  such 
strength  on  a  sea  coast,  there  are  corresponding  tides  setting  in.  Be  that,  however, 
as  it  may,  I  was  thoroughly  convinced,  as  were  also  most  persons  of  observation  on 
board,  that  we  could  not  possibly  have  passed  any  safe  navigable  opening,  harbour, 
or  place  of  security  for  shipping  on  this  coast,  from  Cape  Mendocino  to  the  Prom 
ontory  of  Classett  (Cape  Flattery) ;  nor  had  we  any  reason  to  alter  our  opinions. 

The  coast  has  since  been  found  much  less  barren  of  harbors 
than  this  distinguished  navigator  supposed,  though,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  Columbia,  there  are  none  affording  entrance  to 
large  vessels  without  first  undergoing  improvement.  Leaving  Cap 
tain  Vancouver  in  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  let  us  follow  the  movements 
of  the  American  vessel. 

The  Columbia,  as  has  been  stated,  wintered  at  Fort  Defiance 
in  the  harbor  of  Clayoquot,  her  crew  being  busily  employed  in  con 
structing  a  small  sloop,  which  was  launched  in  February  and  chris 
tened  the  Adventure.  This  was  the  second  vessel  constructed  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  north  of  the  Spanish  possessions,  Meares'  North 
west  America  being  the  first.  Haswell,  the  first  mate,  was  placed 
in  command  and  sent  northward  on  a  trading  voyage  along  the 
coast  on  the  second  of  April,  while  Gray  sailed  south  in  the  Co 
lumbia.  Nothing  is  known  of  his  movements  until  the  second  of 
May,  except  what  Vancouver  records  as  having  learned  from  him 
as  stated  above.  This  was  on  the  twenty -ninth  of  April,  when 
they  met  just  below  the  entrance  to  Fuca  Straits.  From  that  it 
appears  he  had  been  off  Deception  Bay,  either  that  spring  or  the 
year  before,  which  he  believed  to  be  the  entrance  to  a  large  river, 
and  which  he  had  in  vain  endeavored  to  enter  for  nine  days.  The 
vessels  parted;  Vancouver  scouting  the  idea  that  a  river  could  pos 
sibly  exist  at  that  point,  since  he  had  been  there  and  had  not  ob 
served  it,  sailed  into  the  Straits  of  Fuca  in  search  of  an  inter- oceanic 
passage;  Gray,  convinced  of  the  correctness  of  his  own  observa 
tions,  sailed  southward  to  discover  and  enter  the  greatest  river  on 


122  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  Pacific  Coast  and  the  second  in  size  on  the  continent  of  North 
America. 

On  the  seventh  of  May  Gray  entered  a  port  in  latitude  46°  58', 
which  he  named  "  Bulfinch  Harbor,"  in  honor  of  one  of  the  owners 
of  his  vessel.  He  sailed  out  again  on  the  tenth,  having,  while 
there,  repulsed  an  attack  by  the  natives,  killing  some  of  the  assail 
ants,  and  on  the  eleventh  safely  crossed  the  bar  which  had  before 
baffled  him,  and  sailing  ten  miles  up  the  stream  cast  anchor  in  the 
mighty  Columbia,  for  so  he  named  it  in  honor  of  his  vessel.  He  also 
bestowed  the  name  u  Cape  Hancock"  upon  the  high  promontory 
on  the  north,  which  had  before  been  known  as  "  Cabo  de  San 
Roque"  and  "Point  Disappointment;"  and  upon  the  low  point  on 
the  south,  formerly  called  "  Cape  Frondoso,"  he  bestowed  the  name 
"  Point  Adams,"  Three  days  later  he  ascended  the  stream  fifteen 
miles  further,  and  having  gotten  into  shoal  water  by  reason  of  miss 
ing  the  channel,  he  dropped  down  again,  and  anchored  nearer  the 
mouth.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Chinook  village  on  the  north  bank 
were  very  friendly,  and  from  them  Gray  obtained  a  large  quantity 
of  furs.  It  was  not  until  the  twentieth  that  the  bar  was  smooth 
enough  to  permit  the  Columbia  to  cross  out,  but  on  that  day  she 
sailed  northward,  and'  later,  at  two  points  on  the  upper  coast,  had 
bloody  conflicts  with  Indians  who  attacked  her.  Here  was  met  the 
Adventure,  which  had  been  twice  around  Queen  Charlotte  Islands 
and  had  enjoyed  only  a  moderate  trade  with  the  Indians.  They 
then  made  another  trading  voyage  to  the  north,  during  which  the 
Columbia  struck  upon  a  rock  in  the  inland  passage  just  above  lati 
tude  52°,  and  was  considerably  damaged.  She  succeeded  in  reach 
ing  Nootka,  where,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Spaniards,  she  was 
s.oon  made  tight  and  seaworthy  again.  She  again  sailed  north,  met 
the  Adventure  at  Port  Montgomery,  on  Queen  Charlotte  Island, 
and  both  vessels  returned  to  Nootka,  where  Gray  found  Captain 
Vancouver  and  gave  him  a  memorandum  of  his  discovery  of  the 
Columbia  River.  He  then  sailed  for  home  by  way  of  Sandwich 
Islands  and  China,  having  first  sold  the  Adventure  to  Quadra  for 
seventy -five  select  sea- otter  skins. 

After  speaking  the  Columbia,  Vancouver's  two  vessels  entered 
the  Straits  of  Fuca  on  the  thirtieth  of  April,  and  proceeded  slowly 
inland,  making  a  careful  examination  as  he  progressed.  The  ves- 


VUGKT  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA   KIVKR  DISCOVERED.  123 

sels  anchored  at  Port  Discovery  (the  Porto  Bodega  y  Quadra  of 
Lieutenant. Quimper),  and  from  that  place,  as  a  rendezvous,  Captain 
Vancouver  and  Lieutenants  Menzies,  Puget  and  Johnstone  explored 
the  channels  and  bays  to  the  southward  for  about  four  weeks. 
Vancouver  bestowed  the  following  well-known  names  in  that  region: 
" Puget  Sound,"  in  honor  of  Lieutenant  Puget;  "Hood's  Canal," 
for  Lord  Hood;  "Admiralty  Inlet;"  "Mount  Rainier,"  after  Rear 
Admiral  Rainier  of  the  English  Navy;  "  Vashon  Island,"  after  Cap 
tain  Vashon;  "Port  Orchard,"  the  name  of  the  officer  who  discov 
ered  it;  "Possession  Sound,"  where  he  landed  on  the  fourth  of  June 
and  took  possession  in  the  name  of  King  George  of  England; 
"  Port  Townsend,"  in  compliment  to  the  "  noble  Marquis  of  that 
name;"  "  Whidby  Island,"  after  one  of  his  lieutenants;  "Mount 
Baker,"  discovered  by  Lieutenant  Baker;  "  Bellinghain  Bay;" 
"Deception  Passage;"  "  New  Dunginess "  (the  Point  Santa  Cruz 
of  Quimper's  chart),  because  of  a  fancied  resemblance  to  Dun 
giness  in  the  British  Channel.  When  he  took  possession  on  the 
fourth  of  June  he  applied  the  title  "New  Georgia"  to  all  the  coast 
above  latitude  39°  20',  which  was  certainly  cutting  California  off 
very  short  above  San  Francisco  Bay.  This  ceremony  amounted  to 
nothing  more  than  a  celebration  of  the  King's  birthday,  since,  un 
der  the  Nootka  Convention,  neither  party  could  acquire  territorial 
rights  by  any  such  proceeding,  a  farce  which  Perez,  Heceta,  Bo 
dega  and  Captain  Cook  had  enacted  years  before  at  various  places. 
As  he  emerged  from  Puget  Sound  and  sailed  northward  into  the 
Canal  del  Rosario,  which  he  re-christened  "  Gulf  of  Georgia,"  he 
fell  in  with  the  two  Spanish  vessels,  Sutil  and  Mexicana,  whose 
presence  there  has  already  been  mentioned.  Galiano  and  Valdez 
had  entered  the  Straits  of  Fuca  on  the  fourth  of  June,  and  had  sur 
veyed  as  far  north  as  Tejada  (Texada)  Island.  When  the  Spanish 
and  English  fleets  encountered  each  other  there  followed  an  inter 
change  of  courtesies,  leading  to  an  agreement  to  unite  their  labors. 
For  about  three  weeks  they  explored  in  company,  but  then  the  pride 
of  the  Spaniards  would  not  permit  them  to  longer  endure  the  air  of 
superiority  assumed  by  the  English  commander,  who,  when  they 
had  explored  an  inlet,  would  not  accept  their  report  as  final,  but 
made  a  second  exploration  himself.  That  his  distrust  of  the  Span 
ish  surveys  was  unfounded  is  amply  proven  by  the  charts  of  each 


124  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

after  they  resumed  independent  action.  The  Spanish  maps  were  as 
accurate  in  detail  as  those  of  Vancouver,  and  even  more  so,  since 
they  noted  the  entrance  to  Fraser  River,  called  "  Rio  Blancho,"  the 
existence  of  which  the  Englishman  denied.  Galiano  and  Yaldez 
continued  their  explorations  northward,  entered  the  Pacific  on  the 
twenty-third  of  August,  by  a  passage  at  the  north  end  of  Vancouver 
Island,  and  returned  to  Nootka,  having  made  the  first  complete  cir 
cumnavigation  of  the  Island. 

When  the  vessels  parted  company,  A7ancouver  continued  north 
ward,  in  advance  of  the  Spaniards,  and  entered  the  ocean  through 
Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  where  the  Chatham  grounded  on  the 
rocks,  but  was  safely  put  afloat  again.  The  long  channel  above  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia  he  called  "  Johnstone's  Strait,"  after  one  of  his 
lieutenants,  and  the  names  now  borne  by  the  most  important  objects 
in  that  region  were  also  bestowed  by  him,  such  as  "  Burrard  Canal," 
uBute  Canal,"  "Broughton  Archipelago,"  u  Knight's  Canal," 
"  Smith's  Inlet,"  "  Rivers  Canal,"  etc.  The  fact  that  Vancouver's 
report  was  published  several  years  before  that  of  Galiano  and 
Valdez's,  and  that  this  region  was  subsequently  settled  by  English 
speaking  people,  accounts  for  the  survival  of  the  English  nomen 
clature.  He  continued  his  explorations  as  far  north  as  latitude  52° 
18',  when  he  turned  about  and  sailed  for  Nootka  Sound,  reaching 
that  port  on  the  twenty -eighth  of  August.  Here  he  found  the  store 
ship  Dczdalus,  which  had  been  sent  out  from  England  with  supplies 
and  fresh  instructions  for  his  guidance  in  arranging  affairs  at  Nootka. 
There  he  remained  for  more  than  a  month,  engaged  in  the  fulfill 
ment  of  the  diplomatic  purposes  of  his  visit. 

While  awaiting  Vancouver's  arrival,  Quadra  had  not  been  idle, 
but  had  been  gathering  evidence  from  the  Indians  and  traders,  and 
was  especially  fortunate  in  securing  a  statement  of  the  events  of 
1788-9  at  Nootka,  signed  by  Gray,  Viana  (then  commanding  a  Por 
tuguese  vessel),  and  Ingraham,  the  latter  being  now  the  commander 
of  the  trading  vessel  Hope.  All  three  of  these  were  officers  of  ves 
sels  which  were  present  at  Nootka  during  the  occurrence  of  the  dis 
puted  events.  They  testified  that  the  Englishmen  had  not  been 
dispossessed  of  any  lands  and  buildings  whatever;  that  the  only 
pretense  to  a  settlement  by  them  was  the  temporary  occupation  of 
a  small  piece  of  ground  by  Meares  in  1788,  while  he  was  building 


PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA  RIVER  DISCOVERED.  125 

the  Northwest  America,  which,  with  the  hut  the  workmen  had 
occupied,  was  abandoned  when  that  work  was  completed ;  also,  that 
all  this  was  done  under  the  Portuguese  flag,  the  schooner  being 
launched  and  sent  out  upon  a  cruise  under  the  same  ensign.  Accord 
ing  to  the  treaty,  it  will  be  remembered,  all  buildings  and  tracts  of 
land  of  which  the  subjects  of  His  Britannic  Majesty  had  been  dis 
possessed  by  a  Spanish  officer,  were  to  be  restored.  For  that  pur 
pose  Vancouver  had  come,  expecting,  pf  course,  to  have  Nootka 
surrendered;  but  he  was  met  by  Quadra  with  proofs  showing  that, 
according  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty,  there  was  nothing  to  be  sur 
rendered.  Vancouver  would  listen  to  nothing  but  a  transfer  of  the 
port,  though  he  was  unable  to  show  any  precise  stipulation  to  that 
effect  in  the  treaty.  Quadra  offered  to  give  up  Nootka  if  Vancou 
ver  would  recognize  all  the  coast  south  of  Fuca  Straits  as  exclusively 
Spanish;  or  he  offered  to  surrender  absolutely  the  small  parcel  of 
land  on  which  Meares'  cabin  had  stood  and  to  station  himself  at  the 
new  port  in  the  Straits  of  Fuca  until  a  decision  on  the  question 
could  be  had  from  Europe.  Vancouver  would  agree  to  no  propo 
sitions  whatever.  He  came,  he  said,  to  receive  an  unconditional 
surrender  of  the  port,  and  if  Quadra  would  not  consent  to  make  it 
he  would  depart.  It  was  finally  decided  that  the  present  status 
should  be  maintained  and  the  two  commissioners  should  submit  the 
facts  to  their  respective  governments.  Consequently,  Vancouver 
dispatched  two  messengers  to  England,  one  via  China,  on  a  Portu 
guese  trading  vessel,  and  one  on  a  Spanish  vessel  to  Mexico  and 
thence  to  Europe.  Quadra  returned  to  Monterey,  stopping  on  the 
way  at  Nunez  Gaona,  to  order  Fidalgo  to  abandon  the  new  settle 
ment  there  and  proceed  to  Nootka  and  assume  command  of  that 
port.  It  was  fortunate  for  Quadra  that  he  was  as  cautious  as  has 
been  shown,  for  a  few  weeks  later  royal  orders  were  received  to 
surrender  Nootka  upon  no  consideration  whatever.  The  personal 
relations  of  the  commissioners  were  most  cordial,  and  before  they 
left  they  agreed  to  name  the  large  island  after  themselves,  and  it 
was  accordingly  entered  upon  both  the  Spanish  and  English  charts 
as  the  "  Island  of  Vancouver  and  Quadra."  In  after  years,  owing 
to  plainly  apparent  causes,  the  latter's  name  was  dropped  from  the 
title.  The  indemnity  to  be  paid  by  Spain  to  Meares  and  his  asso 
ciates  was  finally  fixed  at  $210,000,  less  than  one-third  of  the 


126  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

amount  claimed,  but  much  more  than  the  actual  damage  suffered. 

When  he  had  concluded  his  negotiations,  Vancouver,  armed 
with  a  rough  chart  of  the  Columbia's  mouth,  which  Gray  had  left 
at  Nootka,  sailed  southward  with  his  fleet,  now  increased  to  three 
vessels.  On  the  eighteenth  of  October  the  D&dahts,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Whidby,  entered  Bulfinch's,  or  Gray's  Harbor,  to 
make  a  thorough  examination,  while  her  two  consorts  continued  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  On  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  the 
Chatham  and  Discovery  attempted  the  passage  of  the  bar,  the 
former  crossing  safely,  but  the  latter  hauling  off  for  fear  there  was 
not  a  sufficient  depth  of  water.  This  circumstance  led  Vancouver 
to  record  in  his  journal  that  his  "former  opinion  of  this  port  being 
inaccessible  to  vessels  of  our  burthen  was  now  fully  confirmed,  with 
this  exception,  that  in  very  fine  weather,  with  moderate  winds,  and 
a  smooth  sea,  vessels  not  exceeding  four  hundred  tons  might,  so  far 
as  we  were  able  to  judge,  gain  admittance. "  It  was  while  lying  at 
anchor  off  the  bar  that  he  gained  a  view  of  a  uhigh,  round  snow 
mountain  "  far  up  the  stream,  which  he  named  u  Mount  St.  Helens," 
in  honor  of  his  Britannic  Majesty's  ambassador  at  the  court  of 
Madrid. 

The  first  sound  that  saluted  the  commander  of  the  Chatham 
upon  crossing  the  bar  was  the  report  of  a  cannon,  which  was  an 
swered  in  a  similar  manner  by  Lieutenant  Broughton.  It  came 
from  a  Bristol  brig  called  $E&  Jenny,  lying  in  a  sheltered  bay  within 
the  mouth  of  the  stream,  which  has  ever  since  been  known  as 
"  Baker's  Bay,"  in  honor  of  the  captain  of  that  little  craft.  This 
made  the  second  vessel  to  enter  the  river  before  these  official  repre 
sentatives  of  Great  Britain  undertook  to  explore  it.  The  Chatham 
lay  in  the  river  several  days,  during  which  time  Broughton  ascended 
the  stream  in  a  boat  some  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  as  far  as 
a  point  which  he  named  in  honor  of  the  commander  of  the  expedi 
tion,  being  the  same  upon  which  Fort  Vancouver  was  afterward 
built  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  high  snow- crowned 
peak  rising  above  the  Cascades  to  the  east  he  called  "  Mount  Hood." 
During  his  stay  he  formally  "  took  possession  of  the  river  and  the 
country  in  its  vicinity  in  his  Britannic  Majesty's  name,  having  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  subjects  of  no  other  civilized  nation  or 
state  had  ever  entered  this  river  before."  The  closing  portion  of 


PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA   RIVER  DISCOVERED.  127 

this  sentence  sounds  strangely  from  one  who  had  in  his  possession 
at  the  time  he  penned  it  the  rough  chart  made  by  Gray,  which  had 
been  the  cause  of  his  being  there  at  all.  It  is  explained  by  saying 
that  he  affected  to  consider  the  broad  estuary  near  the  mouth  of  the 
stream  as  no  portion  of  the  river,  and  that  in  consequence  Gray, 
though  he  had  ascended  the  stream  twenty-five  miles,  had  not 
entered  the  river  proper.  This  strained  construction  England 
maintained  in  the  after  controversy  with  the  United  States  about 
the  rights  of  discovery. 

Vancouver  wintered  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  returning  to 
Nootka  in  May,  1793,  and  finding  that  no  news  had  been  received 
from  Europe,  sailed  north  to  continue  his  examination  of  the  coast 
from  the  point  he  had  reached  the  year  before.  He  spent  the  sum 
mer  in  this  work,  making,  with  the  aid  of  Caamafio's  previous 
chart,  quite  an  accurate  map  of  the  coast.  From  latitude  53°  30' 
to  57°  he  called  the  country  "New  Cornwall;"  south  of  that  to  near 
Georgia  he  named  it  "New  Hanover,"  taking  formal  and  ceremo 
nious  possession  of  it  all  in  the  name  of  King  George.  Upon  his 
return  to  Nootka  in  October,  he  found  that  no  instructions  had  ar 
rived  from  home,  and  he  sailed  for  California.  The  Spaniards  still 
remained  in  quiet  possession  of  the  disputed  port.  Quite  a  number 
of  trading  vessels  were  on  the  coast  that  season,  but  the  peculiar 
commercial  character  of  their  voyages  prevented  them  from  accom 
plishing  anything  of  geographical  or  historical  value. 

In  April,  1793,  the  Mexican  Viceroy,  Eevilla-Gigedo,  sent  a  full 
report  of  the  events  and  status  of  affairs  at  Nootka  to  the  home 
government,  accompanied  by  recommendations  for  the  future  course 
of  Spain.  These  were  to  the  effect  that  recent  explorations  had  prac 
tically  demonstrated  that  no  Northwest  Passage  existed,  unless,  in 
deed,  it  was  found  by  way  of  the  Columbia  River,  or  Entrada  de 
Heceta,  and  consequently  that  the  trouble  and  expense  of  maintain 
ing  a  station  as  far  north  as  Nootka  was  unnecessary  for  the  pro 
tection  of  Spanish  interests.  He  advised  that  the  Columbia  be  ex 
plored  and  occupied,  if  found  to  connect  with  the  Atlantic  or  with 
New  Mexico;  otherwise  he  advised  the  strengthening  of  the  north 
ernmost  stations  in  California,  the  occupation  of  Bodega  Bay,  and 
any  other  desirable  harbor  which  might  be  found  north  of  that 
point.  He  prepared  to  dispatch  two  vessels  to  survey  the  Colum- 


128  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

bia  in  the  spring  of  1794,  but  for  some  reason  the  project  was 
abandoned.  Early  that  year  word  was  received  from  Spain  that 
the  points  in  dispute  had  been  settled.  Quadra  died  in  March,  and 
Gen.  Jose  Manual  d  Alava  was  appointed  his  successor,  and  sent  to 
Nootka  with  the  understanding  that  his  instructions  would  follow 
him. 

Captain  Vancouver  again  visited  the  northern  coast  in  the  spring 
of  1794,  and  extended  his  explorations  as  far  as  the  head  of  Cook's 
Inlet,  becoming  convinced  that  no  passage  whatever  connected  the 
Pacific  with  the  Atlantic  or  any  of  the  bays  or  seas  leading  off  from 
it.  He  then  went  to  Nootka,  arriving  on  the  second  of  September, 
where  he  found  Alava,  the  Spanish  commissioner.  Neither  was 
aware  of  the  terms  of  settlement,  so  they  enjoyed  each  other's  hos 
pitalities  and  awaited  instructions.  No  orders  having  been  received 
by  the  sixteenth  the  commissioners  sailed  for  Monterey,  where  Al 
ava  soon  afterwards  received  his  instructions. .  These  were  to  the 
effect  that  an  amicable  settlement  had  been  arrived  at,  and  that 
England  had  appointed  a  new  commissioner.  Upon  receipt  of  this 
intelligence  Vancouver  at  once  set  sail  for  England,  where  he  ar 
rived  in  October,  1795.  His  narrative  of  his  four  years'  voyage 
and  explorations,  the  most  complete  and  important  ever  issued  up 
to  that  time,  was  published  in  1798,  previous  to  which  the  great 
explorer  died. 

The  settlement  spoken  of  was  the  one  signed  at  Madrid  by  the 
representatives  of  Spain  and  England,  on  the  eleventh  of  January, 
1794.  The  tide  of  European  politics  had  so  turned  that  it  was  then 
the  best  policy  of  both  England  and  Spain  to  form  an  alliance, 
hence  the  mutual  concessions  in  this  agreement.  The  treaty  pro 
vided  that  commissioners  of  both  nations  should  meet  at  Nootka, 
and  that  formal  possession  of  the  tract  claimed  by  Meares  be  given 
to  the  representative  of  England  by  the  Spanish  commissioner.  It 
continued  in  the  following  explicit  language:— 

Then  the  British  officer  shall  unfurl  the  British  flag  over  the  land  thus  restored 
as  a  sign  of  possession,  and  after  these  formalities  the  officers  of  the  two  crowns 
shall  retire  respectively  their  people  from  the  said  port  of  Nootka.  And  their  said 
majesties  have  furthermore  agreed  that  the  subjects  of  both  nations  shall  be  free  to 
frequent  the  said  port  as  may  be  convenient,  and  to  erect  there  temporary  buildings 
for  their  accommodation  during  their  residence  on  such  occasions.  But  neither  of 
the  two  parties  shall  make  in  said  po^t  any  permanent  establishment,  or  claim  there 
any  right  of  sovereignty  or  territorial  dominion  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other.  And 


PUGET  SOUND  AND  COLUMBIA   RIVER  DISCOVERED.  129 

their  said  majesties  will  aid  each  other  to  maintain  their  subjects  in  free  access  to 
the  said  port  of  Nootka  against  whatever  other  nation  may  attempt  to  establish 
there  any  sovereignty  or  dominion. 

Tliis  solemn  farce  was  actually  enacted  there  on  the  twenty -third 
of  March,  1795,  by  General  Alava  on  the  part  of  Spain,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Thomas  Pierce  as  representative  of  Great  Britain.  Every 
thing  portable  was  then  embarked  on  the  Spanish  vessels,  which 
sailed  away  and  left  Nootka  again  in  the  sole  possession  of  the 
natives.  From  that  day  to  this  no  white  settlement  has  been  at 
tempted  at  that  historical  port.  English  historians,  and  many  others 
writing,  like  them,  from  incomplete  data,  have  asserted  that  the  port 
of  Nootka  was  surrendered  to  England  by  the  Spaniards ;  but  such 
the  above  quotation  from  the  treaty  shows  not  to  have  been  the 
case.  Only  the  small  patch  of  ground  claimed  by  Meares  to  have 
been  purchased  from  Maquinna  was  formally  transferred ;  and  Eng 
land  was  as  firmly  bound  as  Spain  not  to  make  any  future  settle 
ment  at  that  point,  while  both  were  at  liberty  to  occupy  any  other 
points  they  might  see  fit.  Their  interests  in  Europe,  however,  were 
so  closely  linked  for  the  next  few  years  that  neither  felt  it  necessary 
to  attempt  any  settlements  on  the  upper  Pacific  Coast  as  a  safeguard 
against  the  other.  No  other  nation  attempted  to  plant  a  colony 
here,  and  thus  the  matter  stood  for  nearly  a  score  of  years,  when 
the  question  of  ownership  was  raised  by  a  new  claimant — the  United 
States.  Traders  continued  to  carry  on  the  fur  business  as  before, 
but  their  operations  were  of  little  historical  importance. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC. 

Organization  of  the  Northwest  Company  of  Montreal-  Mackenzie^ 
Journey  to  the  Arctic  Ocean — His  Trip  to  the  Pacific  in  1792 — Dis 
covery  and  Naming  of  Eraser  River — Treaty  of  1794  Opens  a  West 
ern  Field  for  American  Traders — Conflicting  Claims  of  Various 
Nations  at  the  Beginning  of  the  Present  Century — Spain  Reconveys 
Louisiana  to  France  in  1800 — Thomas  Jefferson's  Efforts  to  have  the 
Unknown  Region  Explored — Louisiana  Purchased  by  the  United 
States — T/ie  Lewis  and  Clarke  Expedition — They  Winter  with  the 
Mandan  Indians — Ascend  the  Missouri — Cross  to  Clarke's  Fork — 
Reach  the  Nez  Perces — Descend  Clearwater,  Lewis  (Snake)  and 
Columbia  Rivers  to  the  Pacific —  Winter  at  Fort  Clatsop — The  Mult- 
nomah,  or  Willamette^  River- — The  Walla  Walla,  Cay  use  and  Nez 
Perce  Indians — Lewis  and  Clarke  Descend  the  Yellowstone  and 
Missouri — Effect  of  their  Great  Journey — Anxiety  of  Great  Britain 
— Fort  Eraser  Established  in  New  Caledonia — Fort  Henry  Built 
on  Snake  River. 

IT  has  been  related  how  the  early  French  explorers  pushed  their 
way  gradually  westward,  until,  in  1743,  the  Verendryes  pene 
trated  to  the  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  how,  with  the  con 
quest  of  Canada  by  the  English,  these  explorations  suddenly  ceased. 
Thirty  years  elapsed  before  they  .were  again  resumed  by  subjects  of 
the  new  rulers  of  Canada,  except  in  the  instance  of  Captain  Carver, 
whose  pretentious  claims  have  already  been  considered.  Meanwhile, 
the  American  Colonies  had  fought  and  gained  the  War  of  Inde 
pendence,  and,  as  a  result,  England  was  deprived  of  all  her  posses 
sions  south  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes.  France  had  sold  Louisiana 
to  Spain,  as  has  been  related,  which  gave  that  nation,  in  conjunction 
with  her  California  possessions,  proprietary  claim  to  the  whole 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  131 

country  lying  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific,  and  extend 
ing  indefinitely  northward.  How  extensive  that  region  was,  or 
what  it  contained,  no  one  knew,  and  the  Spanish  owners  were  not 
inquisitive  enough  to  find  out.  England  was  cut  off  from  it  except 
in  the  region  lying  north  of  Minnesota,  certainly  not  a  very  inviting 
field  for  exploration ;  and  the  young  Republic  was  too  busy  setting 
its  government  in  good  running  order  to  engage  in  explorations  of 
new  territories.  When,  at  last,  westward  journeys  were  again 
undertaken,  it  was  solely  by  private  enterprise  in  the  interests  of 
trade. 

A  number  of  Montreal  fur  traders  pushed  as  far  westward  as 
the  Athabasca  and  Saskatchewan  as  early  as  1775,  and  carried  on 
an  independent  trade  with  the  natives.  Competition  with  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company  became  too  heavy  for  them  individually,  and 
in  1784  they  combined  together  as  the  Northwest  Company  of  Mon 
treal.  Thus  strengthened,  and  all  its  agents  being  interested  part 
ners,  it  prospered  wonderfully  and  became,  in  a  few  years,  a  most 
powerful  organization.  In  1788  the  station  which  had  been  estab 
lished  ten  years  before  on  Athabasca  River  was  removed  to  Lake 
Athabasca,  some  twelve  hundred  miles  northwest  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  called  "  Fort  Chipewyan,"  and  this  became  the  great  western 
headquarters  of  the  company.  Traders  covered  the  whole  country 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  almost  to  the  Arctic. 

This  advance  post  was  under  the  charge  of  Alexander  Macken 
zie,  a  partner  in  the  Northwest  Company,  who  made  a  journey  to 
the  north  in  1789,  discovered  the  Mackenzie  River,  and  followed  it 
from  its  source  in  Great  Slave  Lake  to  where  it  discharges  its  icy 
waters  into  the  Arctic  Ocean.  By  this  journey  the  character  and 
extent  of  the  continent  to  the  northwest  was  ascertained,  as  well  as 
the  fact  that  there  existed  no  passage  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
south  of  the  great  northern  sea.  In  1791  he  started  with  a  small 
party  upon  a  western  trip,  intent  upon  reaching  the  Pacific.  Fol 
lowing  up  Peace  River  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  he 
camped  there  for  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  continued  his  journey 
along  the  course  of  that  stream  and  came  upon  the  Fraser  River, 
down  which  he  passed  in  canoes  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  To  this  stream  he  applied  the  Indian  title  of  "  Tacoutchee- 
Tassee,"  a  name  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  the  navigators  had 


132  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  few  years  before  applied  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  He  finally 
abandoned  the  river  and  struck  directly  westward,  reaching  the 
coast  at  the  North  Bentinck  Arm,  only  a  short  time  after  it  had 
been  explored  by  Vancouver's  fleet.  When  he  learned  upon  his 
return  that  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  had  been  discovered,  he 
supposed  that  the  large  river  which  he  had  followed  so  far  south 
ward  must  be  that  great  stream;  and  so  it  was  considered  to  be 
until  twenty  years  later,  when  Simon  Fraser,  a  representative  of 
the  same  fur  company,  descended  it  to  its  mouth  in  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia,  and  ascertained  its  true  character.  As  Mackenzie's  name 
was  already  applied  to  a  large  river,  this  stream  was  then  christened 
"  Fraser  River." 

These  various  sea  and  land  expeditions  had  proved  three  very 
important  facts:  first,  that  there  was  no  water  passage  for  vessels 
across  the  continent;  second,  that  by  following  the  courses  of 
streams  and  lakes  the  overland  journey  could  be  nearly  accom 
plished  in  boats;  third,  that  this  vast  unexplored  region  abounded 
in  fur-bearing  animals,  a  fact  which  led,  in  a  few  years,  to  its  occu 
pation  by  the  rival  fur  traders,  both  English  and  American.  At 
this  time  the  Spanish  claim  of  Louisiana  clouded  the  whole  region 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  though  its  limits  were  undefined,  it 
extended  indefinitely  into  the  unknown  region  lying  north  of  Mexico 
and  California.  The  Americans  were  especially  hampered  in  their 
trading  operations  on  the  frontier.  The  Mississippi  formed  a  defi 
nite  and  recognized  western  boundery  to  the  territory  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  line  of  forts  along  the  south  side  of  the  chain  of 
great  lakes  were  still  held  by  Great  Britain,  notwithstanding  they 
should  have  been  surrendered  under  the  treaty  of  1783.  When 
that  convention  was  formed,  the  representatives  of  England  endeav 
ored  to  have  the  Alleghanies  fixed  as  the  western  limit  of  the 
new  nation,  but  the  American  commissioners  insisted  that  as 
British  colonies  the  states  had  previously  exercised  jurisdiction  as 
far  west  as  the  Mississippi,  and  the  safety  of  the  Republic  required 
that  she  still  continue  to  do  so;  and  they  carried  their  point.  By 
a  special  treaty  made  in  1794,  England  surrendered  possession  of 
the  lake  posts,  and  the  two  nations  agreed  that  both  should  have 
unrestricted  intercourse  and  trade  in  the  great  western  region. 
From  that  time  American  traders  extended  their  operations  further 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  133 

westward.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  also  began  to  invade  the 
field  occupied  by  its  great  rival,  the  Northwest  Company  of 
Montreal. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  territorial  claims 
of  the  various  nations  on  the  Pacific  Coast  were  exceedingly  con 
flicting.  The  claim  of  Russia  to  Alaska  was  recognized  as  valid, 
having  been  established  both  by  discovery  and  occupation ;  though 
as  yet  no  definite  southern  limit  was  fixed.  Spain's  claim  to  Cali 
fornia  was  also  undisputed,  extending  to  the  forty-second  parallel. 
Between  these  two  both  England  and  Spain  claimed  title  by  right  of 
discovery  only,  since  by  the  Nootka  convention  both  had  agreed  to 
base  no  claim  whatever  upon  the  actual  or  asserted  occupation  of 
their  representatives  or  subjects  at  Nootka  Sound.  The  United 
States,  also,  by  reason  of  Gray's  discovery  of  the  Columbia,  had 
laid  a  foundation  for  a  claim  to  the  whole  region  drained  by  that 
mighty  river,  as  yet  unasserted,  but  which  was  pressed  with  much 
vigor  and  final  partial  success  a  few  years  later.  Besides  these  dis 
covery  rights,  the  Louisiana  Province,  which  France  had  transferred 
to  Spain  in  176:2,  was  construed  by  its  possessor,  or,  more  accu 
rately  speaking,  its  technical  claimant,  to  cover  the  whole  region 
west  of  the  Mississippi  not  claimed  by  the  same  nation  as  portions 
of  Mexico  and  California.  This  title  was  reconveyed  to  France  in 
the  year  1800,  thus  putting  that  nation  again  into  the  field  as  a 
claimant  of  territory  in  the  western  portion  of  North  America. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  John  Ledyard,  who  had  been  one  of 
Captain  Cook's  seamen,  undertook  to  interest  American  and  French 
capitalists  in  the  Pacific  fur  trade,  soon  after  the  return  of  that  ex 
pedition  to  England.  At  that  time  Thomas  Jefferson  was  the  rep 
resentative  of  the  United  States  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  and  he 
became  deeply  interested  in  this  great  western  region.  He  naturally 
preferred  that  his  own  country  should  fall  heir  to  such  a  magnifi 
cent  inheritance;  but  more  than  a  decade  passed  before  the  States 
had  perfected  their  government  and  regulated  those  national  affairs 
requiring  immediate  and  careful  consideration,  and  during  that 
time  it  was  idle  to  think  of  further  accessions  of  territory.  How 
ever,  in  1792,  he  proposed  to  the  American  Philosophical  Society 
that  a  subscription  be  raised  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  some  com 
petent  person  to  explore  the  country  lying  between  the  Mississippi 


134  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

River  and  Pacific  Ocean,  "  by  ascending  the  Missouri,  crossing  the 
Stony  Mountains,  and  descending  the  nearest  river  to  the  Pacific." 
His  suggestion  was  acted  upon,  and  the  position  having  been  eagerly 
solicited  by  Lieutenant  Meriwether  Lewis,  a  Virginian,  that  gentle 
man  was  selected  at  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Jefferson.  His 
traveling  companion  was  Mr.  Andre  Michaux,  a  distinguished 
French  botanist,  then  living  in  the  United  States  in  the  employ  of 
his  government.  When  they  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Kentucky, 
Mr.  Michaux  was  recalled  by  the  French  Minister,  and  the  expedi 
tion  was  abandoned. 

Soon  after  France  again  acquired  title  to  Louisiana,  Napoleon 
recognized  the  fact  that  it  would  only  be  a  source  of  annoyance  and 
expense  to  the  nation.  His  ambitious  designs  in  Europe  arrayed 
England  and  other  powerful  nations  in  hostility  to  France,  and  to 
avoid  the  necessity  of  having  to  provide  for  the  protection  of  vast- 
territorial  possessions,  as  well  as  to  place  in  the  field  an  active  and 
now  powerful  rival  to  England,  he  opened  secret  negotiations  for 
the  transfer  of  the  whole  Province  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Jef 
ferson  was  then  President,  and  grasped  eagerly  the  opportunity  to 
realize  his  long-cherishred  desire,  and  by  so  doing  render  his  admin 
istration  one  to  be  forever  remembered  by  his  countrymen.  Even 
before  the  treaty  was  concluded,  he  began  to  put  his  plan  of  oper 
ations  into  effect;  and  on  the  eighteenth  of  January,  1803,  he  sub 
mitted  to  Congress  a  special  message  on  the  Indian  question,  in 
which  he  incorporated  a  suggestion  that  an  official  expedition  be 
dispatched  upon  the  same  journey  as  the  private  one  would  have 
accomplished  ten  years  before,  had  it  not  been  abandoned.  Con 
gress  approved  the  idea  and  made  an  ample  appropriation  to  carry 
it  into  effect.  Lewis  was  then  acting  in  the  capacity  of  private  sec 
retary  to  the  President,  and  once  more  solicited  the  direction  of  the 
enterprise.  In  this  he  was  again  successful.  He  held  at  that  time 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  having  selected  William  Clarke  as  his  asso 
ciate,  that  gentleman  also  received  a  captain's  commission. 

In  the  instructions  drawn  up  for  the  guidance  of  the  party,  the 
President  says:  "The  object  of  your  mission  is  to  explore  the 
Missouri  River,  and  such  principal  streams  of  it,  as,  by  its  course 
and  communication  with  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  whether 
the  Columbia,  Oregon,  Colorado,  or  any  other  river,  may  offer  the 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  TIIK  PACIFIC.  1  tt5 

most  direct  and  practicable  water  communication  across  the  conti 
nent,  for  the  purposes  of  commerce."  They  were  directed  to  ac 
quire  as  intimate  a  knowledge  as  possible  of  the  extent  and  number 
of  Indian  tribes,  their  manners,  customs  and  degree  of  civilization, 
and  to  report  fully  upon  the  topography,  the  character  of  the  soil, 
the  natural  products,  the  animal  life  and  minerals,  as  well  as  to  as 
certain  by  scientific  observations  and  inquiry  as  much  as  possible 
about  the  climate,  and  to  inquire  especially  into  the  fur  trade  and 
the  needs  of  commerce.  Since  Louisiana  had  not  yet  been  formally 
conveyed  to  the  United  States,  the  instructions  contained  a  para 
graph  saying:  "  Your  mission  has  been  communicated  to  the  min 
isters  here  from  France,  Spain  and  Great  Britain,  and  through  them 
to  their  governments;  and  such  assurances  given  them  as  to  its  ob 
jects,  as  we  trust  will  satisfy  them.  The  country  of  Louisiana  hav 
ing  been  ceded  by  Spain  to  France,  the  passport  you  have  from  the 
minister  of  France,  the  representative  of  the  present  sovereign  of 
the  country,  will  be  a  protection  with  all  its  subjects;  and  that  from 
the  minister  of  England  will  entitle  you  to  the  friendly  aid  of  any 
traders  of  that  allegiance  with  whom  you  may  happen  to  meet." 

The  French  passport  was  rendered  needless  by  the  receipt  of  the 
joyful  intelligence  a  few  days  before  they  started  that  Louisiana  had 
been  formally  ceded  to  the  United  States.  Lewis  left  Washington 
on  the  fifth  of  July,  1808,  and  was  joined  by  Clarke  at  Louisville. 
Having  selected  the  men  to  compose  their  party,  they  went  into 
camp  near  St.  Louis  and  remained  until  spring.  The  final  start 
was  made  on  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1804,  the  party  consisting  of 
Captain  Meriwether  Lewis,  Captain  William  Clarke,  nine  young 
men  from  Kentucky,  fourteen  soldiers,  two  French  Canadian  water 
men,  of  the  class  called  "  voyageurs  "  among  the  fur  traders,  an  in 
terpreter  and  hunter  and  a  negro  servant  of  Captain  Clarke.  There 
were,  also,  a  number  of  assistants  who  accompanied  the  party  as 
far  as  the  Mandan  country.  The  Missouri  river  was  ascended  as 
far  as  the  region  occupied  by  the  Mandan  Indians,  with  whom  they 
remained  all  winter,  learning  much  from  their  hosts  of  the  geogra 
phy  of  the  surrounding  country  as  well  as  its  native  inhabitants. 
While  there  they  negotiated  a  treaty  of  peace  and  friendship  between 
the  Mandans  and  Ricarees,  between  whom  hostilities  had  existed  for 
a  long  time. 


13ti  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  westward  journey  was  resumed  in  the  spring  of  1805.  They 
still  followed  up  the  Missouri,  of  whose  course,  tributaries  and  the 
great  falls  they  had  received  very  minute  and  acciirate  information 
from  their  Mandan  friends.  Passing  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone, 
which  name  they  record  as  being  but  a  translation  of  "Roche  Jaime,"" 
the  title  given  it  by  the  French-Canadian  trappers  who  had  already 
visited  it,  they  continued  up  the  Missouri,  passed  the  castellated 
rocks  and  the  great  falls  and  cascades,  ascended  through  the  mighty 
canyon,  and  reached  the  headwaters  of  the  stream,  crossed  the  Rocky 
Mountain  divide  and  came  upon  the  stream  variously  known  along 
its  course  as  u  Deer  Lodge,"  " Hellgate,"  " Bitterroot,"  "Clarke's 
Fork  of  the  Columbia "  and  "  Pend  d'Oreille."  Upon  this  they 
bestow;ed  the  name  u  Clarke's  River,"  and  so  it  should  be  called 
from  its  source  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  where  it  unites  with  the 
main  stream  in  British  Columbia.  From,  this  river  the  advance 
party  under  Clarke  crossed  the  Bitterroot  Mountains  by  the  Lolo 
trail,  suffering  intensely  from  cold  and  hunger,  and  on  the  twentieth 
of  September  reached  a  village  of  Nez  Perce  Indians,  situated  on  a 
plain  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  south  fork  of  Clearwater  River, 
where  they  were  received  with  great  hospitality.  This  first  passage 
of  the  mountains  by  representatives  of  the  United  States  and  their 
warm  reception  by  the  Indians  contrast  strongly  with  a  scene 
Avitnessed  by  this  same  Lolo  trail  seventy-two  years  later  when 
Howard's  army  hotly  pursued  Chief  Joseph  and  his  little  band  of 
hostile  Nez  Perces,  who  were  fleeing  before  the  avengers  from  the 
scene  of  their  many  bloody  massacres. 

The  almost  famished  men  partook  of  such  quantities  of  the  food 
liberally  provided  by  their  savage  hosts  that  many  of  them  became 
ill,  among  them  being  Captain  Clarke,  who  was  unable  to  continue 
the  journey  until  the  second  day.  He  then  went  to  the  village  of 
Twisted -hair,  the  chief,  situated  on  an  island  in  the  stream  men 
tioned.  To  the  river  he  gave  the  name  "  Koos-koos-kee,"  errone 
ously  supposing  it  to  be  its  Indian  title.  The  probabilities  are  that 
the  Nez  Perces,  in  trying  to  inform  Captain  Clarke  that  this  river 
flowed  into  a  still  larger  one,  the  one  variously  known  as  "  Lewis," 
"Sahaptin"  or  "  Snake,"  used  the  words  "Koots-koots-kee,"  mean 
ing  "  This  is  the  smaller,"  and  were  understood  to  have  meant  that 
as  the  name  of  the  stream.  The  Nez  Perce  name  is  "  Kaih-kaih- 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  137 

koosh,"  signifying  "  Clearwater,"  the  title  it  is  generally  known  by. 

Having  been  united,  the  two  parties  a  few  days  later  journeyed 
on  down  the  Clearwater.  Concerning  their  deplorable  condition 
and  their  method  of  traveling  the  journal  says:  "  Captain  Lewis 
and  two  of  the  men  were  taken  very  ill  last  evening,  and  to-day  he 
could  scarcely  sit  on  his  horse,  while  others  were  obliged  to  be  put 
on  horseback,  and  some,  from  extreme  weakness  and  pain,  were 
forced  to  lie  down  alongside  of  the  road.  *  *  *  The  weather 
was  very  hot  and  oppressive  to  the  party,  most  of  whom  are  now 
complaining  of  sickness.  Our  situation,  indeed,  rendered  it  neces 
sary  to  husband  our  remaining  strength,  and  it  was  determined  to 
proceed  down  the  river  in  canoes.  Captain  Clarke,  therefore,  set 
out  with  Twisted -hair,  and  two  young  men,  in  quest  of  timber 
for  canoes.  *  *  Having  resolved  to  go  down  to  some  spot 

calculated  for  building  canoes,  we  set  out  early  this  morning  and 
proceeded  five  miles,  and  encamped  on  the  low  ground  on  the  south, 
opposite  the  forks  of  the  river."  The  canoes  being  constructed,  they 
embarked,  in  the  month  of  October,  on  their  journey  down  the  Clear- 
water  and  connecting  streams,  for  the  Pacific,  leaving  what  remained 
of  their  horses  in  charge  of  the  friendly  Nez  Perces.  They  had  for 
some  time  been  subsisting  upon  roots,  fish,  horse -meat  and  an  occa 
sional  deer,  crow,  or  wolf,  but  having  left  their  horses  behind  them, 
their  resort,  when  out  of  other  food,  now  became  the  wolfish  dogs 
they  purchased  from  the  Indians. 

Upon  reaching  Snake  River,  which  was  named  in  honor  of 
Captain  Lewis,  the  canoes  were  turned  down  that  stream,  which 
they  followed  to  the  Columbia,  naming  the  Tukannon  River  "  Kim- 
so-emim,"  a  title  derived  from  the  Indians,  and  upon  the  Palouse 
bestowing  the  name  "Drewyer,"  in  honor  of  the  hunter  of  the 
party.  They  then  followed  down  the  Columbia,  passing  a  number  of 
rapids,  and  arrived  at  the  Cascades  on  the  twenty-first  of  October. 
A  portage  was  made  of  all  their  effects  and  a  portion  of  the  canoes, 
the  remainder  making  the  perilous  descent  of  the  Cascades  in  safety. 
The  mouth  of  the  Willamette  was  passed  without  the  addition  of 
so  large  a  stream  being  noticed.  Cape  Disappointment  was  reached 
November  fifteenth,  and  the  eyes  of  the  weary  travelers  were 
gladdened  with  a  sight  of  the  great  ocean  whicn  had  been  their  goal 
for  more  than  a  year.  The  season  of  winter  rains  having  set  in, 


138  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

they  were  soon  driven  by  high  water  from  the  low  land  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  stream,  eleven  miles  above  the  cape,  which  they 
had  selected  for  their  winter  residence.  They  then  left  the  Chin- 
ooks,  crossed  the  river,  and  built  a  habitation  on  the  high  land  on 
the  south  side  of  the  stream,  which  they  called  "  Fort  Clatsop,"  in 
honor  of  the  Indians  which  inhabited  that  region.  Here  they 
spent  the  winter,  making  occasional  short  excursions  along  the 
coast.  The  departure  for  home  was  delayed  with  the  hope  that 
some  trading  vessel  might  appear,  from  which  sadly-needed  supplies 
could  be  obtained,  but  being  disappointed  in  this  they  loaded  their 
canoes,  and  on  March  23,  1806,  took  final  leave  of  Fort  Clatsop. 
Before  going  they  presented  the  chiefs  of  the  Chinooks  and  Clatsops 
with  certificates  of  kind  and  hospitable  treatment,  and  circulated 
among  the  natives  several  papers,  posting  a  copy  on  the  wall  of  the 
abandoned  fort,  which  read  as  follows:  "The  object  of  this  last  is, 
that  through  the  medium  of  some  civilized  person,  who  may  see 
the  same,  it  may  be  made  known  to  the  world,  that  the  party,  con 
sisting  of  the  persons  whose  names  are  hereunto  annexed,  and  who 
were  sent  out  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  explore 
the  interior  of  the  continent  of  North  America,  did  penetrate  the 
same  by  the  way  of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia  rivers,  to  the  dis 
charge  of  the  latter  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  November,  1805,  and  departed  the  twenty- 
third  day  of  March,  1806,  on  their  return  to  the  United  States  by 
the  same  route  by  which  they  had  come  out."  To  this  was  appended 
a  list  of  the  members  of  the  expedition.  One  of  these  copies  was 
handed  by  an  Indian  the  following  year  to  Captain  Hall,  an  Ameri 
can  fur  trader,  whose  vessel,  the  Lydia,  had  entered  the  Columbia, 
by  whom  it  was  taken  to  China  and  thence  to  the  United  States; 
thus,  even  had  the  party  perished  on  the  return  journey,  evidence 
of  the  completion  of  their  task  was  not  wanting. 

Upon  taking  an  invoice  of  their  possessions  before  starting  upon 
the  return,  they  found  that  their  goods  available  for  traffic  with  the 
Indians  consisted  of  six  blue  robes,  one  scarlet  robe,  one  United 
States  artillery  hat  and  coat,  five  robes  made  from  the  national 
ensign,  and  a  few  old  clothes  trimmed  with  ribbon.  Upon  these 
must  they  depend  for  purchasing  provisions  and  horses,  and  for 
winning  the  hearts  of  stubborn  chiefs.  They  proceeded  up  the 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  139 

south  bank  of  the  stream,  until  they  came  unexpectedly  upon  a 
large  river  flowing  into  it  from  the  south.  On  an  island  near  its 
mouth,  known  to  the  early  trappers  as  "Wapatoo,"  arid  now  called 
"  Sauvie's  Island/'  they  came  upon  an  Indian  village,  where  they 
were  refused  a  supply  of  food.  To  impress  them  with  his  power, 
Captain  Clarke  entered  one  of  their  habitations  and  cast  a  few 
sulphur  matches  into  the  fire.  The  savages  were  frightened  at  the 
blue  flame,  and  looked  upon  the  strange  visitor  as  a  great  medicine 
man.  They  implored  him  to  extinguish  the  "  evil  fire,"  and  brought 
all  the  food  he  desired.  The  name  of  the  Indian  village  was  u  Mult 
nomah,"  but  Captain  Clarke  understood  the  name  to  apply  to  the 
river,  of  whose  course  he  made  careful  inquiry.  Upon  the  map  of 
this  expedition  the  "  Multnomah "  is  indicated  as  extending  south 
ward  and  eastward  into  California  and  Nevada,  and  the  Indians 
who  resided  along  the  streams  that  flow  from  southeastern  Oregon 
into  the  Snake,  are  represented  as  living  on  the  upper  branches  of 
the  Multnomah.  The  true  Indian  name  of  the  river  and  valley  is 
"Wallamet,"  which  has  been  corrupted  to  "Willamette"  by  those 
who  conceived  the  idea  that  it  was  of  French  origin.  The  confusion 
between  Indian,  French  and  English  names  in  this  region  has 
resulted  in  many  very  peculiar  and  ridiculous  appellations. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Lapage  River,  the  stream  later  named 
u  John  Day,'1  in  memory  of  the  bold  hunter  of  the  Astor  party, 
who  met  such  a  tragic  fate,  the  canoes  were  abandoned,  and  the 
party  proceeded  up  the  Columbia  on  foot,  packing  their  baggage 
upon  the  backs  of  a  few  horses  purchased  from  the  natives.  Cross 
ing  the  Umatilla,  which  they  called  "  You-ma-lolam,"  they  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Walla  Walla  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  April. 
Yellept,  the  Walla  Walla  chief,  was  a  man  of  unusual  capacity  and 
power,  and  extended  to  them  the  most  cordial  and  bountiful  hospi 
tality  they  had  enjoyed  since  leaving  the  abodes  of  civilization. 
How  different  would  have  been  the  reception  extended  them  could 
the  old  chief  have  gazed  into  the  future  with  prophetic  eye,  and 
seen  his  great  successor,  Peo-peo-mux-mux,  killed  while  unjustly  a 
prisoner  by  members  of  the  same  race  and  tribe  to  which  these 
white  guests  belonged!  It  is  related  of  Yellept  that  in  after  years, 
having  seen  the  last  of  five  noble  sons  perish  in  battle  or  by  the 
hand  of  disease,  he  called  together  the  tribe,  and  throwing  himself 


140  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

upon  the  body  of  his  last  son,  sternly  bade  them  bury  him  with 
his  dead.  With  loud  lamentations  and  heart-broken  sobs  they  did 
as  he  commanded,  and  buried  alive  the  great  chief  they  both  loved 
and  feared.  This  was  the  man  who  extended  his  hospitalities  to 
Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  because  of  the  important  part  the  Walla 
Wallas  and  Cay  uses  played  in  the  after  history  of  this  region,  the 
following  account  given  by  those  gentlemen  of  their  entertainers  is 
presented.  Their  journal  says:— 

Immediately  upon  our  arrival,  Yellept,  who  proved  to  be  a  man  of  much  influ 
ence,  not  only  in  his  own,  but  in  the  neighboring  nations,  collected  the  inhabitants 
and,  after  having  made  a  harangue,  the  purport  of  which  was  to  induce  the  nations 
to  treat  us  hospitably,  set  them  an  example,  by  bringing  himself  an  armful  of  wood 
and  a  platter  containing  three  roasted  mullets.  They  immediately  assented  to  one 
part,  at  least,  of  the  recommendation,  by  furnishing  us  with  an  abundance  of  the 
only  sort  of  fuel  they  employ,  the  stems  of  shrubs  growing  in  the  plains.  We  then 
purchased  four  dogs,  on  which  we  supped  heartily,  having  been  on  short  allowance 
for  two  days  past.  When  we  were  disposed  to  sleep,  the  Indians  retired  imme 
diately  on  our  request,  and,  indeed,  uniformly  conducted  themselves  with  great 
propriety.  These  people  live  on  roots,  which  are  very  abundant  in  the  plains,  and 
catch  a  lew  salmon-trout ;  but  at  present  they  seem  to  subsist  chiefly  on  a  species  of 
mullet,  weighing  from  one  to  three  pounds.  *  *  *  Monday,  twenty-eighth, 
we  purchased  ten  dogs.  While  this  trade  was  carrying  on  by  our  men,  Yellept 
brought  a  fine  white  horse  and  presented  him  to  Captain  Clarke,  expressing  at  the 
same  time  a  wish  to  have  a  kejtle ;  but  on  being  informed  that  we  had  already  dis 
posed  of  the  last  kettle  we  could  spare,  he  said  he  would  be  content  with  any  pres 
ent  we  should  make  in  return.  Captain  Clarke,  therefore,  gave  his  sword,  for 
which  the  chief  had  before  expressed  a  desire,  adding  one  hundred  balls,  some  pow 
der,  and  other  small  articles,  with  which  he  appeared  perfectly  satisfied.  We  were 
now  anxious  to  depart,  and  requested  Yellept  to  lend  us  canoes  for  the  purpose  of 
crossing  the  river.  But  he  would  not  listen  to  any  proposal  of  leaving  the  village. 
He  wished  us  to  remain  two  or  three  days ;  but  would  not  let  us  go  to-day,  for  he 
had  already  sent  to  invite  his  neighbors,  the  Chimnapoos  (Cayuses),  to  come  down 
this  evening  and  join  his  people  in  a  dance  for  our  amusement.  We  urged,  in  vain, 
that  by  setting  out  sooner  we  would  the  earlier  return  with  the  articles  they  desired ; 
for  a  day,  he  observed,  would  make  but  little  difference.  We  at  length  mentioned 
that,  as  there  was  no  wind,  it  was  now  the  best  time  to  cross  the  river,  and  would 
merely  take  the  horses  over  and  return  to  sleep  at  their  village.  To  this  he  assented, 
and  then  we  crossed  with  our  horses,  and  having  hobbled  them,  returned  to  their 
camp.  Fortunately  there  was  among  these  Wollawollahs  a  prisoner,  belonging  to 
a  tribe  of  Shoshonee  or  Snake  Indians,  residing  to  the  south  of  the  Multnomah, 
and  visiting  occasionally  the  heads  of  the  Wollawollah  creek.  Our  Shoshonee 
woman,  Sacajaweah,  though  she  belonged  to  a  tribe  near  the  Missouri,  spoke  the 
same  language  as  this  prisoner,  and  by  their  means  we  were  able  to  explain  our 
selves  to  the  Indians,  and  answer  all  their  inquiries  with  respect  to  ourselves  and 
the  object  of  our  journey.  Our  conversation  inspired  them  with  much  confidence, 
and  they  soon  brought  several  sick  persons  for  whom  they  requested  our  assistance. 
We  splintered  the  broken  arm  of  one,  gave  some  relief  to  another,  whose  knee  was 
contracted  by  rheumatism;  and  administered  what  we  thought  beneficial  for  ulcers 
and  eruptions  of  the  skin,  on  various  parts  of  the  body,  which  are  very  common 
disorders  among  them.  But  our  most  valuable  medicine  was  eye-water,  which  we 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  141 

distributed,  and  which,  indeed,  they  required  very  much ;  the  complaint  of  the 
eyes,  occasioned  by  living  on  the  water,  and  increased  by  the  fine  sand  of  the  plains, 
being  now  universal.  A  little  before  sunset,  the  Chimnapoos,  amounting  to  one 
hundred  men  and  a  few  women,  came  to  the  village,  and  joining  the  Wollawollahs, 
who  were  about  the  same  number  of  men,  formed  themselves  in  a  circle  round  our 
camp,  and  waited  very  patiently  till  our  men  were  disposed  to  dance,  which  they 
did  for  about  an  hour,  to  the  tune  of  the  violin.  They  then  requested  to  see  the 
Indians  dance.  With  this  they  readily  complied,  and  the  whole  assemblage, 
amounting,  with  the  women  and  children  of  the  village,  to  several  hundred,  stood 
up,  and  sang  and  danced  at  the  same  time.  The  exercise  was  not,  indeed,  very 
graceful,  for  the  greater  part  of  them  were  formed  into  a  solid  column,  round  a  kind 
of  hollow  square,  stood  on  the  same  place,  and  merely  jumped  up  at  intervals,  to 
keep  time  to  the  music.  Some,  however,  of  the  more  active  warriors  entered  the 
square  and  danced  round  it  sidewise,  and  some  of  our  men  joined  in  the  dance,  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  the  Indians.  The  dance  continued  till  ten  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  gave  small  medals  to  two  inferior  chiefs, 
each  of  whom  made  us  a  present  of  a  tine  horse.  We  were  in  a  poor  condition  to 
make  an  adequate  acknowledgement  for  this  kindness,  but  gave  several  articles, 
among  which  was  a  pistol,  with  some  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition.  We  have, 
indeed,  been  treated  by  these  people  with  an  unusual  degree  of  kindness  and  civility. 
*  We  may,  indeed,  justly  affirm  that  of  all  the  Indians  whom  we  have 
met  since  leaving  the  United  States,  the  Wollawollahs  were  the  most  hospitable, 
honest  and  sincere. 

Bidding  adieu  to  these  hospitable  people,  they  left  the  Colum 
bia  on  the  twenty -ninth  of  April  and  followed  eastward  what  is 
known  as  the  "  Nez  Perce  Trail."  They  went  up  the  Touchet, 
called  by  them  "  White  Stallion,"  because  of  the  present  Yellept 
had  made  to  Captain  Clarke,  the  Patet  and  Pataha  and  down  the 
Alpowa  to  Snake  river,  which  they  crossed  and  followed  up  the 
north  side  of  Clearwater  until  they  reached  the  village  of  Twisted  - 
hair,  where  had  been  left  their  horses  the  fall  before.  •  The  Lolo 
trail  was  not  yet  free  from  snow,  and  for  six  weeks  they  resided 
among  the  Nez  Perces,  a  tribe  closely  woven  into  the  history  of 
this  region.  Of  them  and  the  intercourse  held  with  them  the  fall 
before,  the  journal  says:—- 

The  Chopunnish,  or  Pierce-nosed,  nation,  who  reside  on  the  Kooskooske  and 
Lewis'  Rivers,  are  in  person  stout,  portly,  well-looking  men  ;  the  women  are  small, 
with  good  features,  and  generally  handsome,  though  the  complexion  of  both  sexes 
is  darker  than  that  of  the  Tushepaws.  In  dress  they  resemble  that  nation,  being 
fond  of  displaying  their  ornaments.  The  buffalo  or  elk  skin  robe  decorated  with 
beads,  sea-shells  (chiefly  mother-of-pearl),  attached  to  an  otter-skin  collar,  and  hung 
in  the  hair,  which  falls  in  front  in  two  queues ;  feathers,  paint  of  different  kinds 
(principally  white,  green  and  light  blue),  all  of  which  they  find  in  their  own 
country ;  these  are  the  chief  ornaments  they  use.  In  winter  they  wear  a  short  shirt 
of  dressed  skins,  long  painted  leggings  and  moccasins,  and  a  plait  of  twisted  grass 
around  the  neck,  The  dress  of  the  women  is  more  simple,  consisting  of  a  long  shirt 
of  argalia  or  ibex  skin,  reaching  down  to  the  ankles  without  a  girdle  ;  to  this  are 
tied  little  pieces  of  brass  and  shells,  and  other  small  articles ;  but  the  head  is  not  at 


142  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

all  ornamented.  The  dress  of  the  female  is,  indeed,  more  modest,  and  more  studi 
ously  so,  than  any  we  have  observed,  though  tne  other  sex  is  careless  of  the  inde 
licacy  of  exposure.  The  Chopunnish  have  very  few  amusements,  for  their  life  is 
painful  and  laborious ;  and  all  their  exertions  are  necessary  to  earn  even  their  pre 
carious  subsistence.  During  the  summer  and  autumn  they  are  busily  occupied  in 
fishing  for  salmon,  and  collecting  their  winter  store  of  roots.  In  the  winter  they 
hunt  the  deer  on  snow-shoes  over  the  plains,  and  towards  spring  cross  the  moun 
tains  to  the  Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  trafficing  for  buffalo  robes.  The  incon 
veniences  of  that  comfortless  life  are  increased  by  frequent  encounters  with  their 
enemies  from  the  west,  who  drive  them  over  the  mountains  with  the  lose  of  their 
horses,  and  sometimes  the  lives  of  many  of  the  nation.  Though  originally  the 
same  people,  their  dialect  varies  very  perceptibly  from  that  of  the  Tushepaws  ; 
their  treatment  of  us  differed  much  from  the  kind  and  disinterested  services  of  the 
Shoshonees  (Snakes);  they  are  indeed  selfish  and  avaricious;  they  part  very  reluc 
tantly  with  every  article  of  food  or  clothing  ;  and  while  they  expect  a  recompense 
for  every  service,  however  small,  do  not  concern  themselves  about  reciprocating 
any  presents  we  may  give  them.  They  are  generally  healthy — the  only  disorders, 
which  we  have  had  occasion  to  remark,  being  of  a  scrofulous  kind,  and  for  these, 
as  well  as  for  the  amusement  of  those  who  are  in  good  health,  hot  and  cold  bathing 
is  very  commonly  used.  The  soil  of  these  prairies  is  of  a  light  yellow  clay,  inter 
mixed  with  small,  smooth  grass ;  it  is  barren,  and  produces  little  more  than  a 
bearded  grass  about  three  inches  high,  and  a  prickly  pear,  of  which  we  now  found 
three  species. 

It  is  very  evident  that  these  gentlemen  were  not  acquainted  with 
the  attributes  of  the  succulent  bunch  grass,  nor  of  the  soil,  for  those 
prairies  constitute  the  now  celebrated  wheat  lands  of  Eastern  Ore 
gon  and  Washington  and  Northern  Idaho. 

They  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  cross  the  Bitterroot 
Mountains  on  the  fifteenth  of  June,  but  found  the  trails  blocked 
with  snow.  On  the  thirtieth,  however,  they  safely  crossed.  On 
the  fourth  of  July  it  was  decided  to  pursue  two  routes  for  a  dis 
tance;  accordingly,  Captain  Lewis,  with  a  portion  of  the  party, 
crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Missouri,  and  followed  down 
the  main  stream,  exploring  the  larger  tributaries  and  learning  much 
of  the  geography  of  Montana.  With  the  remainder  of  the  party 
Clarke  crossed  to  the  Yellowstone,  and  descended  that  stream  to 
its  mouth,  uniting  again  with  Captain  Lewis  some  distance  below 
that  point  on  the  twelfth  of  August.  There  stands  to  the  present 
day  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Yellowstone,  between  the  cities  of 
Miles  City  and  Billings,  a  monument  to  commemorate  the  visit  of 
this  expedition.  It  is  known  as  "  Pompey's  Pillar,1'  and  consists  of 
a  detached  body  of  yellow  sandstone,  which  rises  abruptly  on  three 
sides  to  the  height  of  four  hundred  feet.  On  the  north  side,  at  a 
place  which  can  be  reached  by  clambering  over  the  heavy  blocks 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  143 

of  sandstone  broken  down  from  the  body  of  the  cliff,  in  a  place 
sheltered  from  the  elements  by  an  overhanging  wall  of  rock,  the 
leader  carved  his  autograph;  and  the  characters,  "  William  Clarke, 
July  25,  1806,''  can  be  still  distinctly  traced.  When  again  united, 
the  party  continued  their  journey  down  the  Missouri,  and  reached 
St.  Louis  September  25,  1806,  having  been  absent  nearly  two  and 
one -half  years. 

The  return  of  Lewis  and  Clarke  was  the  cause  of  great  rejoicing 
in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Jefferson  says:  "Never  did  a  similar 
event  excite  more  joy  throughout  the  United  States.  The  humblest 
of  its  citizens  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  issue  of  this  journey, 
and  looked  forward  with  impatience  to  the  information  it  would 
furnish.  Their  anxieties,  too,  for  the  safety  of  the  corps  had  been 
kept  in  a  state  of  excitement  by  lugubrious  rumors,  circulated  from 
time  to  time  on  uncertain  authorities,  and  uncontradicted  by  letters, 
or  other  direct  information,  from  the  time  they  had  left  the  Mandan 
towns,  on  their  ascent  up  the  river  in  April  of  the  preceding  year, 
1805,  until  their  actual  return  to  St.  Louis."  Captain  Lewis  was, 
soon  after  his  return,  appointed  Governor  of  Louisiana,  with  which 
his  journey  had  rendered  him  more  familiar  than  any  other  man 
except  his  associate;  and  Captain  Clarke  was  appointed  General  of 
Militia  of  the  same  Territory,  and  agent  for  Indian  affairs  in  that 
vast  region  he  had  explored.  During  a  period  of  temporary  mental 
derangement,  Captain  Lewis  died  by  his  own  hand,  in  September, 
1809,  before  he  had  fully  completed  his  narrative  of  the  journey. 
The  history  of  the  expedition  was  prepared  from  his  manuscript 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  Clarke,  and  was  first  published  in 
1814.  The  general  details,  however,  were  spread  throughout  the 
country  immediately  upon  their  return,  especially  on  the  frontier. 
During  their  absence  other  exploring  parties  were  traversing  Louis 
iana  in  various  directions  in  search  of  information  for  the  govern 
ment.  Lieutenant  Pike  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  its  headwaters 
in  1805,  and  the  following  year  journeyed  south  westward  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  the  sources  of  the  Arkansas,  Red  and 
Rio  Bravo  del  Norte.  At  the  same  time  Dunbar,  Hunter  and 
Sibley  explored  Red  River  and  its  companion  streams.  These 
explorations  served  to  greatly  stimulate  the  fur  trade  carried  on 


144  H1STOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

from  St.  Louis  and  Mackinaw,  as  well  as  to  strengthen  the  govern 
ment  in  its  purpose  of  adhering  to  its  right  to  Louisiana. 

When  Great  Britain  received  the  official  notification  mentioned 
by  President  Jefferson  in  his  letter  of  instructions  to  Captain  Lewis, 
which  was  quickly  followed  by  intelligence  that  the  region  to  which 
it  referred  had  been  ceded  by  France  to  the  United  States,  much 
anxiety  was  felt  by  the  Government  and  such  of  its  subjects  as  were 
personally  interested  in  the  country  under  consideration.  Espec 
ially  were  the  Northwest  and  Hudson's  Bay  Companies  anxious  for 
the  future  of  their  interests  in  that  region,  more  particularly  the 
former,  whose  hunters  were  operating  further  south  and  west  than 
those  of  the  rival  company.  The  French  claim  to  Louisiana, 
founded  solely  upon  technical  grounds,  had  not  been  a  source  of 
much  uneasiness;  but  now  that  it  had  been  transferred  to  a  nation 
both  able  and  anxious  to  make  an  effort  to  perfect  the  title  by  re 
ducing  the  country  to  Actual  possession,  the  matter  presented  an  en 
tirely  different  aspect.  Naturally,  the  technical  title  was  not  recog 
nized  in  its  entirety ;  that  is,  there  was  a  vast  region  lying  north  of 
the  forty -second  parallel  and  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  known 
a  few  years  later  as  "  Oregon,"  and  embracing  the  watershed  of  the 
Columbia  River,  which  might  be  held  by  the  United  States  under 
the  Louisiana  title  and  the  discovery  right  of  Captain  Gray,  pro 
vided  these  claims  were  perfected  by  actual  occupation;  similar  oc 
cupation  might  entitle  Great  Britain  to  its  possession  as  a  perfec 
tion  of  her  technical  title,  claimed  by  discovery  through  Captain 
Francis  Drake,  and  exploration  by  Captain  Cook,  Captain  Vancou 
ver  and  Alexander  Mackenzie.  Both  nations  having  color  of  title, 
possession  became  the  decisive  issue.  The  Northwest  Company  im 
mediately  sent  a  party  to  establish  trading  posts  on  the  Columbia, 
under  command  of  a  trusted  agent  named  Laroque.  He  started  in 
1804,  but  failed  to  progress  farther  than  the  Mandan  country,  and 
the  Columbia  stations  were  not  established.  Simon  Fraser,  another 
agent  of  the  company,  left  Fort  Chipewyan  in  1805,  and  followed 
the  route  pursued  formerly  by  Mackenzie  until  he  reached  Fraser 
River.  At  Fraser  Lake,  a  few  miles  w^est  of  the  point  where  the 
river  turns  to  the  southward,  he  established  a  trading  post,  bestow 
ing  the  name  "  New  Caledonia  "  upon  that  region.  As  the  Fraser 
was  then  considered  identical  with  the  Columbia,  it  was  supposed 


OVERLAND  JOURNEYS  TO  THE  PACIFIC.  145 

that  this  post  was  on  the  great  stream  for  the  possession  of  which 
England  and  America  were  contending.  Though  this  idea  was 
subsequently  learned  to  be  erroneous,  the  fact  remained  true  that 
the  post  was  the  first  establishment  made  by  the  subjects  of  either 
nation  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  Americans  were  not  far 
behind,  for  the  Missouri  Fur  Company  was  organized  in  1808,  with 
headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  The  same  year  trading  posts  were  es 
tablished  on  the  affluents  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  and  one 
of  the  agents  of  the  company,  named  Henry,  crossed  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  founded  Fort  -Henry,  on  the  headwaters  of  Lewis, 
or  Snake,  River,  the  first  American  establishment,  and,  as  it  proved, 
the  first  of  any  kind  on  a  tributary  of  the  Columbia.  The  next  was 
made  nearer  the  mouth  of  the  stream  in  1810,  by  an  American  whose 
name  has  been  variously  given  by  superficial  historians  as  "  Smith," 
u  T.  Winship"  and  "  Nathaniel  Winship,"  none  of  which  are  cor 
rect.  Early  in  1809  a  partnership  was  formed  in  Boston  between 
Abiel  Winship,  Jonathan  Winship,  Nathan  Winship,  Benjamin 
P.  Homer  and  a  few  others,  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  settle 
ment  on  the  Columbia  as  a  base  of  trading  operations,  the  settle 
ment  to  be  a  permanent  one.  With  everything  necessary  to  the  suc 
cess  of  the  project,  Nathan  Winship  sailed  in  the  Albatross  in  July, 
William  Smith  being  his  chief  mate.  He  carried  written  instruc 
tions,  by  which  it  appears  that  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise  were 
wise  enough  to  believe  that  Indian  character  was  the  same  on  the 
Pacific  as  it  had  been  found  to  be  on  the  Atlantic.  It  was  the  de 
sign  to  buy  the  land  from  the  natives;  to  erect  a  two -story  log 
house  with  port-holes  for  cannon  and  loop-holes  for  rifles;  the 
second  story  to  be  the  arsenal  where  all  the  arms  and  ammunition 
were  to  be  stored,  and  to  which  no  Indian  was  to  be  admitted  upon 
any  consideration,  entrance  to  be  effected  by  means  of  a  trap  door 
and  ladder ;  agriculture  to  be  carried  on  under  the  guns  of  the  fort, 
which  was  always  to  be  guarded  by  a  sufficient  force.  William  A. 
Gale  kept  a  journal,  which  gives  the  details  of  the  expedition. 
When  the  Albatross  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Winship  found  a 
letter  there  from  his  brother  Jonathan,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
trading  vessel  O  Cain,  advising  him  to  make  haste,  as  the  Russians 
had  designs  on  the  Columbia.  It  was  the  twenty-sixth  of  May,  1810, 
that  the  Albatross  entered  the  river  and  began  sounding  it  to  locate 


146  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  channel,  gradually  ascending  the  stream.  On  the  first  of  June 
Winship  and  Smith  selected  a  point  on  the  south  bank  of  the  stream 
some  forty  miles  above  its  mouth,  which  they  called  "  Oak  Point," 
because  they  observed  there  four  oak  trees,  the  first  they  had  seen 
since  entering  the  river.  The  place  now  known  as  "  Oak  Point "  is 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  a  fact  which  has  led  some  writers 
into  the  error  of  stating  that  this  first  American  settlement  on  the 
Columbia  was  made  in  Washington  Territory.  They  at  once  began 
preparations  in  accordance  with  their  plans,  such  as  hewing  logs  for 
the  fort  and  clearing  a  patch  of  the  fertile  tract  for  a  garden ;  but 
they  were  soon  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  "  June  Rise,"  for 
the  annual  freshets  of  that  season  covered  their  building  site  and 
garden  patch  to  the  depth  of  several  feet  long  before  they  had  the 
fort  erected.  A  patch  of  higher  ground  five  hundred  yards  further 
down  the  stream  was  selected,  and  the  logs  floated  down  to  it,  but 
as  the  natives  had  begun  to  exhibit  symptoms  of  hostility,  Winship 
decided  to  abandon  the  effort.  On  the  seventeenth  of  June  he 
dropped  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  learning  on  the  way  that 
only  his  vigilance  had  prevented  the  capture  of  his  vessel  by  the 
Chinooks.  He  then  sailed  on  a  trading  voyage,  expecting  to  return 
the  next  year  and  found  a  settlement,  but  in  this  he  was  forestalled 
by  the  Astor  party.  The  Albatross  had  quite  a  string  of  adven 
tures  before  again  reaching  Boston,  being  seized  once  on  the  Cali 
fornia  coast,  and  once  blockaded  by  British  men  of  war  at  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  Thus  were  the  first  two  settlements  on  the  river 
made  by  Americans,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  third  and  most 
important  was  also  made  by  them. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY. 

The  Pacific  Fur  Trade  at  the  Beginning  of  the  Present  Century — Ameri 
cans  in  the  Lead — Their  Plan  of  Operations — Russia  Complains  of 
the  Sale  of  Fire-Arms  to  the  Indians— John  Jacob  Astor^s  Plans — 
The  Pacific  Fur  Company  Organized — Astor's  Alien  Partners — The 
"Tonquin"  Sails  from  New  York — Dissensions  on  the  Voyage — Dan 
gers  of  the  Columbia  Bar — Astoria  Founded — Sad  Fate  of  the  "Ton- 
quin  "  and  Her  Crew — Appearance  at  Astoria  of  an  Agent  of  the 
Northwest  Company — Fort  OMnagan — Launch  of  the  "Dolly" — 
Sufferings  of  Wilson  Price  Huntis  Party — Operations  along  the 
Columbia — Astoria  Sold  to  the  Northwest  Company — Captured  by 
the  English  and  Named  "Fort  George" — Unsuccessful  Efforts  of 
Mr.  Astor  to  Regain  Possession — Negotiations  under  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent — Conflicting  Claims  to  Oregon  Advanced  by  England  and  the 
United  States — Technical  Surrender  of  Fort  George — Joint  Occu 
pation  Agreed  Upon — The  Florida  Treaty. 


DURING  the  first  ten  years  of  the  present  century,  Americans 
took  the  lead  in  the  fishing  and  fur  trade  of  the  Pacific,  though 
the  vessels  of  other  nations  were  not  an  unfrequent  sight  to  the 
waters  of  our  coast.  The  reasons  for  this  were  simple.  Russians 
did  not  enjoy  the  privilege  of  entering  the  few  Chinese  ports  open 
to  the  commerce  of  more  favored  nations,  and  therefore  did  their 
trading  by  land  from  Kamtchatka,  as  previously  described;  the 
English  independent  traders  were  excluded  from  the  Pacific  by  the 
monopoly  grants  of  the  East  India  Company  and  8outh  Sea  Com 
pany.  Naturally  this  usurpation  of  the  fur  trade  by  Americans 
was  distasteful  to  rival  nations,  and  especially  to  the  English,  who 
did  not  then,  and,  in  fact,  seldom  do  now,  recognize  the  enterprise 
and  commercial  spirit  of  the  "  Yankees  "  as  commendable,  or  admit 


148  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

their  .superiority,  or  even  equality,  in  anything.  Though  often  the 
representatives  of  wealthy  and  long -established  business  houses, 
these  traders  were  classed  by  them  as  "  adventurers,"  and  very 
slightingly  spoken  of,  while  their  skill  as  navigators  and  judgment 
as  traders  were  not  recognized  as  deserving  of  praise.  Archibald 
Campbell  gives  the  following  contemptuous  review  of  the  "Yan 
kee"  method  of  conducting  the  fur  trade:— 

These  adventurers  set  out  on  the  voyage  with  a  few  trinkets  of  very  little  value. 
In  the  Southern  Pacific,  they  pick  up  a  few  seal  skins,  and  perhaps  a  few  butts  of 
oil;  at  the  Gallipagos,  they  lay  in  turtle,  of  which  they  preserve  the  shells;  at  Val 
paraiso,  they  raise  a  few  dollars  in  exchange  for  European  articles  ;  at  Nootka,  and 
other  parts  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  they  traffic  with  the  natives  for  furs,  which,  when 
winter  commences,  they  carry  to.  the  Sandwich  Islands,  to  dry  and  preserve  from 
vermin ;  here  they  leave  their  own  people  to  take  care  of  them,  and,  in  the  spring, 
embark,  in  lieu,  the  natives  of  the  islands,  to  assist  in  navigating  to  the  Northwest 
Coast  in  search  of  more  skins.  The  remainder  of  the  cargo  is  then  made  up  of 
sandal,  which  grows  abundantly  in  the  woods  of  Atooi  and  Owyhee  (Hawaii),  of 
tortoise  shells,  shark's  fins,  and  pearls  of  an  inferior  kind,  all  of  which  are  accept 
able  in  the  Chinese  market ;  and  with  these  and  their  dollars  they  purchase  cargoes 
of  teas,  silks  and  nankins,  and  thus  complete  their  voyage  in  the  course  of  two  or 
three  years. 

With  the  exception  of  the  assertion  that  their  outward  cargo 
consisted  solely  of  a  "  few  trinkets,"  this  may  be  called  a  correct 
statement  of  the  Yankee  method,  and,  so  far  from  proving  them  to 
have  been  mere  adventurers,  shows  that  their  voyages  were  con 
ducted  with  a  clear  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  Chinese  trade  and  the 
only  successful  method  of  conducting  it.  Had  the  traders  of  rival 
nations  shown  the  same  good  judgment  and  managed  their  enter 
prises  in  the  same  systematic  manner,  they  would  have  met  with  a 
greater  measure  of  success.  The  vessels  were  generally  large  ones, 
dispatched  by  wealthy  merchants,  and  besides  the  trinkets,  carried 
valuable  cargoes  of  English  and  American  manufactured  goods, 
with  which  they  supplied  the  Russian  and  Spanish  settlements  on 
the  Coast.  The  Russians  in  particular  were  dependent  upon  the 
American  traders  for  ammunition,  sugar,  spirits,  and  manufactured 
articles  generally.  The  "  trinkets "  spoken  of  were  used  in  the 
Indian  trade,  as  has  been  the  custom  from  time  immemorial  with 
civilized  nations  in  their  dealings  with  inferior  races.  Commer 
cially  of  little  value,  they  were  highly  prized  by  the  natives,  who 
would  give  for  them  more  furs  than  they  would  offer  for  some  object 
worth  ten  times  the  amount,  but  which  did  not  strike  their  fancy, 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  149 

or  was  of  no  use  to  them  in  their  manner  of  living.  This  method 
of  trading  with  the  Indians  was  practiced  as  much  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  and  Northwest  Company  as  by  the  Americans;  nor 
was  it  confined  to  English -speaking  nations,  for  the  Russians  also 
bartered  beads  and  cheap  ornaments  for  valuable  furs.  Such  arti 
cles  have  always  been  considered  a  "  valuable  consideration "  by 
every  nation  in  dealing  with  uncivilized  races. 

Certain  of  these  traders  were  guilty  of  improper  and  impolitic 
conduct,  however,  and  this  was  the  chief  cause  of  bringing  them 
into  disrepute.  They  used  whisky  and  fire-arms  as  articles  of  mer 
chandise,  reaping  present  profit,  but  sowing  the  seeds  of  decay  which 
have  swept  away  the  native  inhabitants  of  the  Coast  likes  flies  by 
an  October  frost.  It  would,  at  the  first  glance,  seem  that  the  pos 
session  of  fire-arms  by  the  Indians  would  enable  them  to  hunt  more 
successfully,  and  thus,  by  rendering  the  supply  of  furs  more  abun 
dant,  add  to  the  profit  of  the  traders;  but  there  was  another  face  to 
the  matter.  Irving  says:  "In  this  way  several  fierce  tribes  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Russian  posts,  or  within  range  of  their  trading  excur 
sions,  were  furnished  with  deadly  means  of  warfare,  and  rendered 
troublesome  and  dangerous  neighbors."  The  Russians  were  ex 
tremely  harsh  and  illiberal  in  their  dealings  with  the  aborigines, 
winning  their  hostility  instead  of  good  will,  and  they  naturally 
objected  to  the  placing  of  the  defrauded  tribes  on  an  equality  with 
themselves  in  the  matter  of  weapons  of  war.  Complaint  was  made 
by  the  Russian  Government  to  the  State  Department;  but  as  the 
American  traders  were  violating  no  law  or  treaty,  the  Government 
could  not  interfere  directly.  It  did,  however,  use  its  influence  to 
effect  a  remedy.  John  Jacob  Astor  was  then  the  central  figure  of 
the  American  fur  trade,  being  engaged  extensively  in  that  business 
in  the  region  of  the  great  lakes  and  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  was  the  leading  merchant  of  New  York  City.  His  attention 
was  called  to  the  matter  and  he  soon  devised  an  effectual  remedy. 
His  idea  was  to  concentrate  the  trade  in  4he  hands  of  a  company 
which  would  conduct  it  properly,  and  one  of  the  means  of  doing 
this  was  to  supply  the  Russian  posts  by  contract,  and  thus  cut  off 
one  of  the  most  profitable  elements  of  the  Pacific  trade  from  the 
independent  traders.  His  plan  was  to  establish  a  permanent  post 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  which  would  be  the  headquarters  for 


150  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  large  trade  with  the  interior  and  along  the  coast,  and  to  supply 
this  post  and  the  Russian  settlements  by  means  of  a  vessel  sent  an 
nually  from  New  York,  which  should  also  convey  the  furs  to  China 
and  take  home  from  there  a  cargo  of  silk,  tea,  etc.  The  independ 
ent  traders  would  thus  be  superseded  by  a  company  which  would 
establish  posts  along  the  Columbia,  a  thing  earnestly  desired  by  the 
Government,  and  the  cause  of  irritation  to  Russia  would  be  removed. 
The  scheme  was  heartily  endorsed  by  the  President  and  Cabinet. 
As  has  been  shown,  President  Jefferson  had  been  for  years  a  warm 
advocate  of  American  supremacy  along  the  Columbia,  and  in  a  let 
ter  written  to  Mr.  Astor  in  later  years,  said  of  his  opinion  at  that 
time:  "I  considered,  as  a  great  public  acquisition,  the  commence 
ment  of  a  settlement  in  that  part  of  the  western  coast  of  America, 
and  looked  forward  with  gratification  to  the  time  when  its  descend 
ants  had  spread  themselves  through  the  whole  length  of  the  coast, 
covering  it  with  free  and  independent  Americans,  unconnected  with 
us  but  by  the  ties  of  blood  and  interest,  and  enjoying  like  us  the 
lights  of  self-government."  How  vastly  grander  is  the  actual  than 
even  this  grand  conception  of  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  America 
has  produced! 

Mr.  Astor  organized  the  Pacific  Fur  Company,  himself  supply 
ing  the  capital  and  owning  a  half  interest.  To  manage  operations 
in  the  field,  he  selected  competent  men  of  much  experience  in  the 
fur  trade,  and  to  bind  them  to  his  interests  he  gave  them  the  other 
half  share  in  the  enterprise,  divided  in  equal  proportions.  Wisdom 
and  prudence  marked  every  step  taken,  with  the  exception  of  the 
selection  of  partners.  Among  these  were  several  men  who  had 
formerly  belonged  to,  or  were  employed  by,  the  Northwest  Com 
pany.  They  were  of  alien  birth  and  sympathies.  When  they 
united  with  Mr.  Astor  it  was  simply  as  a  commercial  venture,  by 
which  they  hoped  to  better  themselves  financially,  His  purpose  of 
founding  an  American  settlement  on  the  Columbia,  so  that  the 
United  States  might  dominate  this  region,  was  not  in  harmony  with 
their  national  sentiments.  They  were  British  in  thought  and  sym 
pathy,  even  as  partners  in  an  American  enterprise,  and  could  not 
be  relied  upon  to  support  the  interests  of  the  United  States  when 
they  came  in  conflict  in  the  disputed  territory  with  those  of  Great 
Britain,  as  represented  by  the  great  company  in  which  they  had 


ASTORIA   AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION   TREATY.  151 

received .  their  training  and  to  which  they  were  attached  by  the 
strongest  ties  which  time  and  association  can  weave.  In  an  enter 
prise  so  purely  American  and  of  such  deep  political  significance, 
Washington's  injunction  to  "Put  none  but  Americans  on  guard" 
should  have  been  wisely  heeded ;  and  the  failure  so  to  do  was  most 
disastrous  in  its  consequences.  These  men  were  Alexander  McKay 
(father  of  the  well  known  Tom.  McKay  and  grandfather  of  Dr. 
William  C.  McKay,  of  Pendleton,  Oregon ),  who  had  accompanied 
Mackenzie  on  both  of  his  great  journeys,  Duncan  McDougal,  David 
and  Robert  Stuart,  and  Donald  McKenzie.  So  far  from  undertak 
ing  to  Americanize  themselves,  these  gentlemen  took  the  precaution 
before  leaving  Canada  to  provide  themselves  with  proofs  of  their 
British  citizenship,  to  be  used  for  their  protection  in  case  of  future 
difficulties  between  the  two  nations.  Had  this  been  known  to  Mr. 
Astor  it  would  doubtless  have  put  a  sudden  termination  to  their 
connection  with  the  enterprise.  Only  one  American,  Wilson  Price 
Hunt,  of  New  Jersey,  was  an  interested  partner  from  the  first,  and 
to  him  was  entrusted  the  management  of  the  enterprise  on  the 
Pacific  Coast. 

The  first  movement  was  made  on  the  second  of  August,  1810, 
when  the  ship  Tonquin  sailed  from  New  York  for  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  commanded  by  Captain  Jonathan  Thorn,  a  Lieuten 
ant  of  the  United  States  Navy,  on  leave  of  absence.  She  mounted 
ten  guns,  had  a  crew  of  twenty  men,  and  carried  a  large  cargo  of 
supplies  for  the  company,  and  merchandise  for  trading  with  the 
natives,  as  well  as  implements  and  seeds  for  cultivating  the  soil, 
and  the  fame  of  a  small  schooner  for  use  in  trading  along  the  coast. 
She  carried,  as  passengers,  McKay,  McDougal,  the  two  Stuarts, 
twelve  clerks  (among  them  Tom  McKay),  several  artisans,  and 
thirteen  Canadian  voyageurs.  The  voyage  was  uneventful,  except 
as  regards  the  dissensions  that  arose  between  the  American  Captain 
and  the  Scotch  partners.  Captain  Thorn  was  a  strict  disciplinarian. 
He  possessed  great  respect  for  himself  as  an  officer  of  the  Ameri 
can  Navy,  and  had  inherited  from  Revolutionary  sires  a  lasting 
contempt  for  "  Britishers."  He  considered  the  authority  of  a  com 
mander  on  the  deck  of  his  vessel  as  supreme,  even  to  the  point  of 
autocracy,  and  he  made  the  Scotchmen  understand  this  idea  the  first 
time  they  undertook  to  exercise  any  of  the  authority  they  conceived 


152  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

themselves  to  be  possessed  of  as  partners  in  the  company.  He 
informed  them  that  when  they  were  on  shore  they  could  do  as  they 
pleased,  but  when  they  were  on  board  of  his  vessel  they  must  do  as 
he  pleased  or  be  put  in  irons.  He  held  himself  responsible  in  his 
management  of  the  Tonquin  solely  to  Mr.  Astor,  from  whom  he  had 
received  his  instructions,  and  would  brook  no  interference  what 
ever  from  the  lesser  partners,  whom  he  considered  as  simply  pas 
sengers.  It  may  well  be  imagined  that  when  the  ship  reached 
the  Columbia  Bar,  on  the  twenty-second  of  the  following  March, 
after  a  voyage  of  nearly  eight  months,  the  snubbed  partners  were 
delighted  at  the  prospect  of  soon  setting  foot  on  shore,  where  they 
could  exercise  a  little  of  that  authority  which  had  been  so  com 
pletely  bottled  up;  while  Captain  Thorn  was  equally  pleased  to  be 
rid  of  his  passengers,  who  had  been  a  continual  source  of  annoy 
ance  during  the  voyage. 

When  the  Tonquin  arrived  off  the  bar  the  weather  was  stormy 
and  the  breakers  rolled  high.  He  feared  to  take  his  vessel  across 
an  unknown  bar  in  such  a  rough  sea.  This  fear  was  not  a  personal 
one,  for  he  was  as  brave  as  he  was  headstrong,  but  was  solely  in 
reference  to  the  safety  Qf  his  vessel,  to  secure  which  he  would  have 
forfeited  his  own  life  and  those  of  his  entire  crew,  had  it  been  nec 
essary  to  do  so.  He  accordingly  ordered  Mr.  Fox,  the  first  mate, 
to  take  a  whale  boat,  with  a  crew  of  one  seaman  and  three  Cana 
dians,  and  explore  the  channel.  Although  it  was  almost  certain 
death  to  make  the  attempt,  Mr.  Fox  expressed  a  willingness  to 
undertake  it  if  he  were  provided  with  a  crew  of  seamen  instead  of 
the  green  Canadians;  but  the  wrillful  captain  insisted  upon  the  exe 
cution  of  his  order  as  originally  given.  The  surging  billows  soon 
engulfed  the  boat  and  its  brave  crew,  and  they  were  seen  no  more. 
The  next  day  another  boat  was  sent  on  the  same  errand,  and  was 
swept  out  to  sea  by  the  tide  and  current,  and  only  one  of  its  occu 
pants  finally  reached  land  in  safety.  Just  as  darkness  closed  down 
upon  the  scene,  on  the  second  day,  the  Tonquin  succeeded  in  cross 
ing,  and  anchored  just  within  the  bar,  where  the  wind  and  ebbing 
tide  threatened  to  sweep  her  from  her  precarious  hold  upon  the 
sands  and  swamp  her  amid  the  rolling  breakers.  The  night  was  an 
anxious  and  distressful  one.  Irving  says:  "  The  wind  whistled,  the 
sea  roared,  the  gloom  was  only  broken  by  the  ghastly  glare  of  the 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  153 

foaming  breakers,  the  minds  of  the  seamen  were  full  of  dreary 
apprehensions,  and  some  of  them  fancied  they  heard  the  cries  of 
their  lost  comrades  mingling  with  the  uproar  of  the  elements."  In 
the  morning  the  Tonquin  passed  safely  in  and  came  to  anchor  in  a 
good  harbor. 

On  the  twelfth  of  April  the  partners  began  the  erection  of  a  fort 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  on  a  point  which  Lieutenant  Brough- 
ton  had  named  "  Point  George.1'  This  was  christened  u  Astoria," 
in  honor  of  the  founder  and  chief  promoter  of  the  enterprise,  a 
name  now  borne  by  a  thriving  commercial  city,  which  marks  the 
spot  where  America  first  planted  her  foot  squarely  upon  the  dis 
puted  territory  of  Oregon.  After  much  delay  and  continued  wrang 
ling  over  their  respective  authority,  a  store -house  was  built  and  the 
supplies  landed;  and  on  the  fifth  of  June,  before  the  fort  was  com 
pleted,  Captain  Thorn  sailed  northward  to  engage  in  trade  with  the 
Indians,  and  to  open  that  friendly  communication  with  the  Russian 
settlements  which  formed  such  an  important  feature  of  Mr.  Astor's 
plan.  With  him  wrent  Alexander  McKay,  the  only  partner  who 
had  possessed  the  good  sense  to  refrain  from  wrangling  with  the 
irascible  captain. 

He  came  to  anchor  in  one  of  the  harbors  on  the.  west  coast  of 
Vancouver  Island,  and  Mr.  McKay  went  ashore.  Daring  his  ab 
sence  the  vessel  was  surrounded  by  a  host  of  savages  in  their  ca 
noes,  who  soon  swarmed  upon  the  decks.  They  were  eager  to  trade, 
but  had  evidently  had  considerable  experience  in  dealing  with  the 
whites  and  were  well  posted  upon  the  value  of  their  furs,  for  they 
resolutely  demanded  a  higher  price  than  Captain  Thorn  was  will 
ing  to  pay.  Provoked  beyond  measure  at  their  stubbornness,  Thorn 
refused  to  deal  with  them,  whereupon  they  became  exceedingly  inso 
lent.  The  Captain  at  last  completely  lost  his  temper,  and  seizing 
the  old  chief,  Nookamis,  who  was  following  him  about  and  taunting 
him  writh  his  stinginess,  rubbed  in  his  face  an  otter  skin  he  had 
been  endeavoring  to  sell.  He  then  ordered  the  whole  band  to  leave 
the  ship,  and  added  blows  to  enforce  his  command.  The  tragic 
ending  of  this  adventure  is  thus  related  by  Irving:— 

When  Mr.  McKay  returned  on  board,  the  interpreter  related  what  had  passed, 
and  begged  him  to  prevail  upon  the  Captain  to  make  sail,  as,  from  his  knowledge 
of  the  temper  and  pride  of  the  people  of  the  place,  he  was  sure  they  would  resent 
the  indignity  offered  to  one  of  their  chiefs.  Mr.  McKay,  who  himself  possessed 


154  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

some  experience  of  Indian  character,  went  to  the  Captain,  who  was  still  pacing  the 
deck  in  moody  humor,  represented  the  danger  to  which  his  hasty  act  had  exposed 
the  vessel,  and  urged  upon  him  to  weigh  anchor.  The  Captain  made  light  of  his 
counsels,  and  pointed  to  his  cannon  and  fire-arms  as  a  sufficient  safeguard  against 
naked  savages.  Further  remonstrance  only  provoked  taunting  replies  and  sharp 
altercations.  The  day  passed  away  without  any  signs  of  hostility,  and  at  night  the 
Captain  retired,  as  usual,  to  his  cabin,  taking  no  more  than  usual  precautions.  On 
the  following  morning,  at  daybreak,  while  the  Captain  and  Mr.  McKay  were  yet 
asleep,  a  canoe  came  alongside  in  which  were  twenty  Indians,  commanded  by 
young  Shewish.  They  were  unarmed,  their  aspect  and  demeanor  friendly,  and 
they  held  up  otter  skins,  and  made  signs  indicative  of  a  wish  to  trade.  The  caution 
enjoined  by  Mr.  Astor  in  respect  to  the  admission  of  Indians  on  board  of  the 
ship,  had  been  neglected  for  some  time  past,  and  the  officer  of  the  watch,  perceiv 
ing  those  in  the  canoes  to  be  without  weapons,  and  having  received  no  orders  to 
the  contrary,  readily  permitted  them  to  mount  the  deck.  Another  canoe  soon  suc 
ceeded,  the  crew  of  which  was  likewise  admitted.  In  a  little  while  other  canoes 
came  off,  and  Indians  were  soon  clambering  into  the  vessel  on  all  sides. 

The  officer  of  the  watch  now  felt  alarmed,  and  called  to  Captain  Thorn  and  Mr. 
McKay.  By  the  time  they  came  on  deck,  it  was  thronged  with  Indians.  The 
interpreter  noticed  to  Mr.  McKay  that  many  of  the  natives  wore  short  mantles  of 
skins,  and  intimated  a  suspicion  that  they  were  secretly  armed.  Mr.  McKay 
urged  the  Captain  to  clear  the  ship  and  get  under  way.  He  again  made  light  of 
the  advice  ;  but  the  augmented  swarm  of  canoes  about  the  ship,  and  the  numbers 
still  putting  off  from  the  shore,  at  length  awakened  his  distrust,  and  he  ordered 
some  of  the  crew  to  weigh  anchor,  while  some  were  sent  aloft  to  make  sail.  The 
Indians  now  offered  to  trade  with  the  Captain  on  his  own  terms,  prompted, 
apparently,  by  the  approaching  departure  of  the  ship.  Accordingly,  a  hurried 
trade  was  commenced.  The^main  articles  sought  by  the  savages  in  barter,  were 
knives ;  as  fast  as  some  were  supplied  they  moved  off  and  others  succeeded.  By 
degrees  they  were  thus  distributed  about  the  deck,  and  all  with  weapons.  The  an 
chor  was  now  nearly  up,  the  sails  were  loose,  and  the  Captain,  in  a  loud  and  pre- 
emptory  tone,  ordered  the  ship  to  be  cleared.  In  an  instant  a  signal  yell  was  given  ; 
it  was  echoed  on  every  side,  knives  and  war  clubs  were  brandished  in  every  direc 
tion,  and  the  savages  rushed  upon  their  marked  victims. 

The  first  that  fell  was  Mr.  Lewis,  the  ship's  clerk.  He  was  leaning,  with  folded 
arms,  over  a  bale  of  blankets,  engaged  in  bargaining,  when  he  received  a  deadly 
stab  in  the  back,  and  fell  down  the  companionway.  Mr.  McKay,  who  was  seated  on 
the  taffrail,  sprang  to  his  feet,  but  was  instantly  knocked  down  with  a  war-club 
and  flung  backwards  into  the  sea,  where  he  was  dispatched  by  the  women  in  the 
canoes.  In  the  meantime,  Captain  Thorn  made  desperate  fight  against  fearful 
odds.  He  was  a  powerful  as  well  as  resolute  man,  but  he  came  upon  deck  without 
weapons.  Shewish,  the  young  chief,  singled  him  out  as  his  peculiar  prey,  and 
rushed  upon  him  at  the  first  outbreak.  The  Captain  had  barely  time  to  draw  a 
clasp-knife,  with  one  blow  of  which  he  laid  the  young  savage  dead  at  his  feet.  Sev 
eral  of  the  stoutest  followers  of  Shewish  now  set  upon  him.  He  defended  himself 
vigorously,  dealing  crippling  blows  to  right  and  left,  and  strewing  the  quarterdeck 
with  the  slain  and  wounded.  His  object  was  to  fight  his  way  to  the  cabin,  where 
there  were  fire-arms  ;  but  he  was  hemmed  in  with  foes,  covered  with  wounds,  and 
faint  with  loss  of  blood.  For  an  instant  he  leaned  upon  the  tiller  wheel,  when  a 
blow  from  behind,  with  a  war-club,  felled  him  to  the  deck,  where  he  was  dis 
patched  with  knives  and  thrown  overboard. 

While  this  was  transacting  upon  the  quarterdeck,  a  chance  medley  was  going 
on  throughout  the  ship.  The  crew  fought  desperately  with  knives,  handspikes 


ASTORIA   AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  155 

• 

and  whatever  weapons  they  could  seize  upon  in  the  moment  of  surprise.  They 
were  soon,  however,  overpowered  by  numbers  and  mercilessly  butchered.  As  to 
the  seven  who  had  been  sent  aloft  to  make  sail,  they  contemplated  with  horror  the 
carnage  that  was  going  on  below.  Being  destitute  of  weapons,  they  let  themselves 
down  by  the  running  rigging,  in  hopes  of  getting  between  decks.  One  fell  in  the 
attempt,  and  was  instantly  dispatched ;  another  received  a  death-blow  in  the  back 
as  he  was  descending  ;  a  third,  Stephen  Weeks,  the  armorer,  was  mortally  wounded 
as  he  was  getting  down  the  hatchway.  The  remaining  four  made  good  their  re 
treat  into  the  cabin,  where  they  found  Mr.  Lewis  still  alive,  though  mortally 
wounded.  Barricading  the  cabin  door,  they  broke  holes  through  the  companion- 
way,  and,  with  muskets  and  ammunition  which  were  at  hand,  opened  a  brisk  fire 
that  soon  cleared  the  deck.  Thus  far  the  Indian  interpreter,  from  whom  these 
particulars  are  derived,  had  been  an  eye-witness  of  the  deadly  conflict.  He  had 
taken  no  part  in  it  and  had  been  spared  by  the  natives  as  being  of  their  race.  In 
the  confusion  of  the  moment  he  took  refuge  with  the  rest,  in  the  canoes.  The  sur 
vivors  of  the  crew  now  sallied  forth  and  discharged  some  of  the  deck  guns,  which 
did  great  execution  among  the  canoes  and  drove  all  the  savages  to  shore. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  day  no  one  ventured  to  put  off  to  the  ship,  deterred  by 
the  effects  of  the  fire-arms.  The  night  passed  away  without  any  further  attempt  on 
the  part  of  the  natives.  When  day  dawned  the  Tonquin  still  lay  at  anchor  in  the 
bay,  her  sails  all  loose  and  flapping  in  the  wind,  and  no  one  apparently  on  board  of 
her.  After  a  time,  some  of  the  canoes  ventured  forth  to  reconnoitre,  taking  with 
them  the  interpreter.  They  paddled  about  her,  keeping  cautiously  at  a  distance, 
but  growing  more  and  more  emboldened  at  seeing  her  quiet  and  lifeless.  One  man 
at  length  made  his  appearance  on  the  deck  and  was  recognized  by  the  interpreter 
as  Mr.  Lewis.  He  made  friendly  signs  and  invited  them  on  board.  It  was  long 
before  they  ventured  to  comply.  Those  who  mounted  the  deck  met  with  no  oppo 
sition  ;  no  one  was  to  be  seen  on  board,  for  Mr.  Lewis,  after  inviting  them,  had  dis 
appeared.  Other  canoes  now  pressed  forward  to  board  the  prize ;  the  decks  were 
soon  crowded  and  the  sides  covered  with  clambering  savages,  all  intent  on  plunder. 
In  the  midst  of  their  eagerness  and  exultation,  the  ship  blew  up  with  a  tremendous 
explosion.  Arms,  legs  and  mutilated  bodies  were  blown  into  the  air,  and  dreadful 
havoc  was  made  in  the  surrounding  canoes.  The  interpreter  was  in  the  main 
chains  at  the  time  of  the  explosion,  and  was  thrown  unhurt  into  the  water,  where 
he  succeeded  in  getting  into  one  of  the  canoes.  According  to  his  statement  the  bay 
presented  an  awful  spectacle  after  the  catastrophe.  The  ship  had  disappeared,  but 
the  bay  was  covered  with  fragments  of  the  wreck,  with  shattered  canoes,  and 
Indians  swimming  for  their  lives  or  struggling  in  the  agonies  of  death  ;  while  those 
who  had  escaped  the  danger  remained  aghast  and  stupified,  or  made  with  frantic 
panic  for  the  shore.  Upwards  of  a  hundred  savages  were  destroyed  by  the  explo 
sion,  many  more  were  shockingly  mutilated,  and  for  days  afterwards  the  limbs  and 
bodies  of  the  slain  were  thrown  upon  the  beach. 

The  inhabitants  of  Neweetee  were  overwhelmed  with  consternation  at  this 
astounding  calamity  which  had  burst  upon  them  in  the  very  moment  of  triumph. 
The  warriors  sat  mute  and  mournful,  while  the  women  filled  the  air  with  loud  lam 
entations.  Their  weeping  and  wailing,  however,  was  suddenly  changed  into  yells 
of  fury  at  the  sight  of  four  unfortunate  white  men  brought  captive  into  the  village. 
They  had  been  driven  on  shore  in  one  of  the  ship's  boats,  and  taken  at  some  dis 
tance  along  the  coast.  The  interpreter  was  permitted  to  converse  with  them.  They 
proved  to  be  the  four  brave  fellows  who  had  made  such  desperate  defense  from  the 
cabin.  The  interpreter  gathered  from  them  some  of  the  particulars  already  related. 
They  told  him  further  that,  after  they  had  beaten  off  the  enemy,  and  cleared 
the  ship,  Lewis  advised  that  they  should  slip  the  cable  and  endeavor  to  get  to  sea. 


156  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

They  declined  to  take  his  advice,  alleging  that  the  wind  set  too  strongly  into  the 
bay,  and  would  drive  them  on  shore.  They  resolved,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  to  put 
off  quietly  in  the  ship's  boat,  which  they  would  be  able  to  do  unperceived,  and  to 
coast  along  back  to  Astoria.  They  put  their  resolution  into  effect ;  but  Lewis  re 
fused  to  accompany  them,  being  disabled  by  his  wound,  hopeless  of  escape  and 
determined  on  a  terrible  revenge.  On  the  voyage  out  he  had  frequently  expressed 
a  presentiment  that  he  should  die  by  his  own  hands— thinking  it  highly  probable 
that  he  should  be  engaged  in  some  contests  with  the  natives,  and  being  resolved,  in 
case  of  extremity,  to  commit  suicide  rather  than  be  made  a  prisoner.  He  now  de 
clared  his  intention  to  remain  on  the  ship  until  daylight,  to  decoy  as  many  of  the 
savages  on  board  as  possible,  then  to  set  fire  to  the  powder  magazine  and  terminate 
his  life  by  a  single  act  of  vengeance.  How  well  he  succeeded  has  been  shown. 
His  companions  bade  him  a  melancholy  adieu  and  set  off  on  their  precarious  expe 
dition.  They  strove  with  might  and  main  to  get  out  of  the  bay,  but  found  it  im 
possible  to  weather  a  point  of  land,  and  were  at  length  compelled  to  take  shelter 
in  a  small  cove,  where  they  hoped  to  remain  concealed  until  the  wind  should  be 
more  favorable.  Exhausted  by  fatigue  and  watching,  they  fell  into  a  sound  sleep, 
and  in  that  state  were  surprised  by  the  savages.  Better  had  it  been  for  those  un 
fortunate  men  had  they  remained  with  Lewis  and  shared  his  heroic  death ;  as  it 
was,  they  perished  in  a  more  painful  and  protracted  manner,  being  sacrificed  by 
the  natives  to  the  manes  of  their  friends  with  all  the  lingering  tortures  of  savage 
cruelty.  Some  time  after  their  death  the  interpreter,  who  had  remained  a  kind  of 
prisoner  at  large,  effected  his  escape  and  brought  the  tragical  tidings  to  Astoria. 

While  this  sad  tragedy  was  being  enacted,  affairs  progressed 
rapidly  at  Astoria.  The  fort  was  completed  and  everything  was 
placed  in  readiness  for  an  opening  of  the  expected  large  trade  with 
the  natives  of  the  Columbia.  On  the  fifteenth  of  July  a  canoe, 
manned  by  nine  white  men,  was  observed  descending  the  river,  and 
when  they  landed  at  the  fort  they  were  found  to  be  a  party  of  em 
ployees  of  the  powerful  Northwest  Company,  headed  by  David 
Thompson,  a  partner  in  that  great  organization.  He  had  been  dis 
patched  from  Montreal  the  year  before,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
possession  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  before  the  Astor  party 
should  arrive.  He  had  experienced  much  hardship,  disappointment 
and  delay ;  had  been  deserted  by  nearly  all  his  party,  and  now,  with 
but  a  few  faithful  ones,  he  arrived  too  late  to  accomplish  his  mis 
sion.  The  Americans  were  in  possession.  The  Northwest  Com 
pany  held  a  warm  place  in  McDougal's  heart,  and  as  that  gentle 
man  was  in  charge  at  Astoria,  Thompson  received  a  cordial  wel 
come,  and  was  bountifully  supplied  with  provisions  and  necessaries 
for  his  return  journey,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  but  a 
spy  upon  his  hosts.  When  he  set  out  upon  his  return,  eight  days 
later,  he  was  entrusted  with  a  letter  to  Mr.  Astor,  giving  the  presi 
dent  of  the  company  information  of  the  safe  arrival  of  the  Tonquin, 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  157 

the  founding  of  Astoria,  and  the  absence  of  the  vessel  upon  a  trad 
ing  voyage  to  the  north,  for  the  destruction  of  the  ship  and  tragic 
death  of  the  crew  were  as  yet  unknown  at  the  fort.  With  Thomp 
son  went  David  Stuart,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  nine  men,  with 
instructions  to  establish  a  post  on  the  Upper  Columbia.  This  he 
accomplished  by  founding  Fort  Okinagan,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Okinagan  River.  In  the  fall  Stuart  sent  half  his  men  back  to 
Astoria,  not  having  sufficient  provisions  to  subsist  them  all  through 
the  winter.  The  schooner  whose  frame  had  been  brought  out  in 
the  Tonquin,  was  constructed  during  the  summer,  and  was  launched 
on  the  second  of  October,  receiving  the  name  of  Dolly.  She  was  the 
third  craft  constructed  on  the  upper  coast,  and  the  first  built  along 
the  Columbia  River.  While  these  steps  were  being  taken  by  the 
party  which  reached  Astoria  by  sea,  the  other  one  which  attempted 
the  overland  journey  was  suffering  terrible  hardships. 

The  land  party  was  under  the  command  of  Wilson  Price  Hunt, 
and  was  composed  of  McKenzie  and  three  new  partners,  Ramsey 
Crooks,  Joseph  Miller  and  Robert  McLellan;  also,  John  Day,  a 
noted  Kentucky  hunter;  Pierre  Dorion,  a  French  half-breed  inter 
preter,  and  enough  trappers,  voyageurs,  etc.,  to  make  a  total  of  sixty 
people.  They  reached  Fort  Henry,  on  Snake  River,  •  October  8, 
1811.  Small  detachments  were,  from  time  to  time,  sent  out  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  trap,  who  were  to  use  Fort  Henry  as  a  base  of 
supplies  and  a  depot  for  furs. 

The  remainder  of  the  party  continued  the  journey  down  Snake 
River  and  met  with  a  continuous  succession  of  disasters.  Antoine 
Clappin  was  drowned  in  passing  a  rapid,  and  soon  after  famine 
reduced  them  to  a  pitiable  condition.  They  were  finally  forced  to 
separate  into  small  detachments,  one  party  going  under  Crooks, 
another  under  McKenzie,  and  a  third  under  Hunt,  with  the  hope  that 
by  such  a  division  their  chances  for  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Col 
umbia  would  be  increased.  Once  the  parties  under  Crooks  and 
Hunt  camped  with  only  the  narrow,  turbulent  waters  of  Snake 
River  separating  them.  The  Hunt  party  had  killed  a  horse  and 
were  cooking  it,  while  their  starving  companions  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  stream,  with  no  means  of  crossing  it,  were  forced  to  look  on  as 
they  dined.  Not  a  man  in  Mr.  Hunt's  camp  would  make  an  effort 
to  send  them  food,  until  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Crooks,  who,  discovering 


158  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  condition  of  his  rnen  on  the  opposite  side,  called  to  the  forlorn 
band  to  start  fires  for  cooking,  that  no  time  might  be  lost,  while  he 
constructed  a  canoe  out  of  skins  in  which  to  take  the  meat  across  to 
them.  In  vain  he  tried  to  shame  the  more  fortunate  into  helping 
to  succor  their  famishing  companions,  but  UA  vague  and  almost 
superstitious  terror,1'  says  Irving,  "  had  infected  the  minds  of  Mr. 
Hunt's  followers,  enfeebled  and  rendered  imaginative  of  horrors  by 
the  dismal  scenes  and  sufferings  through  which  they  had  passed. 
They  regarded  the  haggard  crew,  hovering  like  spectres  of  famine  on 
the  opposite  bank,  with  indefinite  feelings  of  awe  and  apprehension, 
as  if  something  desperate  and  dangerous  was  to  be  feared  from  them." 
When  the  canoe  was  finished,  Mr.  Crooks  attempted  to  navigate  the 
impetuous  stream  with  it,  but  found  his  strength  unequal  to  the 
task,  and  failing  to  reach  his  companions  on  the  opposite  bank, 
made  another  appeal  to  Hunt's  men.  Finally,  a  Kentuckian,  named 
Ben.  Jones,  undertook  and  made  the  passage,  conveying  meat  to 
them  and  then  came  back.  Irving,  in  describing  the  sad  scene, 
says:— 

A  poor  Canadian,  however,  named  Jean  Baptiste  Prevost,  whom  famine  had 
rendered  wild  and  desperate,  ran  frantically  about  the  banks,  after  Jones  had  re 
turned,  crying  out  to  Mr.  Hunt  to  send  the  canoe  for  him,  and  take  him  from  that 
horrible  region  of  famine,  declaring  that  otherwise  he  would  never  march  another 
step,  but  would  lie  down  there  and  die.  The  canoe  was  shortly  sent  over  again, 
under  the  management  of  Joseph  Delaunay,  with  further  supplies.  Prevost  imme 
diately  pressed  forward  to  embark.  Delaunay  refused  to  admit  him,  telling  him 
that  there  was  now  a  sufficient  supply  of  meat  on  his  side  of  the  river.  He  replied 
that  it  was  not  cooked,  and  he  should  starve  before  it  was  ready  ;  he  implored,  there 
fore,  to  be  taken  where  he  could  get  something  to  appease  his  hunger  immediately. 
Finding  the  canoe  putting  off  without  him,  he  forced  himself  aboard.  As  he  drew 
near  the  opposite  shore,  and  beheld  meat  roasting  before  the  fire,  he  jumped  up, 
shouted,  clapped  his  hands,  and  danced  in  a  delirium  of  joy,  until  he  upset  the 
canoe.  The  poor  wretch  was  swept  away  by  the  current  and  drowned,  and  it  was 
with  extreme  difficulty  that  Delaunay  reached  the  shore.  Mr.  Hunt  now  sent  all 
his  men  forward  excepting  two  or  three.  In  the  evening,  he  caused  another  horse 
to  be  killed,  and  a  canoe  to  be  made  out  of  the  skin,  in  which  he  sent  over  a  further 
supply  of  meat  to  the  opposite  party.  The  canoe  brought  back  John  Day,  the  Ken 
tucky  hunter,  who  came  to  join  his  former  commander  and  employer,  Mr.  Crooks. 
Poor  Day,  once  so  active  and  vigorous,  was  now  reduced  to  a  condition  even  more 
feeble  and  emaciated  than  his  companions.  Mr.  Crooks  had  such  a  value  for  the 
man,  on  account  of  his  past  services  and  faithful  character,  that  he  determined  not 
to  quit  him;  he  exhorted  Mr.  Hunt,  however,  to  proceed  forward  and  join  the 
party,  as  his  presence  was  all  important  to  the  conduct  of  the  expedition.  One  of 
the  Canadians,  Jean  Baptiste  Dubreuil,  likewise  remained  with  Mr.  Crooks. 

The  occurrences  at  this  starvation  camp  were  on  the  twentieth  of 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  159 

December,  1811,  both  parties  being  on  their  way  up  Snake  River 
after  having  found  the  descent  of  that  stream  impossible. 

It  was  now  their  intention  to  strike  across  the  country  for  the 
Columbia,  as  soon  as  it  was  practicable  to  do  so.  On  the  twenty  - 
third  of  December,  Mr  Hunt's  followers  crossed  to  the  west  side  of 
the  stream,  where  they  were  joined  by  Crook's  men,  who  were 
already  there.  The  two  parties,  when  united,  numbered  thirty-six 
souls,  and  on  the  next  day  they  turned  from  the  river  into  a  track 
less  country;  but,  before  starting,  three  more  of  their  number  had 
concluded  to  remain  among  the  savages  rather  than  face  the  hard 
ships  and  trials  that  lay  before  them.  December  28,  1811,  the  head 
waters  of  Grand  Ronde  River  were  reached,  and  the  last  day  of  that 
year  found  them  encamped  in  the  valley  of  that  name.  Through 
all  their  perils  and  wanderings  since  leaving  St.  Louis,  one  woman, 
the  Indian  wife  of  Pierre  Dorion,  a  guide,  interpreter  and  trapper, 
had  accompanied  them,  bringing  with  her  two  children,  and,  as  the 
party  entered  the  Grand  Ronde  Valley,  she  gave  birth  to  another. 
The  next  day  she  continued  the  journey  on  horseback  as  though 
nothing  had  happened,  but  the  little  stranger  only  lived  six  days. 
Mr.  Hunt,  after  halting  one  or  two  days  to  enable  his  followers  to 
celebrate,  in  their  forlorn  wTay,  the  advent  of  a  new  year  that  had 
presented  to  them  the  Grand  Ronde  Valley,  a  kind  of  winter  para 
dise  in  the  mountains,  continued  his  course  to  the  west.  The  Blue 
Mountain  ridge  was  passed,  and  January  8,  1812,  an  Indian  village 
on  the  Umatilla  River  close  to  the  mountains  was  reached,  where 
they  were  hospitably  received.  From  there  their  route  was  down 
this  stream  to  the  Columbia  River,  thence  to  the  mouth  of  the 
latter,  arriving  at  Astoria  February  15,  1812. 

Since  leaving  Fort  Henry,  October  19,  1811,  out  of  Mr.  Hunt's 
party,  two  men  had  been  drowned  on  Snake  River,  and  poor  Michael 
Carriere,  when  exhausted,  had  straggled  behind  in  Grand  Ronde 
Valley,  and  was  never  heard  from  afterwards.  Ramsey  Crooks, 
John  Day  and  four  Canadian  voyageurs  had  been  left  half  dead  on 
Snake  River,  to  remain  in  the  Indian  country,  die,  or  reach  the  Co 
lumbia  as  best  they  could.  Eleven  men,  among  whom  were  Donald 
McKenzie,  Robert  McLellan  and  the  unfortunate  John  Reed,  had 
been  detached  on  Snake  River,  and  following  that  stream  until 
its  waters  mingled  with  the  Columbia,  had  reached  Astoria  a 


160  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

month  in  advance  of  Mr.  Hunt.  Mr.  Stuart,  when  returning  from 
his  post  on  the  Okinagan,  during  the  first  days  of  April,  found  Mr. 
Crooks  and  John  Day  on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  River,  without 
weapons,  nearly  starved,  and  as  naked  as  when  born,  having  been 
robbed  and  stripped  by  the  Dalles  Indians.  They  had  wintered  in 
the  Blue  Mountains  about  Grand  Ronde  Valley,  and  in  the  spring 
had  reached  the  Walla  Wallas,  who  had  fed,  succored  them,  and 
sent  them  on  their  way  rejoicing  down  the  river.  When  found,  they 
were  making  their  way  back  to  these  early  friends  of  the  Americans, 
who  never  failed  to  assist  our  people  when  in  trouble.  At  length 
all  but  three  of  those  starting  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Snake 
River  for  Astoria  had  reached  that  place,  except  the  four  voyageurs, 
and  later  they,  too,  were  found  by  a  return  party. 

On  the  ninth  of  May,  the  ship  Beaver,  with  reinforcements  and 
supplies,  anchored  at  Astoria,  and  the  Pacific  Fur  Company-  was 
in  condition  to  enter  upon  a  vigorous  fur -gathering  campaign.  Mr. 
Hunt,  who  was  at  the  head  of  affairs,  set  out  in  July  for  Alaska  to 
fulfill  the  mission  upon  which  the  ill-fated  Tonquin  had  sailed,  and 
his  departure  left  Duncan  McDougal  in  charge.  Prior  to  this, 
however,  the  various  expeditions  to  trap  waters  and  trade  with 
natives  between  the  Rocky  and  Cascade  Mountains  had  started, 
sixty-two  strong,  up  the  Columbia.  Among  the  number  was  the 
unfortunate  John  Day,  and,  as  the  party  approached  the  scenes  of 
his  former  sufferings,  his  mind  became  delirious,  and  the  mere  sight 
of  an  Indian  would  throw  him  into  a  frenzy  of  passion.  He  finally 
attempted  his  own  life,  but  was  prevented  from  taking  it,  after 
which  a  constant  guard  was  kept  over  him.  It  was  at  length  de 
termined  to  send  him  back  to  Astoria,  and  being  placed  in  charge 
of  two  Indians,  he  was  delivered  by  them  at  the  fort,  where  he  died 
in  less  than  a  year.  His  old  compeers  and  staunch  friends,  who  had 
shared  perils  and  privations  with  him,  were  forced  to  continue  their 
journey  with  a  sad  memory  of  this  companion,  whose  brain  had 
been  shattered  by  his  many  misfortunes.  The  stream  which  had 
witnessed  his  sufferings  still  bears  the  heroic  trapper's  name.  The 
arrival  of  trappers  at  the  present  site  of  Wallula,  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  July,  1812,  was  the  signal  for  general  rejoicing  among  the 
friendly  Walla  Wallas,  who  greeted  them  with  bonfires  and  a  night 
dance,  in  which  they  sang  the  praises  of  their  white  friends.  Here 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TKKATY.  161 

the  four  expeditions  were  to  separate,  Robert  Stuart  to  cross  the 
continent  by  Hunt's  route ;  David  Stuart  to  go  up  the  Columbia  to 
Okinagan;  Donald  McKenzie  to  establish  a  post  in  the  Nez  Perce 
country ;  and  John  Clarke  to  locate  one  among  the  Spokane  Indians. 
Of  these  several  expeditions,  Robert  Stuart,  with  his  party,  includ 
ing  Crooks  and  McLellan,  reached  St.  Louis  eleven  months  later, 
bearing  news  to  Mr.  Astor  of  his  enterprise  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
McKenzie's  operations  were  a  failure;  David  Stuart's  success  was 
equal  to  his  most  sanguine  hopes,  and  Mr.  Clarke's  efforts  resulted 
second  only  to  those  of  Mr.  Stuart. 

On  the  'twenty-fifth  of  May,  1813,  Mr.  Clarke  started  from  his 
post  on  the  Spokane  to  reach  the  Walla  Walla,  the  place  agreed 
upon  as  a  general  rendezvous,  where  the  different  expeditions  were 
to  meet  and  return  to  Astoria  with  the  furs  obtained  in  their  ope 
rations  during  the  past  season.  On  his  way  up,  Mr.  Clarke  had 
left  his  canoes  in  charge  of  a  Palouse  chief,  living  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  of  that  name,  with  whom  he  found  them  on  his  return. 
He  had  twenty-eight  horse  packs  of  furs,  and  all  his  men  were  in 
high  spirits  because  of  the  success  that  had  attended  their  year's 
work.  While  stopping  at  the  mouth  of  this  stream  to  repair  their 
canoes,  in  which  to  embark  upon  the  river,  an  incident  happened 
that  can  not  well  be  passed  in  silence.  Mr.  Clarke  was  a  strong 
disciplinarian,  something  of  an  aristocrat,  and  disposed  to  impress 
those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  with  the  dignity  of  his  pres 
ence  and  person.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  a  silver  goblet 
to  drink  from,  and  the  glittering  object  carefully  guarded  by  its 
possessor,  had  a  strange  fascination  for  the  superstitious  Indians. 
In  all  their  land,  no  such  wondrous  device  had  been  seen  before. 
They  talked  to  each  other  concerning  it,  watched  its  appearance, 
and  the  care  with  which  the  lucky  possessor  laid  it  away  after 
using.  They  believed  it  to  be  a  great  medicine,  like  the  spotted 
shirt  and  the  white  quilt  among  the  Creur  d'Alenes,  a  powerful 
talisman  to  shield  its  owner  from  harm.  One  night  it  disappeared, 
and  Mr.  Clarke  was  enraged.  He  threatened  to  hang  the  first  In 
dian  detected  in  stealing,  and  the  next  night  an  unfortunate  one 
was  caught  in  the  act.  A  hasty  trial  followed,  and  the  prisoner 
was  condemned  to  die,  when  Mr.  Clarke  made  the  assembled  sav 
ages  a  speech.  He  recounted  the  numerous  gifts  that  had  been  be- 


162  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

stowed,  the  benefit  the  white  man's  presence  had  been  to  their  peo 
ple,  and  then,  upbraiding  them  for  thefts,  told  the  Indians  that  he 
should  kill  the  thief  he  had  captured  with  pilfered  goods.  The  old 
chief  and  his  followers  besought  him  not  to  do  this.  They  were 
willing  that  he  should  be  punished  severely,  and  then  let  go,  but 
the  trapper  was  inexorable,  and  the  poor  groveling  wretch  was 
dragged  to  a  temporary  scaffold,  constructed  from  oars,  and  was 
launched  into  eternity.  The  other  partners  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Com 
pany  were  unanimous  in  condemning  this  act,  and  Gabriel  Fran- 
chere,  who  was  one  of  the  company  clerks,  wrote  concerning  the 
killing  of  the  unfortunate  John  Reed  and  his  party  by  Indians  dur 
ing  the  ensuing  winter:  "  We  had  no  doubt  that  his  massacre  was 
an  act  of  vengeance,  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  in  retaliation  for 
the  death  of  one  of, their  people,  whom  Mr.  John  Clarke  had  hanged 
for  theft  the  spring  before."  Immediately  after  this  hanging  the 
party  embarked  for  the  mouth  of  the  Walla  AValla,  where  Stuart 
and  McKenzie  were  waiting,  and  from  this  point  they  all  continued 
their  way  down  the  river,  arriving  at  Astoria,  June  12,  1813, 

Upon  re- assembling  at  head  quarters,  the  return  expeditions 
found  that,  upon  the  whole,  it  had  been  a  successful  year's  labor; 
that  the  peltry  brought  in,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  fifty -seven 
packs,  if  sold  at  market  rates  in  Canton,  would  pay  well  for  the 
time  spent,  and  reimburse  them  for  local  losses.  In  addition  to  this, 
they  had  become  well  established  in  the  fur- producing  regions,  and 
the  outlook  was  very  encouraging  except  for  one  thing.  War  had 
been  raging  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  for  over 
a  year,  and  they  had  recently  become  aware  of  the  fact.  On  their 
arrival  at  Astoria,  J.  G.  McTavish,  with  nineteen  men,  was  found 
camped  near  by,  awaiting  the  appearance  of  a  vessel  called  the  Isaac 
Todd,  sent  by  the  Northwest  Company  with  stores  for  them,  and 
bearing  letters  of  marque,  and  instructions  from  the  British  Govern 
ment  to  destroy  everything  American  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
This  latter  fact  was  unknown  at  Astoria  at  the  time,  however,  but 
the  non- arrival  of  supplies  by  sea,  combined  with  the  unfavorable 
news  of  British  success  in  arms,  led  the  partners  to  fear  that  none 
whatever  would  reach  them.  They,  consequently,  determined  to 


*  This  is  undoubtedly  incorrect,  as  Reed's  party  was  killed  near  Fort  Henry,  several  hundred 
miles  distant,  and  by  a  totally  distinct  tribe  of  Indians. 


ASTORIA  AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  163 

abandon  the  country  and  start  on  their  return  overland  the  ensuing 
year,  if  their  misgivings  proved  well  founded.  They  sold  their 
Spokane  fort  to  McTavish  for  $848,  and  then  furnished  that  gentle 
man  with  provisions  to  enable  him  to  return  to  the  upper  country, 
and,  in  July,  they  visited  the  interior  themselves,  to  gather  what 
furs  they  could  before  taking  final  leave  of  the  country.  Three 
months  later,  McTavish  returned  to  Astoria  with  a  force  of  seventy  - 
five  men,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  the  vessel  that  had  caused  his 
former  visit,  bringing,  also,  the  news  that  her  coming  to  the  Colum 
bia  was  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  Astoria,  and  to  assist  the 
Northwest  Company  in  gaining  ascendency  on  the  coast.  He  offered 
to  buy  the  furs  of  the  Astorians,  arid,  on  the  sixteenth  of  October, 
1813,  a  transfer  of  the  entire  stock,  worth  at  least  $100,000,  was 
made  for  less  than  $40,000.  Two  months  later,  on  December  12th, 
the  fort  was  surrendered  to  the  English  under  command  of  a  naval 
officer,  Captain  Black  of  the  Raccoon,  when  the  American  flag  was 
lowered  to  give  the  British  colors  place,  and  the  name  of  Astoria 
was  changed  to  "  Fort  George."  An  amusing  incident  of  this  trans 
fer  is  related  by  John  Ross  Cox:— 

The  Indians,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  knew  well  that  Great  Britian  and 
America  were  distinct  nations,  and  that  they  were  then  at  war,  but  were  ignorant 
of  the  arrangement  made  between  Messrs.  McDougal  and  McTavish,  the  former  of 
whom  still  continued  as  nominal  chief  at  the  fort.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Raccoon 
which  they  quickly  discovered  to  be  one  of  "King  George's  fighting  ships,"  they 
repaired,  armed,  to  the  fort,  and  requested  an  audience  of  Mr.  McDougal.  He  was 
somewhat  surprised  at  their  numbers  and  warlike  appearance,  and  demanded  the 
object  of  such  an  unusual  visit.  Concomly,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Chinooks 
(whose  daughter  McDougal  had  married),  thereupon  addressed  him  in  a  long  speech, 
in  the  course  of  which  he  said  that  King  George  had  sent  a  ship  full  of  warriors, 
and  loaded  with  nothing  but  big  guns,  to  take  the  Americans  and  make  them  all 
slaves,  and  that,  as  they  (the  Americans)  were  the  first  white  men  who  settled  in 
their  country,  and  treated  the  Indians  like  good  relations,  they  had  resolved  to 
defend  them  from  King  George's  warriors,  and  were  now  ready  to  conceal  them 
selves  in  the  woods  close  to  the  wharf,  from  whence  they  would  be  able,  with  their 
guns  and  arrows,  to  shoot  all  the  men  that  should  attempt  to  land  from  the  English 
boats,  while  the  people  in  the  fort  could  fire  at  them  with  their  big  guns  and  rifles. 
This  proposition  was  uttered  with  an  earnestness  of  manner  that  admitted  no  doubt 
of  its  sincerity.  Two  armed  boats  from  the  Raccoon  were  approaching,  and,  had 
the  people  in  the  fort  felt  disposed  to  accede  to  the  wishes  of  the  Indians,  every  man 
in  them  would  have  been  destroyed  by  an  invisible  enemy.  Mr.  McDougal  thanked 
them  for  their  friendly  offer,  but  added,  that,  notwithstanding  the  nations  were  at 
war,  the  people  in  the  boats  would  not  injure  him  or  any  of  his  people,  and  therefore 
requested  them  to  throw  by  their  war  shirts  and  arms,  and  receive  the  strangers  as 
their  friends.  They  at  first  seemed  astonished  at  this  answer ;  but,  on  assuring 
them,  in  the  most  positive  manner,  that  he  was  under  no  apprehension,  they  con- 


164  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sented  to  give  up  their  weapons  for  a  few  days.  They  afterwards  declared  they 
were  sorry  for  having  complied  with  Mr.  McDougal's  wishes,  for  when  they  ob 
served  Captain  Black,  surrounded  by  his  officers  and  marines,  break  the  bottle  of 
port  on  the  flag-staff,  arid  hoist  the  British  ensign,  after  changing  the  name  of  the 
fort,  they  remarked  that  however  he  might  wish  to  conceal  the  fact,  the  Americans 
were  undoubtedly  made  slaves. 

Seven ty-eight  days  after  the  surrender  of  Astoria  to  the  British, 
Mr.  Hunt  arrived  at  that  fort  in  the  brig  Pedlar,  and  judge  of  his 
astonishment  to  learn  that  McDougal  was  no  longer  a  partner  of 
the  Pacific,  but  of  the  Northwest,  Company;  that  he  held  posses 
sion,  not  under  the  American,  but  under  the  British,  flag;  and  that 
all  in  which  Mr.  Hunt  was  interested  on  this  coast  had  passed, 
without  a  struggle,  through  treachery,  into  the  hands  of  his  country's 
enemies.  Mr.  Hunt,  finally,  secured  the  papers  pertaining  to  busi 
ness  transactions  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company  from  McDougal,  and 
then  sailed,  April  3,  1814,  from  the  shore  that  had  seemed  to  yield 
only  misfortune  and  disaster  in  return  for  the  efforts  of  himself,  and 
those  with  whom  he  was  associated.  The  next  day,  David  Stuart^ 
McKenzie,  John  Clarke  and  eighty -five  other  members  and  employees 
of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company,  started  up  the  Columbia  River  in  their 
boats  on  their  way  across  the  continent,  and  while  passing  Wallula, 
learned  from  the  widow  of  Pierre  Dorion,  of  the  massacre  of  John 
Reed  and  his  eight  associates,  among  the  Snake  Indians  near  Fort 
Henry. 

Thus  matters  remained  until  the  war  of  1812  was  terminated  by 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that  "  all  territory, 
places  and  possessions,  whatsoever,  taken  by  either  party  from  the 
other  during  the  war,  or  which  may  be  taken  after  the  signing  of 
this  treaty,  shall  be  restored  without  delay."  The  commissioners 
could  not  agree  upon  a  line  of  division  between  the  possessions  of 
England  and  the  United  States  west  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  so 
the  Oregon  question  was  left  for  further  discussion,  and  the  Colum 
bia  remained  disputed  territory.  Mr.  Astor  at  once  applied  to  the 
President  for  restitution  of  his  property  under  the  terms  of  the 
treaty,  as  he  not  only  desired  to  recover  his  losses,  but  to  resume 
operations  on  the  Columbia  and  carry  out  the  plan  of  American 
occupation  which  had  been  so  well  begun.  Accordingly,  in  July, 
1815,  the  government  notified  the  British  Minister  at  Washington 
that  it  would  immediately  reoccupy  the  captured  fort  at  the  mouth  of 


ASTORIA    AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  165 

the  Columbia;  but  the  notification  elicited  no  official  response  from 
Great  Britain.  For  two  years  no  active  measures  were  taken,  and, 
finally,  in  September,  1817,  the  sloop  of  war  Ontario  was  dispatched 
to  the  Columbia,  commanded  by  Captain  J.  Biddle,  who,  with  J. 
H.  Prevost,  who  went  as  a  passenger,  constituted  a  commission  to 
accomplish  the  purpose  declared.  They  were  instructed  to  assert 
the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  sovereignty  over  the  region  of  the 
Columbia,  but  to  do  so  in  an  inoffensive  manner. 

This  step  compelled  Great  Britain  to  define  her  position.  Her 
representative  at  Washington  officially  inquired  of  Secretary  Adams 
the  destination  and  object  of  the  Ontario,  and  with  the  information 
he  received  in  response  to  his  query  was  the  intimation,  that  since 
England  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  notice  given  her  two  years 
before,  it  had  been  assumed  that  she  had  no  intention  of  claiming 
any  sovereign  rights  along  the  Columbia.  In  answer  to  this  the 
British  Minister  stated  that  the  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
was  the  private  property  of  the  Northwest  Company,  having  been 
purchased  by  its  agent  from  a  partner  of  Mr.  Astor;  furthermore, 
that  it  was  situated  in  a  region  long  occupied  by  that  company, 
(referring,  presumably,  to  the  establishment  on  Fraser  River,  many 
hundred  miles  to  the  north),  and  was  consequently  considered  a 
portion  of  His  Majesty's  dominions.  Quite  a  spirited  correspond 
ence  was  maintained  for  some  time,  involving  on  each  side  the  ques 
tions  of  abstract  rights  by  discovery  and  absolute  rights  by  posses 
sion,  both  parties  to  the  controversy  basing  a  claim  upon  each  of 
these  foundations.  As  the  claims  then  put  forward  remained  prac 
tically  the  same  until  the  question  was  settled  in  1846 — with  a 
modification  only  in  the  direction  of  additional  settlements  made 
between  these  periods — it  is  well  to  define  here  the  position  assumed 
by  the  contending  parties. 

The  United  States  claimed  Oregon  under  four  distinct  titles: 
First,  as  a  portion  of  Louisiana,  purchased  from  France  in  1803; 
second,  by  right  of  discovery  by  the  Spanish  explorers — Ferrelo, 
Aguilar,  Perez,  Heceta,  Bodega  y  Quadra,  and  others — the  benefit 
of  whose  discoveries  accrued  to  the  United  States  by  the  Florida 
purchase  made  in  1819,  denying  at  the  same  time  that  Sir  Francis 
Drake  proceeded  north  of  the  forty -third  degree,  a  point  claimed  to 
have  been  previously  reached  by  Ferrelo  [The  Spanish  title  was  not 


166  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

asserted,  of  course,  until  after  the  purchase,  being  subsequent  to  the 
first  temporary  settlement  of  the  question] ;  third,  by  reason  of  the 
discovery  of  the  Columbia  by  Captain  Gray,  claiming  that  Heceta, 
Meares  and  Vancouver  had  all  declared  that  no  river  existed  there, 
and  that  Broughton  had  simply  entered  it  subsequent  to  its  discov 
ery  by  Gray,  and  explored  it  a  few  miles  further  up;  fourth,  by 
reason  of  the  explorations  of  Captains  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  the 
establishment  of  posts  at  Astoria,  Okinagan  and  Spokane  by  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company,  denying  that  the  sale  of  those  posts,  effected 
under  the  duress  of  threatened  capture  by  a  man-of-wrar,  was  such 
as  to  affect  the  right  of  the  United  States  to  the  benefits  to  be  de 
rived  from  settlements  made  by  her  subjects,  especially  in  view  of  the 
terms  of  the  treaty  of  peace.  On  the  part  of  Great  Britain  it  was 
claimed  that  the  country  was  originally  discovered  by  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  and  its  coast  thoroughly  explored  by  Captain  Cook  and 
Captain  Vancouver;  that  the  discovery  of  the  Columbia  had  been 
a  progressive  one,  the  successive  steps  having  been  taken  by  Heceta, 
Meares,  Vancouver,  Gray  and  Broughton,  claiming  that  Gray  had 
not  entered  the  river  proper,  but  simply  the  estuary  at  its  mouth, 
and  that  Broughton  wa*s  the  first  to  actually  enter  and  explore  the 
Columbia,  and  denying  that  Gray,  who  was  simply  a  trader,  could 
acquire  discovery  rights  for  his  government;  and,  finally,  that  she 
held  the  country  by  right  of  exploration  and  possession,  since 
McKenzie  had  made  an  overland  journey  prior  to  that  of  Lewis  and 
Clarke,  Fraser  had  built  a  fort  on  Fraser  Lake  before  Astoria  was 
founded,  and  the  Northwest  Company,  having  purchased  at  private 
sale  the  property  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company,  then  held  possession 
of  the  Columbia  region  by  means  of  settlements  at  Astoria  and 
other  points  along  the  river. 

Such  were  the  claims  advanced  by  the  two  nations  for  possession 
of  Oregon,  there  being  many  undeniable  rights  and  equities  on 
either  side.  A  temporary  agreement  was  affected  in  a  few  months, 
by  which  it  was  decided  that  Astoria  and  the  other  posts  should 
remain  the  actual  property  of  the  Northwest  Company,  but  that 
nominal  possession  should  be  given  to  the  United  States  as  a  nation, 
the  question  of  title  being  deferred  for  future  negotiation.  This 
decision  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  hopes  of  Mr.  Astor,  who  had 
looked  to  the  Government  to  place  him  in  possession  of  the  prop- 


ASTORIA   AND  THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  TREATY.  lf>7 

erty  which  he  had  lost  through  the  fortunes  of  war  and  the  treachery 
of  one  of  his  partners.  So  firmly  intrenched  was  the  Northwest 
Company  that  he  did  not  deem  it  advisable  to  found  a  rival  estab 
lishment,  and  he  abandoned  his  effort  to  engage  in  the  fur  trade  in 
the  Pacific.  By  thns  failing  to  support  its  citizens  who  had  under 
taken  to  plant  the  flag  of  the  United  States  firmly  on  the  soil  of 
Oregon,  the  Government  jeopardized,  almost  to  total  annihilation, 
its  chances  for  future  possession  of  this  region. 

While  these  negotiations  were  in  progress,  the  Ontario  was  ful 
filling  her  mission.  She  arrived  at  Valparaiso  in  February,  1818, 
and  Mr.  Prevost  debarked,  having  an  official  mission  to  the  Chilean 
Government.  Captain  Biddle  continued  northward,  and  entered  the 
Columbia  in  August,  taking  formal  possession  of  the  country  in  the 
name  of  the  United  States.  He  then  sailed  to  other  portions  of  the 
Pacific.  Meanwhile,  the  controversy  having  been  temporarily  settled 
upon  the  terms  outlined  above,  the  British  Government  delegated 
Captain  Sheriff,  of  the  navy,  as  commissioner  to  execute  formal  trans 
fer  of  Fort  George.  The  agent  of  the  Northwest  Company,  Mr.  Keith, 
was  also  notified  by  his  superior  officers  of  what  was  about  to  be 
done,  the  orders  going  overland  with  the  annual  Montreal  express, 
and  enjoined  to  offer  no  opposition  to  the  formal  transfer.  Captain 
Sheriff  sailed  in  the  frigate  Blossom,  and  meeting  Mr.  Prevost  in 
Chile,  offered  him  passage  to  the  Columbia  in  his  vessel,  which 
courtesy  was  accepted.  The  Blossom  cast  anchor  at  Astoria  early 
in  October,  and  Mr.  Keith  surrendered  formal  possession  of  the 
property,  retaining,  of  course,  actual  possession  and  ownership.  A 
certificate  was  given  Mr.  Prevost,  stating  that  Fort  George,  on  the 
Columbia,  had  been'  duly  surrendered  to  him  as  representative  of 
the  United  States;  and  he  gave  the  officers  a  written  acceptance  of 
the  transfer.  These  formal  preliminaries  having  been  concluded, 
the  British  standard  was  lowered  and  the  stars  and  stripes  were 
temporarily  displayed  upon  the  walls  of  the  fort,  while  the  guns  of 
the  Blossom  roared  a  noisy  salute.  The  American  ensign  was  then 
lowered,  and  the  farce  was  over.  The  United  States  was  thus 
again  nominally  in  possession  of  Oregon,  while  the  actual  possessors 
were  the  agents  of  the  Northwest  Company,  subjects  of  Great 
Britain. 

Fort  George  in  1818  was  a  far  different  structure  from  Astoria 


Itf8  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

as  it  existed  when  surrendered  to  the  Northwest  Company  in  1813. 
A  stockade  of  pine  logs,  rising  twelve  feet  above  the  ground,  en 
compassed  a  parallelogram  150x^50  feet  in  dimensions.  Within 
this  were  dwellings,  storehouses,  magazines,  shops,  etc.  The  walls 
mounted  two  eighteen -pounders,  six  six-pounders,  four  four-pound 
carronades,  two  six-pound  cohorns  and  seven  swivels,  an  armament 
sufficient  to  render  it  a  strong  fort  in  those  days.  These  remained 
after  the  surrender,  and  Fort  George  was,  practically,  as  n^ich  of  a 
British  post  as  before. 

The  two  governments  still  continued  to  negotiate  on  the  main 
point  at  issue — title  to  Oregon.  Neither  would  recede  from  the 
positions  assumed  at  the  beginning  of  the  controversy,  and  to  avoid 
an  open  rupture,  and  with  the  hope  that  time  would  inject  a  new 
element  into  the  question,  a  treaty  of  procrastination  was  signed. 
By  this  convention  it  was  agreed  that  all  territories  and  their  waters, 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  should  be  free  and  open  to  the  vessels 
and  to  the  use  and  occupation  of  the  citizens  and  subjects  of  both 
nations  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  that  no  claim  of  either  party 
should  in  any  manner  be  prejudiced  by  this  action,  and  that  neither 
should  gain  any  right  o'f  dominion  by  su^h  use  or  occupation  during 
the  specified  term.  This  treaty  of  joint  occupation  remained  in 
force,  by  extension  with  mutual  consent,  until  the  question  was 
definitely  settled  in  1846.  On  the  twenty-second  of  February, 
1819,  the  State  Department  consummated  negotiations  which  had 
been  in  progress  for  some  time,  completing  the  title  of  the  United 
States  as  defined  in  a  previous  paragraph.  This  was  the  signing 
of  a  treaty  with  Spain,  by  which  the  Province  of  Florida  was  con 
veyed  to  the  United  States,  including  all  the  rights,  claims  and  pre 
tensions  of  Spain  to  any  territories  north  and  east  of  a  line  drawn 
from  the  source  of  the  Arkansas,  north  to  the  forty -second  parallel, 
and  thence  to  the  Pacific.  This  remained  the  boundary  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  between  the  disputed  land  of 
Oregon  and  the  Mexican  possessions  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
It  still  continues  to  be  the  southern  boundary  of  Oregon,  but  ceased 
to  divide  the  United  States  from  Mexico  when  California,  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  were  conquered  or  purchased. 


CHAPTER  XL 


THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES. 

Growth  and  Power  of  the  Northwest  Company — Rivalry  between  it  and 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company — The  Red  River  War — Barrows'  De 
scription  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company — The  Canadian  Voya- 
geurs — Fort  Vancouver  Founded — Dunnes  Description  of  the  fort 
and  the  Methods  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Oregon. 

THE  Northwest  Company  had  now  full  control  of  Oregon,  but 
a  fierce  and  bloody  struggle  was  going  on  between  it  and  the 
older  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  for  possession  of  the  fur  regions  of 
America.  The  companies  had  grown  too  large  to  be  tolerant  of 
each  other;  one  must  go  the  wall.  When  first  organized  the  old 
company,  enjoying  chartered  privileges  and  supreme  monopoly  of 
a  vast  extent  of  territory,  laughed  with  derision  at  the  idea  that  a 
few  independent  traders  could  so  combine  as  to  become  dangerous 
rivals;  but  that  such  was  the  fact  was  quickly  demonstrated.  The 
Northwest  Company  began  operations  on  a  thorough  system,  by 
which  it  was  soon  developed  into  a  powerful  and  wealthy  corpora 
tion.  All  its  managing  agents  were  interested  partners,  who  natur 
ally  did  their  utmost  to  swell  the  receipts.  In  the  plenitude  of  its 
power  it  gave  employment  to  two  thousand  voyageurs,  while  its 
agents  penetrated  the  wilderness  in  all  directions  in  search  of  furs. 
It  was  the  pioneer  of  the  Northwest.  While  the  chartered  monop 
oly  clung  like  a  burr  to  its  granted  limits,  the  new  organization  was 
exploring  and  taking  possession  of  that  vast  region  lying  between 
Lake  Superior  and  the  Pacific,  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean.  It  has  been  shown  how  Mackenzie  made  a  journey  to  the 
Arctic  and  another  to  the  Pacific,  and  how  his  footsteps  were  fol 
lowed  by  Eraser  and  a  post  established  in  the  extreme  west.  While 
the  old  company  was  sluggishly  awaiting  the  advent  of  Indians  at 


170  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  few  posts  it  had  established  in  central  locations,  the  rival  organ 
ization  sent  its  agents  out  to  trade  with  the  tribes  far  and  near.  The 
result  was  that  all  the  tribes,  except  those  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  forts,  were  gradually  won  to  an 
alliance  with  the  younger  and  more  vigorous  organization.  The 
collection  of  furs  was  so  over- stimulated  that  a  complete  extinction 
of  fur -bear  ing  animals  was  threatened.  A  systematic  effort  was 
being  made  to  drive  the  old  company  from  the  most  valuable  beaver 
country,  and  to  so  cripple  it  that  a  surrender  of  its  charter  would 
become  necessary. 

The  result  of  this  aggressive  policy  was  to  arouse  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  to  a  realizing  sense  of  the  precarious  condition  of 
affairs,  and  the  necessity  of  taking  energetic  steps  to  recover  the  lost 
ground.  Its  efforts  to  do  this  soon  resulted  in  hostile  collisions 
between  its  representatives  and  agents  of  the  rival  company,  lead 
ing  to  a  state  of  war  between  them.  The  first  act  of  actual  hostility, 
other  than  mere  trade  rivalry,  was  committed  in  1806,  when  a  trader 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  forcibly  deprived  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  packs  of  beaver  skins,  and  a  few  months  later  of  fifty 
more.  The  same  year  Another  trader  was  attacked  and  robbed  of 
valuable  furs  by  servants  of  the  Northwest  Company,  and  received 
similar  treatment  again  the  following  spring.  These  acts  of  plun 
dering  were  numerous,  and  since  no  law  but  the  law  of  might  existed 
in  the  wilderness,  there  was  no  redress  for  the  despoiled  company 
nor  punishment  for  the  offenders,  since  the  latter  were  Canadians 
and  their  victims  citizens  of  England  and  not  possessed  of  facilities 
for  securing  redress  in  the  courts  of  Canada.  In  twelve  years  but 
one  case  was  brought  to  trial,  in  1809,  when  a  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany  man  was  convicted  of  manslaughter  for  killing  an  agent  of 
the  other  company  who  was  making  an  attack  upon  him  with  a 
sword;  and  this  result  was  accomplished  by  the  powerful  influence 
of  the  Northwest  Company  in  Montreal. 

In  1812,  having  received  a  grant  of  fertile  land  from  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company,  Lord  Selkirk,  a  man  of  energy  and  an  enthusi 
ast  on  the  subject  of  colonial  emigration,  commenced  a  settlement 
on  Red  River  near  its  junction  with  the  Assiniboine,  south  of  Lake 
Winnipeg.  No  sooner  was  this  accomplished  than  the  rival  com 
pany  expressed  a  determination  to  destroy  the  settlement,  and  in 


THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES.  171 

the  autumn  of  1814  fitted  out  an  expedition  for  that  purpose  at  its 
chief  establishment,  Fort  William,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 
After  harassing  the  settlement  for  some  months,  an  attack  was 
made  upon  it  in  June,  1815,  which  was  repulsed.  Artillery  having 
been  brought  up,  the  buildings  of  Fort  Gibraltar,  the  stronghold 
of  the  settlement,  were  battered  down  and  the  place  captured.  The 
governor  was  sent  to  Montreal  a  prisoner,  the  remainder  of  the  set 
tlers  were  expelled  from  the  country,  the  cattle  were  slaughtered 
and  the  buildings  demolished.  In  the  fall,  however,  the  colonists 
returned  with  a  great  accession  to  their  numbers  and  again  estab 
lished  themselves  under  the  leadership  of  Colin  Robertson,  being 
accompanied  by  Robert  Semple,  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  territories.  In  the  spring  of  1816,  Alexander  McDon 
nell,  a  partner  of  the  Northwest  Company,  collected  a  strong  force 
with  the  design  of  crushing  the  settlement  completely.  After  cap 
turing  the  supply  train  on  its  way  to  Red  River,  the  invading  force 
came  upon  Governor  Semple  and  a  force  of  thirty  men  all  of  whom 
they  killed,  except  one  who  was  made  a  prisoner  and  four  who  es 
caped.  The  settlers  still  remaining  in  the  fort,  seeing  the  hopeless 
ness  of  resistance,  surrendered,  and  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
were  sent  in  canoes  to  Hudson's  Bay.  They  were  chiefly  Scotch, 
as  were  also  the  attacking  party ;  but  the  love  of  gain  was  stronger 
than  the  ties  of  blood. 

In  1821  parliament  put  an  end  to  this  bloody  feud  and  ruinous 
competition  by  consolidating  the  rival  companies  under  the  name 
of  The  Honorable  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  by  which  was  created 
an  organization  far  more  powerful  than  had  either  been  before,  and 
England  gained  a  united  and  potent  agent  for  the  advancement  of 
her  interests  in  America.  The  settlements  on  the  Red,  Assiniboine 
and  Saskatchewan  rivers  were  renewed,  and  Winnipeg  became  in  a 
few  years  the  center  of  a  prosperous  community.  The  new  com 
pany  took  possession  of  Fort  George  and  other  posts  along  the  Co 
lumbia,  and  as  it  thereafter  became  closely  woven  into  the  history 
of  this  region,  a  brief  description  of  its  founding,  growth  and  meth 
ods  becomes  necessary  to  a  full  understanding  of  subsequent  events. 
Dr.  William  Barrows  gives  the  following  description  of  that  pow 
erful  corporation: 

Its  two  objects,  as  set  forth  in  its  charter,  were  "  for  the  discovery  of  a  new  pas- 


172  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sage  into  the  South  Sea,  and  for  the  finding  of  some  trade  for  furs,  minerals  and 
other  considerable  commodities."  It  may  well  be  suspected  that  the  first  was  the 
face  and  the  second  the  soul  of  the  charter,  which  grants  to  the  company  the  ex 
clusive  right  of  the  "  trade  and  commerce  of  all  those  seas,  straits  and  bays,  rivers, 
lakes,  creeks,  and  sounds,  in  whatsoever  latitude  they  shall  be,  that  lie  within  the 
entrance  of  the  straits  commonly  called  Hudson  Straits,"  and  of  all  lands  bordering 
them  not  under  any  other  civilized  government.  This  covered  all  territory  within 
that  immense  basin  from  rim  to  rim,  one  edge  dipping  into  the  Atlantic  and  the 
other  looking  into  the  Pacific.  Through  this  vast  extent  the  company  was  made 
for  "all  time  hereafter,  capable  in  law,  to  have,  purchase,  receive,  possess,  enjoy, 
and  retain  lands,  rents,  privileges,  liberties,  jurisdiction,  franchise,  and  heredita 
ments  of  what  kind,  nature,  or  quality  soever  they  be,  to  them  and  their  succes 
sors."  The  company  held  that  region  as  a  man  holds  his  farm,  or  as  the  great  bulk 
of  real  estate  in  England  is  now  held.  They  could  legislate  over  and  govern  it, 
bound  only  by  the  tenor  and  spirit  of  English  law,  and  make  war  and  peace  within 
it;  and  all  persons  outside  the  company  could  be  forbidden  to  "visit,  hunt,  fre 
quent,  trade,  traffic,  or  adventure"  therein.  For  all  this,  and  as  a  confession  of 
allegiance  to  the  crown  as  a  dependent  colony  and  province,  they  were  to  pay  an 
nually  as  rent  "two  elks  and  two  black  beavers."  Cheap  rent  that,  especially  since 
the  king  or  his  agent  must  collect  it  on  the  ground  of  the  company.  To  dwell  in 
the  territory  or  even  go  across  it  would  be  as  really  a  trespass  as  if  it  were  done  on 
the  lawn  of  a  private  gentleman  in  Middlesex  county,  England. 

Such  were  the  chartered  rights  of  a  monopoly  that,  growing  bolder  and  more 
grasping,  became  at  last  continental  in  sweep,  irresistible  in  power,  and  inexorable 
in  spirit.  In  1821  the  crown  granted  to  this  and  the  Northwest  Company  united, 
and  for  a  term  of  twenty-one  years,  the  exclusive  right  to  trade  with  all  Indians  in 
British  North  America,  north  and  west  of  the  United  States,  and  not  included  in 
the  first  charter.  This  gran'ted  only  trade,  not  ownership  in  the  soil.  Thus,  while 
the  chartered  territory  was  imperial,  it  grew,  by  granted  monopoly  of  trade,  to  be 
continental.  By  degrees  the  trappers  and  traders  went  over  the  rim  of  the  Hudson 
basin,  till  they  reached  the  Arctic  seas  along  the  outlet  of  the  Coppermine  and  the 
Mackenzie.  They  set  beaver  traps  on  Yukon  and  Fraser  rivers,  around  the  Ath 
abasca,  Slave  and  Bear  Lakes,  and  on  the  heads  of  the  Columbia.  From  the  ad 
jacent  Pacific  shore  they  lined  their  treasury  with  the  soft  coats  of  the  fur  seal  and 
the  sea-otter.  They  were  the  pioneers  of  this  traffic,  and  pressed  this  monopoly 
of  fur  on  the  sources,  not  only  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  but  down  into 
the  Salt  Lake  basin  of  modern  Utah.  What  minor  and  rival  companies  stood  in 
the  way  they  bought  in,  or  crushed  by  underselling  to  the  Indians.  Individual  en 
terprise  in  the  fur  trade,  from  New  Foundland  to  Vancouver,  and  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  Yellowstone  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  was  at  their  mercy. 
They  practically  controlled  the  introduction  of  supplies  and  the  outgoing  of  furs 
and  peltries  from  all  the  immense  region  between  those  four  points. 

Within  the  Canadas  and  the  other  provinces  they  held  the  Indian  and  the  Eu 
ropean  equally  at  bay,  while  within  all  this  vast  unorganized  wilderness,  their 
hand  over  red  and  white  man  was  absolute.  At  first  the  company  could  govern 
as  it  pleased,  and  was  autocratic  and  irresponsible.  By  additional  legislation  in  1803, 
the  civil  and  criminal  government  of  the  Canadas  was  made  to  follow  the  com 
pany  into  lands  outside  their  first  charter,  commonly  called  Indian  countries.  The 
Governor  of  Lower  Canada  had  the  appointing  power  of  officials  within  those 
countries— but  he  did  not  send  in  special  men ;  he  appointed  those  connected  with 
the  company  and  on  the  ground.  The  company,  therefore,  had  the  administration 
in  those  outside  districts  in  its  own  hands.  Thus  the  commercial  life  of  the  Can 
adas  was  so  dependent  upon  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  that  the  government  could 


THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES.  173 

be  counted  on  to  promote  the  wishes  of  the  company.  In  brief,  the  government  of 
British  America  was  practically  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  for  all  the  privi 
lege  and  monopoly  which  it  enjoyed,  without  seeming  to  demand  it,  there  was  an 
annual  payment,  if  called  for,  of  "  two  elks  and  two  black  beavers." 

This  company  thus  became  a  powerful  organization.  It  had  no  rival  to  share 
the  field,  or  waste  the  profits  in  litigation,  or  in  bloody  feuds  beyond  the  region  of 
law.  [Except  the  contest  between  it  and  the  Northwest  Company  prior  to  their 
consolidation.]  It  extended  its  lines,  multiplied  its  posts  and  agents,  systematized 
communication  through  the  immense  hunting  grounds,  economized  time  and  funds 
by  increased  expedition,  made  many  of  its  factories  really  fortifications,  and  so  put 
the  whole  northern  interior  under  British  rule,  and  yet  without  a  soldier.  Rivers, 
lakes,  mountains  and  prairies' were  covered  by  its  agents  and  trappers.  The  white 
and  the  red  men  were  on  most  friendly  terms,  and  the  birch  canoe  and  the 
pirogue  were  seen  carrying,  in  mixed  company,  both  races,  and,  what  was  more, 
their  mixed  progeny.  The  extent  of  territory  under  this  company  seems  almost 
fabulous.  It  was  one-third  larger  than  all  Europe ;  it  was  larger  than  the  United 
States  of  to-day,  Alaska  included,  by  half  a  million  of  square  miles.  From  the  Ameri 
can  headquarters  at  Montreal  to  the  post  at  Vancouver  was  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  miles;  to  Fort  Selkirk  on  the  Yukon,  or  to  the  one  on  Great  Bear 
Lake,  it  was  three  thousand  miles,  and  it  was  still  further  to  the  rich  fur  seal  and 
sea-otter  on  the  tide  waters  of  the  Mackenzie.  James  Bay  and  Red  River  at  Win 
nipeg  seem  near  to  Montreal  in  comparison.  These  distances  would  compare  well 
with  air-line  routes  from  Washington  to  Dublin,  or  Gibraltar  or  Quito. 

One  contemplates  this  power  with  awe  and  fear,  when  he  regards  the  even  mo 
tion  and  solemn  silence  and  unvarying  sameness  with  which  it  has  done  its  work 
through  that  dreary  animal  country.  It  has  been  said  that  a  hundred  years  has  not 
changed  its  bill  of  goods  ordered  from  London.  The  company  wants  the  same 
muskrat  and  beaver  and  seal;  the  Indian  hunter,  unimproved,  and  the  half-breed 
European,  deteriorating,  want  the  same  cotton  goods,  and  flint-lock  guns,  and 
tobacco  and  gew-gaws.  To-day,  as  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  dog  sled  runs  out  from 
Winnipeg  for  its  solitary  drive  of  five  hundred,  or  two  thousand,  or  even  three 
thousand  miles.  It  glides,  silent  as  a  spectre,  over  these  snow  fields,  and  through 
the  solemn,  still  forests,  painfully  wanting  in  animal  life.  Fifty,  seventy,  an  hun 
dred  days  it  speeds  along,  and  as  many  nights  it  camps  without  fire,  and  looks  up 
to  the  same  cold  stars.  At  the  intervening  posts  the  sledge  makes  a  pause,  as  a  ship, 
having  rounded  Cape  Horn,  heaves  to  before  some  lone  Pacific  island.  It  is  the 
same  at  the  trader's  hut  or  factory  as  when  the  sledgeman's  grandfather  drove  up, 
the  same  dogs,  the  same  half-breeds,  or  voyageurs,  to  welcome  him,  the  same  foul, 
lounging  Indians,  and  the  same  mink  skin  in  exchange  for  the  same  trinkets.  The 
fur  animal  and  its  purchaser  and  hunter,  as  the  landscape,  seem  to  be  alike  under 
the  same  immutable,  unprogressive  law  of  nature, 

"  A  land  where  all  things  always  seem  the  same," 

as  among  the  lotus-eaters.  Human  progress  and  Indian  civilization  have  made 
scarcely  more  improvement  than  that  central,  silent  partner  in  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company — the  beaver. 

One  feels  towards  the  power  of  this  company,  moving  thus  with  evenness  and 
immutability  through  a  hundred  years,  much  as  one  does  towards  a  law  of  nature. 
At  Fort  Selkirk,  for  example,  the  fifty-two  numbers  of  the  weekly  London  Times 
came  in  on  the  last  sledge  arrival.  The  first  number  is  already  three  years  old,  by  its 
tedious  voyage  from  the  Thames.  Now  one  number  only  a  week  is  read,  that  the  lone 
trader  there  may  have  fresh  news  weekly  until  the  next  annual  dog-mail  arrives, 
and  each  successive  number  is  three  years  behind  time  when  it  is  opened !  In  this 


174  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

day  of  steamers  and  telegraphs  and  telephones,  does  it  seem  possible  that  any 
human,  white  habitation  can  be  so  outside  of  the  geography  and  chronology  of  the 
world?  The  goods  of  the  company,  packed  and  shipped  in  Fenchurch  Street, 
leave  London,  and  at  the  end  of  the  third  year  they  are  delivered  at  Fort  Confidence 
on  Great  Bear  Lake,  or  at  any  other  extreme  factory  of  the  company ;  and  at  the 
end  of  three  years  more  the  return  furs  go  up  the  Thames  and  into  Fenchurch 
Street  again.  So  in  cycles  of  six  years,  and  from  age  to  age,  like  a  planet,  the  shares 
in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  make  their  orbit  and  dividends.  A  run  of  three 
months  and  the  London  ship  drops  anchor  in  Hudson's  Bay.  "For  one  year,'' 
says  Butler  in  his  "  Great  Lone  Land,"  "the  stores  that  she  has  brought  in  lie  in  the 
warehouse  at  York  Factory ;  twelve  months  later  they  reach  Red  River ;  twelve 
months  later  they  reach  Fort  Simpson  on  the  Mackenzie." 

The  original  stock  of  this  company  was  $50,820.  In  fifty  years  it  was  tripled 
twice  by  profits  only,  and  went  up1  to  $457,380,  while  not  one  new  dollar  was  paid 
in.  In  1821  the  company  absorbed  the  Northwest  Company  of  Montreal,  on  a  basis 
of  value  equal  to  its  own.  The  consolidated  stock  then  wTas  $1,916,000,  of  which 
$1,780,866  was  from  profits.  Yet,  meanwhile,  there  had  been  an  annual  payment 
of  ten  per  cent,  to  stockholders.  In  1836  one  of  the  company's  ships  left  Fort 
George  for  London,  with  a  cargo  of  furs  valued  at  $380,000.  *  When 

the  English  Government,,  in  1846,  conceded  the  claims  of  the  United  States  to 
Oregon,  property  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  found  within  Oregon  for 
which  that  company  claimed  $4,990,036.67.  One  can  not  but  admire  the  foresight, 
compass,  policy,  and  ability  with  which  those  English  fur  traders  moved  to  gain 
possession,  and  then  keep  in  wilderness  for  fur-bearing,  so  much  of  North  America. 
*  Travelers  tell  us  of  an  oppressive,  painful  silence  through  all  that 
weird  iiorthland.  Quadruped  life,  and  the  scanty  little  there  is  of  bird  life,  is  not 
vocal,  much  less  musical.  This  company  has  partaken  of  the  silence  of  its  domain. 
It  makes  but  little  noise  for  so  great  an  organization.  It  says  but  few  things,  and 
only  the  necessary  ones,  and  even  those  with  an  obscurity  often,  that  only  the 
interested  and  initiated  understand.  The  statements  of  its  works  and  results  are 
mostly  in  the  passive  voice. 

The  voyageurs,  so  often  spoken  of  in  connections  with  the  fur 
companies,  were  a  special  outgrowth  of  the  fur  trade,  and  are 
deserving  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Irving  thus  describes 
them : — 

The  voyageurs  may  be  said  to  have  sprung  up  out  of  the  fur  trade,  having  origin 
ally  been  employed  by  the  early  French  merchants  in  their  trading  expeditions 
through  the  labyrinth  of  rivers  and  lakes  of  the  boundless  interior.  In  the  inter 
vals  of  their  long,  arduous  ahd  laborious  expeditions,  they  were  wont  to  pass  their 
time  in  idleness  and  revelry  about  the  trading  posts  or  settlements ;  squandering 
their  hard  earnings  in  heedless  conviviality,  and  rivalling  their  neighbors,  the 
Indians,  in  indolent  indulgence  and  imprudent  disregard  of  the  morrow.  When 
Canada  passed  under  British  domination,  and  the  old  French  trading  houses  were 
broken  up,  the  voyageurs  were  for  a  time  disheartened  and  disconsolate,  and  with 
difficulty  could  reconcile  themselves  to  the  service  of  the  new  comers,  so  different 
in  habits,  manners  and  language  from  their  former  employers.  By  degrees,  how 
ever,  they  became  accustomed  to  the  change,  and  at  length  came  to  consider  the 
British  fur  traders,  and  especially  the  members  of  the  Northwest  Company,  as  the 
legitimate  lords  of  creation.  The  dress  of  these  people  is  generally  half  civilized, 
half  savage.  They  wear  a  capot  or  surcoat,  made  of  a  blanket,  a  striped  cotton  shirt, 
cloth  trowsers,  or  leathern  leggings,  moccasins  of  deer  skin,  and  a  belt  of  variegated 


THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES.  175 

worsted,  from  which  are  suspended  the  knife,  tobacco  pouch,  and  other  implements. 
Their  language  is  of  the  same  piebald  character,  being  a  French  patois,  embroidered 
with  Indian  and  English  words  and  phrases.  The  lives  of  the  voyageurs  are  passed 
in  wild  and  extensive  rovings.  They  are  generally  of  French  descent  and  inherit 
much  of  the  gaiety  and  lightness  of  heart  of  their  ancestors,  being  full  of  anecdote 
and  song,  and  ever  ready  for  the  dance.  Their  natural  good  will  is  probably  height 
ened  by  a  community  of  adventure  and  hardship  in  their  precarious  and  wandering 
life.  Thev  are  dexterous  boatmen,  vigorous  and  adroit  with  the  oar  and  paddle, 
and  will  row  from  morning  until  night  without  a  murmur.  The  steersman  often 
sings  an  old  traditionary  French  song,  with  some  regular  burden  in  which  they  all 
join,  keeping  time  with  their  oars.  In  the  course  of  years  they  will  gradually  dis 
appear;  their  songs  will  die  away  like  the  echoes  they  once  awakened,  and  the  Can 
adian  voyageurs  will  become  a  forgotten  race,  or  remembered  among  the  poetical 
images  of  past  times,  and  as  themes  for  local  and  romantic  associations. 

The  Northwest  Company,  in  1821,  prior  to  the  consolidation, 
established  a  post  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Columbia,  several  miles 
above  the  month  of  the  Willamette.  As  this  was  on  the  point 
named  "Vancouver"  by  Lieutenant  Broughton,  in  1792,  the  post 
was  christened  "  Fort  Vancouver."  In  1823,  soon  after  the  con 
solidation,  the  headquarters  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was 
removed  from  Fort  Greorge  to  Fort  Vancouver,  because  it  possessed 
the  desirable  features  of  such  an  establishment  more  fully  than  any 
other  in  this  whole  region.  It  was  near  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette 
and  therefore  the  center  and  natural  converging  point  of  trapping 
parties  coming  down  the  Columbia  from  the  vast  wilderness  to  the 
east,  or  with  the  annual  overland  express  from  Montreal;  from  the 
rich  trapping  grounds  to  the  south,  or  from  the  upper  coast  and 
Puget  Sound.  Agriculturally,  the  surroundings  were  all  that  could 
be  desired,  to  raise  the  large  crops  of  grain  and  vegetables  required 
at  all  the  Company's  posts,  and  to  furnish  pasturage  for  the  beef 
and  dairy  cattle.  It  was  easily  approachable  by  deep-water  vessels 
of  large  draft,  and  presented  excellent  natural  facilities  for  loading 
and  discharging  cargo.  The  vessels  that  came  at  stated  periods  to 
bring  supplies  and  carry  away  the  accumulated  furs,  could  spare 
the  few  days'  of  extra  time  required  to  ascend  the  river,  better  than 
the  employees  of  the  company  could  spare  it  in  passing  to  and  from 
headquarters  in  the  transaction  of  business.  Vancouver  was  the 
most  eligible  site  on  the  Columbia  for  the  chief  trading  post,  and 
remained  the  company's  headquarters  until  it  abandoned  this  region 
entirely,  in  1858.  During  the  next  four  years  the  company  spread 
out  in  all  directions,  from  California  to  Alaska,  and  from  the  Pacific 


176  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Some  idea  can  be  gained  of  its  power 
and  methods  in  Oregon  from  the  following  description  given  by 
John  Dunn,  for  seven  years. a  clerk  and  trader  of  the  company: — 

Fort  Vancouver  is  the  grand  mart  and  rendezvous  for  the  company's  trade  and 
servants  on  the  Pacific.  Thither  all  the  furs  and  other  articles  of  trade  collected 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from  California  to  the  Russian  territories,  are  brought 
from  the  several  other  forts  and  stations ;  and  from  thence  they  are  shipped  to 
England.  Thither,  too,  all  the  goods  brought  from  England  for  traffic — the  various 
articles  in  woolens  and  cottons,  in  grocery,  in  hardware,  ready-made  clothes,  oils 
and  paints,  ship  stores,  etc. — are  landed,  and  from  thence  they  are  distributed  to 
the  various  posts  of  the  interior,  and  along  the  northern  shores  by  sailing  vessels, 
or  by  boats,  or  pack-horses,  as  the  several  routes  permit ;  for  distribution  and  traffic 
among  the  natives,  or  for  the  supply  of  the  company's  servants.  In  a  word,  Fort 
Vancouver  is  the  grand  emporium  of  the  company's  trade,  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  ;  as  well  within  the  Oregon  territory  as  beyond  it,  from  California  to  Kams- 
tchatka. 

The  fort  is  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelogram,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
long,  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  broad  ;  enclosed  by  a  sort  of  wooden  wall,  made  of 
pickets,  or  large  beams,  fixed  firmly  in  the  ground  and  closely  fitted  together, 
twenty  feet  high,  and  strongly  secured  on  the  inside  by  buttresses.  At  each  angle 
there  is  a  bastion,  mounting  two  twelve-pounders,  and  in  the  center  there  are  some 
eighteen-pounders  ;  but  from  the  subdued  and  pacific  character  of  the  natives,  and 
the  long  absence  of  all  apprehension,  these  cannon  have  become  useless.  The  area 
within  is  divided  into  two  courts,  around  which  are  arranged  about  forty  neat, 
strong  wooden  buildings,  one  story  high,  designed  for  various  purposes— such  as 
offices,  apartments  for  the  cterks  and  other  officers,  warehouses  for  furs,  English 
goods  and  other  commodities  ;  workshops  for  the  different  mechanics — carpenters, 
blacksmiths,  coopers,  wheelwrights,  tinners,  etc. — in  all  of  which  there  is  the  most 
diligent  and  unceasing  activity  and  industry.  There  is  also  a  school-house  and 
chapel,  and  a  powder  magazine  built  of  brick  and  stone. 

In  the  center  stands  the  governor's  residence,  which  is  two  stories  high,  the 
dining  hall,  and  the  public  sitting  room.  All  the  clerks  and  officers,  including  the 
chaplain  and  physician,  dine  together  in  the  hall,  the  governor  presiding.  The 
dinner  is  of  the  most  substantial  kind,  consisting  of  several  courses.  Wine  is  fre 
quently  allowed,  but  no  spirituous  liquors.  After  grace  has  been  said  the  company 
break  up ;  then  most  of  the  party  retire  to  the  public  sitting  room,  called  "  Bachelor's 
Hall,"  or  the  smoking  room,  to  amuse  themselves  as  they  please,  either  in  smoking, 
reading,  or  telling  and  listening  to  stories  of  their  own  and  others'  curious  advent 
ures.  Sometimes  there  is  a  great  influx  of  company,  consisting  of  the  chief  traders 
from  the  outposts,  who  arrive  at  the  fort  on  business,  and  the  commanders  of  vessels. 
These  are  gala  times  after  dinner,  and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  amusement,  but 
always  kept  under  strict  discipline  and  regulated  by  the  strictest  propriety.  There 
is,  on  no  occasion,  cause  for  ennui,  or  a  lack  of  anecdote  or  interesting  narrative  5 
or,  indeed,  of  any  intellectual  amusement ;  for  if  smoking  and  story-telling  be 
irksome,  then  there  is  the  horse  ready  to  mount,  and  the  rifle  prepared.  The  voy- 
ageur  and  the  trapper,  who  have  traversed  thousands  of  miles  through  wild  and 
unfrequented  regions,  and  the  mariner,  who  has  circumnavigated  the  globe,  may 
be  found  grouped  together,  smoking,  joking,  singing  and  story-telling,  and  in  every 
way  banishing  dull  care,  till  the  period  of  their  again  setting  out  for  their  respective 
destinations  arrives.  The  smoking  room,  or  "Bachelor's  Hall,"  presents  the 
appearance  of  an  armory  and  a  museum.  All  sorts  of  weapons,  and  dresses,  and 


THE  RIVAL  FUR  COMPANIES.  177 

curiosities  of  civilized  and  savage  life,  and  of  the  various  implements  for  the  prose 
cution  of  the  trade,  might  be  seen  there.  The  mechanics,  and  other  servants  of  the 
establishment,  do  not  dine  in  the  hall,  or  go  to  the  smoking  room. 

The  school  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  half-breed  children  of  the  officers  and  servants 
of  the  company,  and  of  many  orphan  children  of  Indians  who  have  been  in  the 
company's  employment.  They  are  taught  English  (sometimes  French),  writing, 
arithmetic  and  geography ;  and  are  subsequently  either  apprenticed  to  traders  in 
Canada,  or  kept  in  the  company's  service.  The  front  square  is  the  place  where  the 
Indians  and  trappers  deposit  their  furs  and  other  articles,  and  make  their  sales,  etc. 
There  may  be  seen,  too,  great  numbers  of  men  sorting  and  packing  the  various 
goods,  and  scores  of  Canadians  beating  and  cleaning  the  furs  from  the  dust  and  ver 
min,  and  coarse  hairs,  previous  to  exportation.  8ix  hundred  yards  below  the  fort, 
and  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  there  is  a  neat  village  of  about  sixty  well-built  wooden 
houses,  generally  constructed  like  those  within  the  fort,  in  which  the  mechanics 
and  other  servants  of  the  company,  who  are,  in  general,  Canadians  und  Scotchmen, 
reside  with  their  families.  They  are  built  in  rows,  and  present  the  appearance  of 
small  streets.  They  are  kept  in  a  neat  and  orderly  manner.  Here  there  is  an  hos 
pital,  in  which  the  invalided  servants  of  the  company,  and,  indeed,  others  who  may 
wish  to  avail  themselves  of  it,  are  treated  with  the  utmost  care. 

Many  of  the  officers  of  the  company  marry  half-breed  women.  They  discharge 
the  several  duties  of  wife  and  mother  with  fidelity,  cleverness  and  attention.  They 
are,  in  general,  good  housewives ;  and  are  remarkably  ingenious  as  needlewomen. 
Many  of  them,  besides  possessing  a  knowledge  of  English,  speak  French  correctly, 
and  possess  other  accomplishments ;  and  they  sometimes  attend  their  husbands  on 
their  distant  and  tedious  journeys  and  voyages.  These  half-breed  women  are  of  a 
superior  class  ;  being  the  daughters  of  chief  traders  and  factors,  and  other  persons, 
high  in  the  company's  service,  by  Indian  women  of  a  superior  descent  or  of  superior 
personal  attractions.  Though  they  generally  dress  after  the  English  fashion, 
according  as  they  see  it  used  by  the  English  wives  of  the  superior  officers,  yet  they 
retain  one  peculiarity — the  leggin  or  gaiter,  which  is  made  (now  that  the  tanned 
deer  skin  has  been  superseded)  of  the  finest  and  most  gaudy  coloured  cloth,  beauti 
fully  ornamented  with  beads.  The  lower  classes  of  the  company's  servants  marry 
native  women,  from  the  tribes  of  the  upper  country,  where  the  women  are  round- 
headed  and  beautiful.  These,  too,  generally  speaking,  soon  learn  the  art  of  useful 
housewivery  with  great  adroitness  and  readiness ;  and  they  are  encouraged  and 
rewarded  in  every  way  by  the  company,  in  their  efforts  to  acquire  domestic  economy 
and  comfort.  These,  too,  imitate,  in  costume  the  dress  of  the  officer's  wives,  as 
much  as  they  can  ;  and  from  their  necessities  of  position,  which  exposes  them 
more  to  wet  and  drudgery,  they  retain  the  moccasin,  in  place  of  adopting  the  low- 
quartered  shoe. 

Attached  to  the  fort  there  is  a  magnificent  farm,  consisting  of  about  three 
thousand  acres,  of  which  fifteen  hundred  acres  have  already  been  brought  to  the 
highest  state  of  tillage.  It  stretches  behind  the  fort,  and  on  both  sides,  along  the 
banks  of  the  river.  It  is  fenced  into  beautiful  corn  fields,  vegetable  fields,  orchards, 
garden  and  pasture  fields,  which  are  interspersed  with  dairy  houses,  shepherds' 
and  herdsmen's  cottages.  It  is  placed  under  the  most  judicious  management;  and 
neither  expense  nor  labour  has  been  spared  to  bring  it  to  the  most  perfect  cultiva 
tion.  There  is  a  large  grist  mill,  and  a  threshing  mill,  which  are  worked  by  horse 
power,  and  a  saw  mill  worked  by  water-power.  All  kinds  of  grains  and  vegetables, 
and  many  species  of  fruits,  are  produced  there  in  abundance  and  of  superior  qual 
ity.  The  grain  crops  are  produced  without  manure ;  and  the  wheat  crop,  espec 
ially,  is  represented  by  practical  farmers  to  be  wonderful. 

Besides  this  farm,  which  they  are  every  day  extending,  they  have  commenced 


178  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

farming  on  a  large  scale  on  the  Cowlitz,  to  the  north,  Urnpqua,  to  the  south,  and 
in  other  parts  of  the  territory,  where  they  have  established  posts,  the  produce  of  all 
of  which  they  use  for  exportation  both  to  the  Russia  stations  in  Kamstchatka  (as 
they  entered  into  a  contract  with  the  Russians,  in  1839,  to  supply  their  posts  in 
those  regions  with  provisions  at  fixed  prices),  and  to  the  islands  of  the.  Southern 
Pacific,  and  to  British  and  American  whalers  and  to  other  merchant  ships.  They 
also  keep  scores  of  wood-cutters  employed  to  fell  timber,  which  is  sawed  up  in  large 
quantities,  three  thousand  feet  a  day,  and  regularly  shipped  for  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  other  foreign  ports.  And  as  they  can  afford  to  sell  the  goods  purchased 
in  England  under  a  contract  of  old  standing,  together  with  the  productions  of  the 
territory  and  their  own  farms,  fish,  beef,  mutton,  pork,  timber,  etc.,  at  nearly  half 
the  American  price,  they  are  likely  to  engross  the  whole  trade  of  the  Pacific,  as 
they  do  already  the  trade  of  the  Oregon,  especially  since  they  command  all  the 
ports  and  safe  inlets  of  the  country.  This  the  Americans  feel  and  declare;  and  it 
is  this  which  whets  their  cupidity  and  excites  their  jealousy  and  hatred. 

Trapping  parties  leaving  Vancouver  are  some  weeks  preparing  for  the  mountains 
and  prairies.  The  blacksmiths  are  busily  engaged  making  beaver-traps  for  the 
trappers,  the  store-keepers  making  up  articles  for  trade  and  equipping  the  men,  the 
clerk  in  charge  of  the  provision  store  packing  up  provisions  for  them,  to  last  until 
they  get  into  hunting  ground,  the  clerk  in  charge  of  the  farm  providing  horses  and 
other  requisite  articles.  The  party  generally  consists  of  about  fifty  or  sixty  men, 
most  of  them  the  company's  servants,  others  free  hunters.  The  servants  have  a 
stated  salary,  while  the  freemen  receive  so  much  per  skin.  Previous  to  leaving  the 
fort  for  the  arduous  adventure,  they  are  allowed  a  small  quantity  of  rum  per  man ; 
and  they  generally  enjoy  a  grand  holiday  and  feast  the  night  previous  to  starting. 
Each  man  has  a  certain  number  of  horses,  sufficient  to  carry  his  equipment.  The 
free  trappers  generally  provide  their  own  animals.  Both  the  company's  servants 
and  the  freemen  frequently  take  their  wives  and  families  with  them.  The  women 
are  very  useful  on  the  expedition,  in  preparing  meals  and  other  necessaries  for  their 
husbands  during  their  absence  from  the  camp.  In  summer  and  winter,  whether 
they  have  a  sort  of  traveling  camp  or  a  fixed  residence,  they  select  the  localities 
that  most  abound  in  fur-bearing  animals.  Though  a  party  may  be  obliged,  from  a 
variety  of  circumstances,  to  winter  in  the  plain,  or  in  the  recesses  of  the  mountains, 
or  on  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers,  some  numbers  of  it  return  to  the  fort  in  the 
fall,  with  the  produce  of  the  season's  hunt,  and  report  progress,  and  return  to  the 
camp  with  a  reinforcement  of  necessary  supplies.  Thus  the  company  are  enabled 
to  acquire  a  minute  knowledge  of  the  country  and  natives,  and  extend  their  power 
and  authority  over  both." 


CHAPTER   XII. 


DIPLOMACY  AGAIN  ENDS  IN  JOINT  OCCUPATION. 

Claim  of  the  United  States  to  the  Columbia  River— Spasmodic  Consid 
eration  of  the  Oregon  Question  in  Congress — The  Russian  Ukase — 
The  Monroe  Doctrine — Negotiations  in  18% '4 — Claims  of  the  United 
States  Advanced  by  Mr.  Rush — The  Opposing  Claims  of  Great  Brit 
ain — Reply  of  Mr.  Rush  and  the  English  Commissioners  to  Each 
Other — England  Rejects  America's  Offer  of  the  Fifty-first  Parallel, 
and  Proposes  the  Forty-ninth  and  Columbia  River — Rush  Offers  the 
Forty -ninth  to  the  Ocean — Rejected  and  the  Negotiations  Terminate — 
Mr.  Gallatin  Sent  to  London  in  1826 — Offer  of  the  Columbia  again 
made  by  England  and  Rejected — The  Doctrine  of  Contiguity — The 
Spanish  Title  as  Modified  by  the  Nootka  Convention — Trading  Posts 
Declared  not  to  he  Settlements  by  Mr.  Gallatin,  a  Declaration  which 
Becomes  a  Boomerang — The  Period  of  Joint  Occupation  Indefinitely 
Extended. 

DURING  all  these  years  the  Oregon  question  was  not  neglected 
in  Congress.  It  was  spasmodically  discussed,  and  much  cor 
respondence  was  had  between  the  two  governments  on  the  subject; 
but  though  many  things  were  proposed  at  various  times,  nothing 
was  actually  done  to  promote  American  interests  in  Oregon,  unless 
the  leave  of  absence  granted  Captain  Bonneville  be  considered  as 
an  effort  in  that  direction.  During  these  diplomatic  negotiations 
the  United  States  firmly  maintained  her  claim  to  all  the  rights,  of 
any  nature  whatsoever,  which  Spain  may  have  possessed  prior  to 
the  Florida  Treaty.  She  also  urged  that  the  mouth  of  the  Colum 
bia  was  hers  by  the  dual  right  of  discovery  and  settlement;  and, 
therefore,  following  the  general  rule  which  had  been  observed  by 
European  nations  in  colonizing  America,  all  the  country  tributary 
to  that  river,  and  its  confluents,  was  also  subject  to  her  dominion. 


180  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

As  the  Columbia  sweeps  northward  to  the  fifty-first  parallel,  it  was 
urged  that,  by  this  title  alone,  the  government  had  indisputable  right 
to  the  whole  region  lying  between  the  forty-second  and  fifty-first 
degrees  of  latitude. 

In  1820,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  House  of  Represent 
atives,  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the  settlements  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  the  expediency  of  occupying  the  Columbia  River.  This 
resulted  in  the  reporting  of  a  bill  "  for  the  occupation  of  the  Colum 
bia,  and  the  regulation  of  the  trade  with  the  Indians  in  the  territo 
ries  of  the  United  States";  but,  though  much  discussed,  both  then 
and  the  ensuing  year,  the  measure  was  never  passed.  There  were 
several  plans  advocated,  among  them  being  one  to  send  a  body  of 
troops  overland  to  occupy  the  disputed  territory,  and  another  to 
construct  a  chain  of  forts  across  the  continent,  which  should  form  a 
basis  of  supplies  and  protection  for  emigrants.  The  great  draw 
back  was  the  lack  of  emigrants  to  be  supplied  and  protected.  The 
Mississippi  Valley  was  still  but  sparsely  settled,  and  no  one  thought 
of  moving  two  thousand  miles  across  what  was  supposed  to  be  a 
region  of  nearly  impassable  mountains  and  almost  interminable 
deserts,  when  the  rich  lands  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  were 
inviting  them  to  make  their  home  in  the  domain  of  the  "  Father  of 
Waters.17 

Russia  stepped  in  as  a  disturbing  element,  by  the  publication,  on 
the  sixteenth  of  September,  1821,  of  an  imperial  ukase,  by  which 
exclusive  title  was  asserted  on  the  coast  as  far  south  as  latitude  51°, 
and  all  foreign  vessels  were  prohibited  from  approaching  within 
one  hundred  miles  of  said  coast,  under  penalty  of  confiscation.  Pro 
tests  were  instantly  entered  by  both  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  Russia  replying  that  her  claim  was  based  upon  discovery, 
exploration  and  unquestioned  occupation  for  a  period  of  fifty  years. 
Separate  negotiations  were  opened  with  Russia  by  the  two  contend 
ing  powers.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  celebrated  Monroe  Doc 
trine  was  first  enunciated  in  an  official  document.  In  his  message 
to  Congress,  dated  December  2,  1823,  President  Monroe  declared 
that  the  "American  continents,  by  the  free  and  independent  condi 
tion  which  they  had  assumed,  were  henceforth  not  to  be  considered 
as  subjects  for  colonization  by  any  European  power."  This  elicited 
a  formal  protest  from  both  England  and  Russia.  Another  docu- 


DIPLOMACY  AGAIN  ENDS  IN  JOINT  OCCUPATION.  181 

ment,  which  was  peculiarly  offensive  to  England,  was  a  paper  sub 
mitted  to  the  House,  on  the  sixteenth  of  February,  1824,  by  Gen 
eral  Jessup,  in  which  it  was  proposed  to  establish  a  chain  of  forts 
from  Council  Bluffs  to  the  Pacific,  by  wilich  "present  protection 
would  be  afforded  to  our  traders;  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  priv 
ilege  granted  to  British  subjects  to  trade  on  the  waters  of  the 
Columbia,  we  should  be  enabled  to  remove  them  from  our  territory, 
and  to  secure  the  whole  trade  to  our  citizens."  This  suggestion  of 
a  preparation  to  expel  her  subjects  from  Oregon  by  force  of  arms 
was  exceedingly,  and  properly  so,  distasteful  to  Great  Britain,  and 
did  much  to  complicate  the  negotiations  which  had  been  already 
entered  into. 

The  ten  years1  limit  of  joint  occupation  had  now  more  than 
half  expired,  and  it  became  necessary  to  appoint  commissioners  to 
again  endeavor  to  affect  a  settlement.  Mr.  Rush,  the  American 
commissioner,  Avho  had  been  an  associate  with  Mr.  Gallatin  in 
arranging  the  treaty  of  1818,  asserted  that  by  the  Louisiana  title 
the  United  States  had  undisputed  claim  as  far  north  as  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel,  since  that  had  been  recognized  by  the  Treaty  of 
Utrecht  as  the  boundary  line  between  the  possessions  of  France 
and  England,  and  should  properly  be  extended  to  the  Pacific.  He 
also  claimed,  under  the  Spanish  title,  as  far  north  as  the  sixtieth 
parallel,  the  acknowledged  limit  of  the  Russian  possessions,  and  he 
declared  "  the  rights  thus  acquired  from  Spain  were  regarded  by 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  as  surpassing  the  rights  of  all 
other  European  powers  on  that  coast."  A  third  claim  was  the  one 
outlined  in  a  previous* paragraph,  based  upon  the  discovery,  explora 
tion  and  occupation  of  the  Columbia.  Asserting  these  three  distinct 
titles,  he  made  the  proposition  that  no  future  settlements  be  made  by 
subjects  of  Great  Britain  south  of  the  fifty -first  degree,  nor  by  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States  north  of  that  parallel.  Mr.  Rush  was, 
however,  authorized  to  make  a  considerable  modification  of  that 
proposal,  since  his  letter  of  instructions  contained  the  following 
words:  "  As,  however,  the  line  already  runs  in  latitude  49?  to  the 
Stony  Mountains,  should  it  be  earnestly  insisted  upon  by  Great 
Britain,  we  will  consent  to  carry  it  in  continuance  on  the  same 
parallel  to  the  sea.'7 

The  plenipotentiaries  of  Great  Britain  not  only  declined  the 


182  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

proposals,  but  denied  in  toto  the  principles  upon  which  it  had  been 
offered,  especially  the  idea  that  no  future  colonization  in  America 
should  be  attempted  by  European  nations.  They  declared  that  all 
unoccupied  portions  of  America  were  subjects  of  colonization, 
including  the  region  on  the  Pacific  Coast  lying  between  the  forty- 
second  and  fifty-first  parallel.  They  declared  that  Great  Britain 
could  not  concede  to  the  United  States,  as  the  successor  of  Spain, 
those  exclusive  rights  which  she  had  successfully  resisted  when  they 
had  been  advanced  by  Spain  herself,  and  which  the  Nootka  Conven 
tion,  in  1790,  declared  should  not  be  admitted.  They  also  denied 
the  title  by  right  of  discovery,  claiming  that  the  discovery  of  the 
Columbia  was  a  progressive  one,  participated  in  more  conspicuously 
by  British  subjects  than  by  Americans;  that  even  admitting  the 
discovery  by  Gray,  he,  being  a  private  citizen,  could  not,  merely  by 
entering  the  mouth  of  a. river,  gain  title  for  his  Government  to  the 
whole  coast  for  hundreds  of  miles  above  and  below  that  point, 
especially  since  the  coast  had  been  explored  prior  to  that  time  by 
an  official  expedition  (Captain  Cook's)  of  Great  Britain,  and  a 
British  subject  (Sir  Francis  Drake)  had  purchased  land  from  the 
natives  only  a  few  degrees  south;  that  the  settlement  at  Astoria 
was  subsequent,  or,  at  the  best,  only  coeval,  to  similar  settlements 
made  by  British  subjects  upon  that  stream,  or  upon  rivers  flowing 
into  it  (erroneously  referring,  perhaps,  to  the  establishment  on 
Eraser  Lake). 

To  this  the  United  States  embassador  replied  at  length,  asserting 
that  Gray  sailed  under  the  flag  and  protection  of  the  Federal  Gov 
ernment,  whose  rights  followed  him ;  that  he  was  unaware,  and  could 
not  admit  the  fact,  of  any  prior  or  contemporaneous  settlement  by 
British  subjects  on  the  Columbia;  that  Cook  had  been  preceded  by 
Perez,  Heceta  and  Quadra,  in  his  exploration  of  the  coast;  and 
closed  by  saying  that  "  in  the  opinion  of  my  government,  the  title 
of  the  United  States  to  the  whole  of  that  coast,  from  latitude  forty- 
two  degrees  to  as  far  north  as  latitude  sixty  degrees,  was,  therefore, 
superior  to  that  of  Great  Britain,  or  any  other  power:  first,  through 
the  proper  claim  of  the  United  States  by  discovery  and  settlement, 
and  secondly,  as  now  standing  in  the  place  of  Spain,  and  holding  in 
their  hands  all  her  title."  The  British  reply  was  a  renewal  of  the 
former  objections,  especially  to  the  Spanish  title,  special  stress  being 


DIPLOMACY  AGAIN  ENDS  IN  JOINT  OCCUPATION.  183 

laid  on  the  fact  that  England  never  had  admitted  the  exclusive  rights 
claimed  by  Spain  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  America,  and  had  specifi 
cally  denied  and  combatted  them  in  the  Nootka  controversy;  the 
voyage  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  was  urged  as  giving  England  the  dis 
covery  rights  prior,  even,  to  the  earliest  claimed  by  Spain,  the  forty- 
eighth  degree  being  placed  as  the  northern  limit  of  his  voyage.  It 
was  also  denied  that  Spain  could  acquire  title  by  simply  sailing 
along  the  coast,  and  not  following  up  her  discoveries  by  genuine 
acts  of  possession  and  settlement.  The  response  of  Mr.  Rush,  was  a 
denial  that  Drake  proceeded  beyond  the  forty-third  parallel,  and  a 
reminder  to  the  English  plenipotentiaries  that,  even  if  all  they 
claimed  for  Drake  were  true,  England  was  debarred  from  claiming 
title  through  him  by  the  rule  laid  down  by  them  in  the  matter  of 
Spanish  explorers,  since  the  title  thus  acquired  had  not  been  per 
fected  by  acts  of  possession  and  settlement. 

By  these  successive  statements  and  answers  both  sides  to  the 
question  having  been  plainly  set  forth,  the  representatives  of  En 
gland,  rejecting  Mr.  Rush's  proposition,  made  another  proposal— 
that  the  boundary  line  follow  the  forty -ninth  parallel  till  it  struck 
the  Columbia,  and  then  follow  down  the  main  channel  of  that  stream 
to  the  ocean,  navigation  of  the  river  to  be  open  to  both  nations. 
This  was  submitted,  they  said,  in  a  spirit  of  compromise,  though 
they  considered  that  in  so  doing  they  were  departing  largely  from 
the  full  extent  of  Great  Britain's  rights.  Mr.  Rush  declared  his 
utter  inability  to  accept  such  a  proposition,  but  that,  actuated  by 
the  same  strong  desire  to  effect  a  compromise,  he  would  agree  to  the 
forty -ninth  parallel  clear  through  to  the  ocean,  stating  that  this  was 
the  extreme  limit  of  his  authority.  This  was  declined,  and  as 
neither  party  would  make  further  concessions  the  negotiations  came 
to  an  end. 

In  1826,  the  attempt  to  settle  this  important  question  was 
renewed,  and  Mr.  Gallatin  was  sent  to  London,  with  full  powers  to 
resume  the  discussion.  The  offer  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel  and  the 
Columbia  River  was  again  made  by  the  British  Commissioners, 
with  a  sop  in  the  shape  of  a  slice  of  Washington  Territory  south  of 
Gray's  Harbor  and  Hood's  Canal  thrown  in.  Mr.  Gallatin  renewed 
Mr.  Rush's  offer  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  adding  free  navigation 


184  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

to  the  sea  from  all  branches  of  the  Columbia  lying  north  of  that 
line.  The  complete  claims  and  offered  compromises  of  the  two  na 
tions  were  submitted  in  written  statements,  and  were  published  in 
full  in  the  message  of  President  Adams,  of  December  12,  1827. 
There  was  no  essential  difference  in  the  claims  made  by  the  con 
tending  parties  from  those  set  forth  above;  they  were  simply  urged 
in  different  language  and  with  a  better  understanding  of  the  sub 
ject.  The  Louisiana  title  was  made  a  prominent  feature  by  Mr. 
Gallatin;  but  the  insufficiency  of  this  was  clearly  shown  by  the 
representatives  of  Great  Britain,  who  also  claimed  that  the  titles  of 
the  United  States  and  Spain,  when  taken  separately,  were  imperfect, 
and  when  taken  together  destroyed  each  other.  Mr.  Gallatin  also 
advanced  the  doctrine  of  contiguity,  asserting  that  the  populous 
settlements  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  constituted  a  strong  claim 
to  the  extension  of  their  authority  "  over  the  contiguous  vacant  ter 
ritory,  and  to  the  occupation  and  sovereignty  of  the  country  as  far 
as  the  Pacific  Ocean."  This  was  asserted  by  the  British  Commis 
sioners  to  be  the  doctrine  of  "might  makes  right,"  and  to  be  wholly 
repulsive  to  the  principles  of  international  law. 

It  was  maintained,  and  with  much  justness,  by  the  English  ne 
gotiators  that,  since  the  Nootka  Convention  especially  declared  the 
right  of  both  England  and  Spain  to  either  of  them  settle  upon  and 
take  possession  of  any  portion  of  the  coast  now  in  dispute  which 
had  not  been  previously  settled  upon  by  the  other,  the  previous 
rights  of  both  nations  acquired  by  discovery  were  thus  expressly 
waived,  and  future  titles  were  made  to  depend  entirely  upon  acts  of 
possession  and  settlement;  therefore,  in  succeeding  to  the  Spanish 
title,  the  United  States  had  acquired  nothing  but  the  right  pos 
sessed  by  Spain  to  settle  upon  and  occupy  any  portion  of  the  coast 
not  already  in  the  actual  possession  of  Great  Britain. 

Mr.  Gallatin  denied  that  mere  fur  trading  factories,  or  posts, 
could  be  considered  settlements  such  as  were  necessary  to  perfect 
title  of  a  nation  to  an  extended  region;  but  by  doing  this  he  dis 
credited  the  title  claimed  by  his  own  Government  by  reason  of  the 
establishment  by  the  Pacific  Fur  Company  of  a  post  at  Astoria; 
also,  by  a  simple  process  of  reasoning,  of  the  discovery  title  claimed 
through  Captain  Gray,  since  that  gentleman  was  simply  a  fur  trader, 
and  was  not  engaged  in  a  voyage  of  exploration  or  discovery. 


DIPLOMACY  AGAIN  ENDS  IN  JOINT  CONVENTION,  185 

Not  being  able  to  come  to  any  understanding  upon  the  main 
question  at  issue — a  definite  boundary  line — the  negotiations  were 
brought  to  a  close  in  1827  by  the  signing  of  an  agreement  indefi 
nitely  extending  the  period  of  joint  occupation,  making  it  termin 
able  by  either  party  upon  giving  twelve  months'  notice  to  that  effect. 
Thus  was  the  aid  of  time  again  invoked  to  furnish  a  solution  of  this 
vexatious  problem. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


FAILURE  OF  ALL  ATTEMPTS  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY 
THE  AMERICANS. 

Outlook  for  Joint  Occupation — Comparison  of  the  Advantages  of  the 
English  and  American  Traders — Character  of  the  American  Trap 
pers —  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Methods  and  Servants — Growth 
of  the  American  Fur  Trade — The  American  Fur  Company — The 
Missouri  Fur  Company — Ashley,  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur 
Company,  Penetrates  the  Rocky  Mountains — Method  of  Conducting 
Trapping  Enterprises  —  The  Annual  Rendezvous  —  Jedediah  S. 
Smith's  First  Overland  Journey — His  Second  Journey  Fraught 
with  Disaster — His  Adventures  in  California — His  Party  Massacred 
on  the  Umpqua — The,  Hudson* s  Bay  Company  Recover  Smith's  Furs 
and  Pay  him  for  Them — Gray's  Version  of  this  Affair — The  Subject 
Discussed — Boston's  and  King  George's  Men — Dr.  McLaughlin's 
Account  of  this  Episode — McLeod's  Unfortunate  Expedition— 
Ogden's  Expedition  to  the  Humboldt  and  California — Death  of 
Smith, — Major  Pilcher  and  Ewing  Young — Hitdson's  Bay  Company 
Establish  Fort  Umpqua  and  a  Headquarters  in  California — Bonne- 
ville's  Trading  Ventures — Two  Efforts  of  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth  to 
Trade  in  Oregon  Result  Disastrously — McLaughlin's  Remarks  on 
Wyeth — Abandonment  of  Oregon  by  American  Trappers. 

THE  great  power  and  firm  foothold  secured  in  Oregon  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  has  been  thus  minutely  described  in 
order  that  an  adequate  idea  can  be  had  of  the  herculean  task  which 
lay  before  any  American  company  which  might  seek  to  compete  with 
it  in  its  chosen  field.  Joint  occupation,  as  contemplated  in  the 
treaties  of  1818  and  1826  was  only  possible,  on  the  principle  of 
the  lion  and  the  lamb.  Americans  cculd  live  in  Oregon  if  they 
would  permit  themselves  to  be  swallowed  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company — not  otherwise.  The  chief  difficulty  which  lay  in  the 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  187 

pathway  of  American  traders  in  their  efforts  to  compete  with  the 
great  English  corporation,  was  a  lack  of  unity  of  purpose  and  com 
bination  of  capital  and  effort.  The  Americans  were  all  inde 
pendent  traders,  operating  alone  or  in  limited  partnerships.  Sepa 
rately  they  had  not  the  capital  to  carry  on  the  business  in  the  sys 
tematic  and  comprehensive  manner  in  which  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  operated.  There  was  an  utter  lack  of  system,  unity  of 
action  or  wise  provision  for  the  future.  The  trade  was  not  care 
fully  fostered  for  future  advantage,  since  none  of  them  cared  to 
build  up  a  business  for  some  one  else  to  enjoy,  but  each  sought  to 
make  all  the  immediate  profit  possible.  The  competition  among 
them  was  ruinous  to  all,  and  in  a  few  years  the  whole  trade,  so  far  as 
Americans  were  concerned,  was  ruined.  In  their  competition  with 
the  English  monopoly  they  were  at  a  fatal  disadvantage.  One 
unsuccessful  season  with  them  was  often  financially  disastrous,  while 
to  the  great  corporation,  covering  such  a  vast  scope  of  country, 
dealing  with  so  many  tribes  and  handling  such  varied  classes  of 
furs,  such  a  thing  as  a  completely  unsuccessful  year  was  impossible. 
Gains  in  one  section  compensated  for  any  losses  in  another.  For 
this  reason,  whenever  two  trapping  parties  met  in  open  competition 
for  the  trade  of  any  tribe  of  Indians,  the  Americans  were  at  a  dis 
astrous  disadvantage,  and,  except  in  the  few  instances  when  they 
outwitted  the  rival  trader,  were  forced  to  the  wall.  The  agent  had 
full  authority  to  use  his  own  discretion  in  such  cases,  his  only  in 
structions  being  to  crush  his  rival  at  all  hazards.  No  spectre  of 
bankruptcy  shook  his  bony  finger  in  his  face ;  no  vision  of  an  angry 
and  distrustful  partner  rose  up  before  him.  He  could  give  away 
every  dollar's  worth  of  goods  he  had,  and  receive  the  approval  of 
his  superiors,  provided,  that  by  doing  so,  he  defeated  the  rival 
traders.  On  the  contrary,  the  American,  his  entire  fortune  invested 
in  this  single  venture,  could  neither  afford  to  give  away  his  goods 
nor  to  lose  the  opportunity  to  trade;  for  often  it  was  the  only  one 
of  the  season,  and  to  miss  it  meant  ruin.  In  1815,  Congress,  in 
order  to  aid  the  struggling  traders,  passed  an  act  expelling  foreign 
trappers  from  the  territories  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  but  it  remained  a  dead  letter,  since  brigades  of  the  En 
glish  trappers  continued  to  roam  through  the  country  along  the 
Missouri  and  its  tributaries. 


188  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Candor  compels  the  confession  that  there  were  other  reasons  for 
the  success  of  the  English  and  utter  failure  of  the  American  traders ; 
and  these  were  the  great  difference  in  their  methods  of  treating  the 
natives  and  the  character  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  business.  The 
American  trappers  were,  to  a  large  extent,  made  up  of  a  class  of 
wild,  reckless  and  brutal  men,  many  of  them  fugitives  from  justice. 
With  them  might  made  right,  and  Indian  fighting  was  one  of  their 
chief  accomplishments.  A  perpetual  state  of  hostilities  existed 
between  them  and  the  Blackfeet  and  other  warlike  tribes.  They 
cared  nothing  for  the  interests  of  their  employers,  were  insubordi 
nate  and  quarrelsome,  and  the  histories  of  their  lives  and  adventures, 
written  for  the  glorification  of  the  few  of  the  most  noted  of  them, 
convince  us  that,  as  a  whole,  they  composed  the  lowest  stratum  of 
American  society.  Irving,  in  one  of  many  similar  passages,  thus 
speaks  of  one  phase  of  their  character:  "The  arrival  of  the  sup 
plies  gave  the  regular  finish  to  the  annual  revel.  A  grand  outbreak 
of  wild  debauch  ensued  among  the  mountaineers;  drinking,  danc 
ing,  swaggering,  gambling,  quarreling  and  fighting.  Alcohol, 
which,  from  its  portable  qualities,  containing  the  greatest  quantity 
of  fiery  spirit  in  the  smallest  compass,  is  the  only  liquor  carried 
across  the  mountains,  is  the  inflammatory  beverage  at  these  carousals, 
and  is  dealt  out  to  the  trappers  at  four  dollars  a  pint.  When  inflamed 
by  this  fiery  beverage,  they  cut  all  kinds  of  mad  pranks  and  gam 
bols,  and  sometimes  burn  all  their  clothes  in  their  drunken  brava 
does.  A  camp,  recovering  from  one  of  these  riotous  revels,  presents 
a  serio-comic  spectacle;  black  eyes,  broken  heads,  lack  lustre  vis 
ages."  Alcohol  was  a  leading  article  of  merchandise,  and  the  annual 
assemblage  at  the  points  of  rendezvous  and  the  meetings  with 
Indians  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  were  invariably  the  scenes  of 
drunken  debauchery  like  the  one  described.  Many  impositions 
were  practiced  on  the  Indians,  and  the  men,  being  irresponsible 
and  without  restraint,  were  guilty  of  many  acts  of  injustice.  The 
Indians  learned  neither  uprightness  nor  morality  from  contact  with 
them,  and  had  respect  only  for  their  bravery. 

The  reverse  was  the  case  with  the  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  who  were  men,  chiefly  half-breeds  and  descendants  of 
the  French  settlers  of  Canada — the  agents  and  factors  being  gener 
ally  of  Scotch  nativity — who  had  been  reared  to  the  business,  as 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  189 

had  been  their  fathers  before  them,  and  cheerfully  submitted  to  the 
rigid  discipline  maintained  by  the  company.  It  was  the  company's 
policy  to  avoid  all  trouble  with  the  natives,  to  whom  they  gave  no 
liquor  whatever.  It  was  by  pandering  to  the  Indian's  proverbial 
thirst  for  "  fire-water "  that  the  Americans  occasionally  defeated 
their  opponents  in  competition  for  the  trade  of  a  tribe;  still,  it 
sometimes  happened  that  after  the  noble  red  man  had  been  hilari 
ously  and  even  pugnaciously  drunk  for  a  week  on  American 
alcohol,  they  sobered  up  sufficiently  to  sell  their  furs  to  the  English 
trader,  who  could  offer  them  such  a  greater  quantity  of  goods  in 
exchange,  and  left  their  bibulous  friends  to  mourn.  By  just  and 
generous  treatment  the  company  sought  to  bind  the  Indians  to  them 
by  a  community  of  interest;  yet  an  act  of  bad  faith  or  treachery 
was  never  permitted  to  go  unrebuked.  By  this  means  it  obtained 
an  influence  among  the  tribes  covering  a  region  over  a  thousand 
miles  square,  which  amounted  almost  to  the  authority  of  govern 
ment;  and  this  influence  was  sufficiently  powerful  to  cause  the 
Indians  of  some  tribes  to  not  only  refuse  to  trade  with  Americans, 
but  to  decline  selling  them  provisions  when  in  the  greatest  distress. 
Bonneville  found  this  to  be  the  case  when  he  undertook  the  experi 
ment  of  joint  occupation,  and  sought  to  do  business  in  Oregon, 
the  chosen  field  of  the  great  monopoly. 

The  rise  and  growth  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  and  Northwest  Com 
panies  have  been  traced  till  they  united  and  spread  like  an  octopus 
over  the  whole  West.  Let  us  also  trace  the  growth  of  American 
fur  enterprise  until  it  began  to  enter  Oregon  in  competition  with  the 
united  rivals.  In  1762  the  Governor  of  Louisiana,  then  a  Province 
of  France,  chartered  a  fur  company  under  the  title  of  "  Pierre 
Legueste  Laclede,  Antoine  Maxan  <fe  Co."  The  following  year 
Laclede  established  Fort  St.  Louis,  where  now  the  great  city  of  that 
name  stands,  and  this  became  the  headquarters  of  the  fur  trade  as 
carried  on  by  the  French  of  Louisiana.  At  that  time  the  Canadian 
representatives  of  France  had  their  general  headquarters  at  Macki 
naw  and  Montreal;  but  Canada  becoming  a  British  Province  the 
following  year,  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  chiefly  Scotchmen,  suc 
ceeded  to  the  fur  trade  of  that  region.  After  the  United  States 
became  a  nation,  American  traders  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  along 
and  west  of  the  great  lakes,  Mackinaw  becoming  their  general  head- 


190  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

quarters.  These  men  were  chiefly  New  York  merchants,  the  lead 
ing  spirit  being  John  Jacob  Astor,  whose  ill-fated  attempt  to  found 
an  establishment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  has  been  related. 
The  trade  as  then  carried  on  ran  in  four  great  belts.  To  the  north 
was  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  next  came  the  young  and  ag 
gressive  Northwest  Company;  south  of  them  the  independent 
American  traders  operated;  and  still  further  south  was  the  field  oc 
cupied  by  the  French.  How  the  two  English  companies  became 
consolidated  and  spread  out  over  the  whole  region  north  of  the 
Missouri  and  gained  complete  possession  of  Oregon,  has  been  fully 
set  forth. 

The  next  step  was  the  substitution  of  Americans  for  Frenchmen 
at  St.  Louis,  the  natural  result  of  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  by  the 
United  States.  Immediately  following  this  event  St.  Louis  became 
the  goal  of  thousands  of  young  men  who  loved  the  excitement  and 
adventures  of  a  frontier  life,  and  of  as  many  more  of  all  ages  who 
preferred  the  obscurity  of  the  frontier  to  the  seclusion  of  a  state's 
prison  or  the  notoriety  of  a  public  execution.  To  say  the  least,  the 
society  of  that  frontier  city  was  far  from  choice.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  Americans  began  to  be  in  a  majority  in  the  various 
brigades  of  trappers  which  roamed  the  plains  as  far  west  as  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  while  the  direction  of  these  enter 
prises  fell  almost  entirely  into  their  hands.  The  French  trappers, 
however,  never  entirely  disappeared,  for  their  names  are  found  fre 
quently  mentioned  in  all  narratives  concerning  the  trapping  frater 
nity.  They  have  generally  been  confounded  with  the  voyageurs 
and  trappers  of  French  descent  who  formed  the  bulk  of  the  ordinary 
servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  but  this  is  an  error,  since 
the  latter  were  the  Canadian  French,  who  had  transferred  their 
allegiance  to  the  British  conquerors  and  successors  of  their  old  em 
ployers,  while  the  former  were  the  descendants  of  the  French  of 
Louisiana,  and,  consequently,  were  Americans. 

The  act  of  Congress  in  1815,  expelling  British  subjects  from  the 
territories  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  served  to  stimulate  the 
American  traders.  The  American  Fur  Company,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  Mr.  Astor,  then  operating  in  the  lake  region  from  Mack 
inaw,  began  to  send  trapping  parties  farther  west,  reaching  the 
headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  and  ,  Missouri.  Other  American 


FAILUKE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  191 

traders  opened  an  important  trade  between  St.  Louis  and  Santa  Fe, 
the  latter  becoming  headquarters  for  the  fur  business  in  the  region 
of  New  Mexico,  then  a  Province  of  Mexico.  Up  to  this  time  the 
operations  of  American  trappers  had  not  extended  beyond  the  base 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  except  in  the  instance  previously  men 
tioned,  that  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company.  This  was  a  company 
organized  at  St.  Louis  in  1808,  stimulated  by  the  reports  of  the 
Columbia  region  brought  in  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  was  headed 
by  Manuel  Lisa,  a  Spaniard.  Mr.  Henry,  a  partner,  established 
Fort  Henry  the  same  year,  on  Lewis,  or  Snake,  River,  just  west  of 
the  summit  of  the  mountains,  and  other  posts  were  founded  on  the 
Upper  Missouri.  Two  years  later,  however,  these  were  abandoned, 
owing  to  a  failure  of  supplies  and  the  hostility  of  the  natives.  The 
next  effort  was  made  by  General  W.  H.  Ashley,  who  had  long  been 
the  leading  spirit  in  such  enterprises  at  St.  Louis,  and  was  the  senior 
partner  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company.  In  1823  he  led  a 
party  of  trappers  up  the  Platte  to  the  Sweetwater,  followed  up  the 
latter  stream  to  its  source,  discovered  the  famous  South  Pass  (the 
one  Fremont  endeavored  to  appropriate  to  himself  twenty  years 
later),  explored  the  headwaters  of  the  Colorado,  or  Green,  River, 
and  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall.  The  next  year  he  again 
entered  the  mountains  and  discovered  Great  Salt  Lake  and  Lake 
Ashley.  On  the  later  he  established  Fort  Ashley,  and  leaving  one 
hundred  men  at  that  post)  returned  to  St.  Louis.  From  that  time 
the  Rocky  Mountains  were  the  favorite  trapping  grounds  of  the 
Americans.  Their  method  of  doing  business  was  by  no  means  sys 
tematic.  Each  company,  when  there  were  rivals,  organized  several 
brigades  of  trappers,  sufficiently  strong  to  protect  themselves  from 
hostile  Indians,  and  sent  them  out  in  various  directions,  generally 
under  the  leadership  of  an  interested  partner.  Once  a  year  these 
parties  assembled  at  a  previously  designated  rendezvous,  generally 
on  Green  River,  where  a  settlement  was  made.  There  they  met  the 
partner  who  was  the  connecting  link  between  them  and  civilization, 
such  as  it  was,  at  St.  Louis.  He  had  come  up  with  a  train  of  sup 
plies  and  packs  of  goods  for  the  Indian  trade,  and  turning  these 
over  to  his  partners,  he  loaded  his  train  with  the  accumulated  furs 
and  conveyed  them  to  market  at  St.  Louis.  Often  furs  were  sent 
down  the  Missouri  in  a  nondescript  boat,  made  of  buffalo  skins — a 


192  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

craft  of  eccentric  unreliability.  With  the  supplies  was  invariably  a 
liberal  quantity  of  alcohol.  Whisky  was  too  bulky  to  carry,  and 
as  the  palates  of  the  trappers  and  Indians  were  none  too  refined, 
sour  mash  and  bourbon  were  omitted  from  the  wine  list.  There 
was  plenty  of  water  at  hand  and  the  spirits  could  be  easily  diluted 
to  any  strength  required,  though  there  were  not  a  few  who  scorned 
to  spoil  their  drink  by  putting  water  in  it.  Frequently  two  or  three 
rival  bands  of  trappers  assembled  at  the  same  rendezvous,  and  it  was 
not  unseldom  that  a  thousand  white  men  and  two  or  three  thousand 
Indians  were  in  camp  at  one  time.  The  appearance  of  the  train 
from  St.  Louis  was  invariably  followed  by  one  of  those  wild 
debauches  described  above  by  Irving,  the  greatest  excesses  being 
committed  by  the  free  trappers,  those  who  had  been  the  longest  in 
the  business  and  had  abandoned  all  thought  of  any  other  existence 
than  the  free  and  untrammeled  life  of  the  mountains.  These  men 
worked  for  themselves,  receiving  a  stipulated  price  for  all  the  furs 
taken  by  them.  In  return  for  a  contract  given  by  them  to  sell  all 
their  furs  to  the  company,  they  were  allowed  almost  unlimited 
credit,  which  they  exercised  as  freely  as  it  was  offered.  Their 
heaviest  expenditures  were  for  spirits,  horse,  gun,  traps,  clothing, 
and  gaudy  adornments  of  every  kind  for  their  Indian  women,  of 
whom  each  possessed  at  least  one.  It  not  infrequently  happened 
that  in  a  few  days  their  reckless  excesses  and  their  heedless  gener 
osity  to  their  fair  ones  not  only  exhausted  their  balance  with  the 
company,  but  ran  up  such  an  enormous  bill  of  credit  that  their  labor 
for  a  year  was  pledged  in  advance.  When  it  is  known  that  some 
of  these  men,  when  employed  on  a  salary,  received  as  high  as  two 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  the  full  extent  of  their  extravagance  will 
be  better  understood.  That  is  a  large  sum  to  expend  in  two  or 
three  weeks  for  spirits  and  gewgaws. 

In  1825  the  Kocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  dispatched  Jede- 
diah  S.  Smith  into  the  country  west  of  Great  Salt  Lake,  with  a 
party  of  forty  men.  He  discovered  Humboldt  River,  which  he 
named  "  Mary's  River "  in  honor  of  his  Indian  wife,  so  the  old 
trappers  testify,  and  following  down  that  stream  crossed  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  arriving  in  the  Sacramento  Valley  in  July. 
This  was  undoubtedly  the  first  overland  journey  to  California,  not 
withstanding  that  Cronise  speaks  of  American  trappers  appearing 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  193 

there  as  early  as  1820.  He  gives  no  authority  for  the  statement, 
and  there  is  no  record  of  any  other  party  having  penetrated  so  far 
west;  the  context,  also,  shows  that  he  confounded  these  supposi 
tions  early  trappers  with  a  portion  of  Smith's  company  which  he  left 
behind  him  when  he  returned.  Smith  had  good  success,  and  leav 
ing  the  majority  of  his  company  to  continue  their  operations,  he 
returned  to  the  general  rendezvous  on  Green  River.  He  crossed 
the  mountains  on  his  homeward  journey  in  the  vicinity  of  MonQ 
Lake,  discovering  large  deposits  of  placer  gold  in  that  region,  spec 
imens  of  which  he  took  with  him  to  exhibit  to  his  employers  on 
Green  River.  General  Ashley,  having  made  a  fortune,  was  then 
ready  to  retire  from  active  participation  in  the  business.  He  there 
fore  sold  his  interests  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  to 
William  Sublette,  Jedediah  S.  Smith  and  David  Jackson.  Smith 
again  started  for  California  in  the  spring  of  1826,  to  rejoin  the 
party  he  had  left  there,  of  whose  success  he  and  his  partners  enter 
tained  high  hopes.  It  was  his  purpose  to  'make  a  thorough  inspec 
tion  of  the  gold  placers,  trap  through  the  Sacramento  Valley,  and 
with  his  whole  party  return  to  Green  River  to  participate  in  the 
annual  meeting  the  following  summer.  In  his  journey  he  passed  as 
far  south  as  the  Colorado  River,  and,  at  some  point  on  that  stream, 
his  party  was  attacked  by  Indians,  who  killed  all  except  Smith, 
Turner  and  Galbraith.  Those  three  escaped  to  Mission  San  Ga 
briel,  and,  notwithstanding  their  forlorn  and  distressed  condition, 
were  arrested  as  filibusters  by  the  panicy  Mexicans  and  sent  to  San 
Diego.  At  that  point  there  happened  to  be  several  American  ves 
sels,  whose  officers  signed  a  certificate  that  Smith  was  simply  a 
peaceful  trader  and  possessed  a  passport  from  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs  of  the  United  States.  The  certificate  bears  date  of 
December  20,  1826,  and  was  potential  to  procure  the  release  of  the 
prisoners.  He  then  proceeded  to  hunt  for  the  men  he  had  left  the 
year  before,  and  found  them  in  camp  on  the  American  River,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Folsom,  their  residence  there  leading  to  the  bestowal 
of  that  title  upon  the  stream.  It  was  his  purpose  to  return  by  way 
of  the  Columbia  River,  but  that  season  was  one  of  unusual  snows 
and  floods,  and  he  was  unable  for  a  long  time  to  leave  the  valley. 
His  movements  are  somewhat  uncertain,  but  are  partially  revealed 
in  the  following  letter,  written  by  him  to  Father  Duran.  The 


194  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mexicans  were  uneasy  about  the  intentions  of  this  party  of  armed 
Americans,  and  the  worthy  Father  wrote  him  a  letter  asking  for 
information.  Smith  replied:— 

REVEREND  FATHER.— I  understand,  through  the  medium  of  some  of  your  Chris 
tian  Indians,  that  you  are  anxious  to  know  who  we  are,  as  some  of  the  Indians  have 
been  at  the  mission  and  informed  you  that  there  were  certain  white  people  in  the 
country.  We  are  Americans  on  our  journey  to  the  River  Columbia ;  we  were  in  at 
the  Mission  San  Gabriel  in  January  last.  I  went  to  San  Diego  and  saw  the  general, 
and  got  a  passport  from  him  to  pass  on  to  that  place.  I  have  made  several  efforts 
to  cross  the  mountains,  but  the  snows  being  so  deep,  I  could  not  succeed  in  getting 
over.  I  returned  to  this  place  (it  being  the  only  point  to  kill  meat),  to  wait  a  few 
weeks  until  the  snow  melts  so  that  I  can  go  on  ;  the  Indians  here  also  being  friendly, 
I  consider  it  the  most  safe  point  for  me  to  remain,  until  such  time  as  I  can  cross  the 
mountains  with  my  horses,  having  lost  a  great  many  in  attempting  to  cross  ten  or 
fifteen  days  since.  I  am  a  long  ways  from  home,  and  am  anxious  to  get  there  as 
soon  as  the  nature  of  the  case  will  admit.  Our  situation  is  quite  unpleasant,  being 
destitute  of  clothing  and  most  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  wild  meat  being  our  principal 
subsistence.  I  am,  Reverend  Father,  your  strange  but  real  friend  and  Christian 
brother.  J.  S.  SMITH. 

May  19th,  1827. 

Soon  after  this  correspondence  Smith  started  northward,  crossing 
to  the  coast  in  the  vicinity  of  Russian  River.  He  continued  along 
the  coast  to  the  Umpqua,  and  while  ferrying  his  effects  across  the 
stream  on  a  rudely  constructed  raft,  his  party  was  attacked  by 
Indians,  with  whom  they  were  holding  friendly  intercourse,  and  all 
but  three  were  slain.  Smith,  Daniel  Prior  and  one  of  the  Indians 
were  on  the  raft  at  the  time  of  the  attack,  and  w7hen  the  signal  yell 
was  given  the  savage  sprang  into  the  water  with  Smith's  gun  in  his 
hand;  but  he  never  lived  to  enjoy  his  prize,  for  Smith  seized  his 
companion's  rifle  and  buried  a  bullet  in  the  Indian's  brain  the  in 
stant  his  head  appeared  above  water.  The  two  men  landed  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream  and  succeeded  in  making  their  way  to 
Vancouver,  where  they  received  a  warm  and  sympathetic  welcome. 
.The  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  would  have  done  their 
utmost  to  have  ruined  his  business  had  he  come  into  their  field  with 
a  band  of  trappers ;  but  one  in  his  pitiable  condition — his  followers 
massacred  arid  his  furs  and  accoutrements  plundered — could  only 
excite  their  deepest  sympathy.  A  few  days  later  a  third  man  made 
his  appearance,  more  forlorn,  if  possible,  than  the  others. .  This  was 
Richard  Laughlin,  who  was  in  camp  at  the  time  of  the  attack,  and 
had  seized  a  burning  brand  from  the  fire,  with  which  he  rained 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  195 

scorching  blows  upon  the  naked  bodies  of  his  assailants  until  he 
cleared  a  passage  for  himself  and  escaped. 

It  was  deemed  necessary  by  the  officers  of  the  company  to  chas 
tise  the  Indians  who  had  been  guilty  of  this  unprovoked  outrage, 
as  a  warning  to  other  tribes  who  might  feel  encouraged  to  pounce 
down  upon  unwary  bands  of  trappers;  besides,  the  furs  stolen  were 
exceedingly  valuable  and  ought  to  be  recovered.  It  happened  that 
Governor  Simpson  was  at  Fort  Vancouver  at  the  time  Smith  arrived 
in  such  a  forlorn  condition,  and  he  sent  out  a  party  under  Thomas 
McKay,  to  punish  the  Indians  and  recover  the  captured  property, 
both  as  a  necessary  step  to  maintain  the  company's  authority  and 
as  an  act  of  courtesy  to  the  despoiled  trader.  Accounts  vary  as  to 
the  degree  of  punishment  inflicted,  but  at  all  events  the  furs  were 
recovered  and  conveyed  to  Vancouver,  and  since  he  could  not  carry 
them,  having  no  means,  and  since  the  company,  from  a  business 
point  of  view,  could  not  afford  to  provide  him  with  facilities  for 
carrying  on  opposition  to  it,  he  sold  the  whole  lot  to  the  company 
for  $40,000.  They  were,  to  be  sure,  worth  more  in  St.  Louis,  but 
under  the  circumstances,  this  was  a  fair  price  for  them  on  the 
Columbia.  The  most  detailed  account  of  this  incident  is  given  by 
Rev.  Gustavus  Hiues,  who  received  the  facts  from  Dr.  McLoughlin 
in  person.  Gray's  History  of  Oregon,  a  rabid  an  ti- Hud  son's  Bay 
Company  volume,  seriously  questions  the  correctness  of  these  state 
ments.  It  says:— 

The  property  was  recovered  from  the  Indians  by  giving  them  presents  of  blank 
ets  and  powder,  and  such  things  as  the  Indians  wished,  as  stated  to  us  by  a  French 
man,  a  servant  of  the  company,  who  was  one  of  McKay's  party  that  went  to  get 
the  furs.  They  found  no  bodies  to  bury,  and  had  no  fight  with  the  Indians  about 
the  property,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Smith,  also.  But,  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
tells  the  story,  through  Mr.  Hines,  they  spread  terror  through  the  tribes.  *  * 
Mr.  Hines  says  his  Umpqua  party  returned  in  triumph  to  Vancouver!  And  well 
they  might,  for  they  had  made  the  best  season's  hunt  they  ever  made  in  getting 
those  furs  and  the  property  of  Smith,  which  paid  them  well  for  the  expedition,  as 
there  was  no  market  for  Smith,  except  in  London,  through  the  hypocritical  kind 
ness  of  Mr.  Simpson.  By  this  time  Mr.  Smith  had  learned  all  he  wished  to  of  this 
company.  He  preferred  giving  them  his  furs  at  their  own  price  to  being  under 
further  obligations  to  them.  Mr.  Sublette,  Mr.  Smith's  partner,  did  not  speak  as 
though  he  felt  under  much  obligation  to  Mr.  Simpson  or  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany,  which  was  not  long  after  the  transaction  referred  to.  I  do  not  know  how  the 
company  regard  these  statements  of  Mr.  Hines,  yet  I  regard  them  as  true  so  far  as 
Mr.  Hines  is  concerned,  but  utterly  false  as  regards  the  company.  * 
According  t$  the  testimony  given  in  the  case  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  v. 
United  States,  the  amount  of  furs  seized  by  the  company  at  that  time  was  forty 


1  96  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

packs,  worth  at  the  time  $1,000  each,  besides  the  animals  and  equipments  belonging 
to  the  party,  a  large  portion  of  which  was  given  to  the  Indians  to  compensate  them 
for  the  services  rendered  the  company  in  destroying  Smith's  expedition  and  killing 
his  men." 

It  is  a  sufficient  refutation  of  the  above  to  state  that  the  author 
is  a  monomaniac  on  the  subject  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and 
the  Catholics,  resulting  from  the  religious  struggle  between  rival 
missionary  establishments,  with  one  of  which  he  was  connected. 
No  sin  is  too  black  or  crime  too  heinous  for  him  to  charge  to  the 
score  of  his  old  opponents.  It  is  true  that  it  was  the  company's 
policy  to  overbear  all  opposition;  that  all  Indians  over  whom  they 
exercised  control  were  strictly  enjoined  from  dealing  with  in 
dependent  traders  or  selling  them  supplies;  that  their  agents  were 
instructed  never  to  supply  such  parties  with  food  or  ammunition, 
unless  the  dictates  of  pure  humanity  required  it,  as  in  the  case  under 
consideration ;  but  that  it  ever  encouraged  the  thought  among  the 
natives  that  it  would  be  pleased  by  the  murder  of  Americans,  is  not 
susceptible  of  proof,  and  the  idea  is  inconsistent  with  the  character 
of  the  men  who  administered  its  affairs  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
especially  the  kind  and  'benevolent  Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  Chief 
Factor  at  Vancouver.  Smith's  party  was  the  first  band  of  American 
trappers  to  invade  the  company's  field  in  Oregon,  and  as  their 
presence  was  unsuspected,  since  the  company  had  not  yet  begun  to 
operate  in  Southern  Oregon  and  California,  it  is  impossible  that 
these  Indians  could  have  been  encouraged  to  attack  them.  Gener 
ally  speaking,  the  Indians  of  this  region,  save  those  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  did  not  at  that  time  understand  the  difference  in  na 
tionality  of  white  men,  though  but  a  few  years  later  the  appearance 
of  Americans  along  the  Columbia  taught  them  all  the  difference 
between  "  Bostons  "  and  "  King  George's  Men,"  a  distinction  which 
was  carefully  impressed  upon  them  by  the  representatives  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  which,  in  their  eyes,  was  a  most  im 
portant  one,  as  subsequent  events  plainly  indicate.  To  show  that 
the  company  did  not  encourage  a  general  spirit  of  hostility  against 
Americans,  though  admitting,  or,  rather,  not  denying,  that  the 
tribes  were  urged  to  hold  no  communication  whatever  with  Ameri 
can  traders,  Dunn  relates  the  following  incident,  occurring,  proba 
bly,  subsequent  to  1830: — 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  197 

On  one  occasion  an  American  vessel,  Captain  Thompson,  was  in  the  Columbia, 
trading  for  furs  and  salmon.  The  vessel  had  got  aground  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
river,  and  the  Indians,  from  various  quarters,  mustered  with  the  intent  of  cutting 
the  Americans  oft',  thinking-  that  they  had  an  opportunity  of  revenge,  and  would 
thus  escape  the  censure  of  the  company.  Dr.  M'Loughlin,  the  governor  of  Fort 
Vancouver,  hearing  of  their  intention,  immediately  dispatched  a  party  to  their  ren 
dezvous,  and  informed  them  that  if  they  injured  one  American,  it  would  be  just 
the  same  offense  as  if  they  had  injured  one  of  his  servants,  and  they  would  be  treated 
equally  as  enemies.  This  stunned  them,  and  they  relinquished  their  purpose  and 
all  retired  to  their  respective  homes.  Had  not  this  come  to  the  governor's  ears  the 
Americans  must  have  perished. 

Such  conduct  is  characteristic  of  the  kind- hearted  Chief  Factor, 
and  it  is  probable  that  he  would  have  thus  acted  had  he  been  im 
plicitly  enjoined  to  the  contrary  by  his  superior  officers.  One  thing 
is  certain — in  after  years  he  lost  the  favor  of  the  Governor  by  not 
withholding  from  American  settlers  the  aid  their  necessities  required, 
though  he  well  knew  that  by  so  doing  he  was  violating  the  well- 
defined  policy  of  the  company  of  discouraging  American  immigra 
tion.  Just  when  the  title  "Bostons"  was  first  bestowed  upon 
Americans,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  English,  or  "King  George's 
Men,r  is  a  matter  of  uncertainty;  but  it  was  probably  done  in  1832, 
when  a  Boston  merchant,  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth,  entered  Oregon  to 
engage  in  the  fur  trade,  as  will  appear  subsequently.  In  after  years 
all  white  people  became  known  as  "  Bostons,"  with  the  exception 
of  the  soldiers  and  the  priests,  and  this  classification  exists  at  the 
present  day. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  died  on  the  third  of  September,  1857,  at  the 
age  of  seventy -three,  and  a  stone  marks  his  last  resting  place  in  the 
Catholic  churchyard  at  Oregon  City.  Among  his  papers  was  found 
a  quite  lengthy  manuscript,  in  his  own  handwriting,  detailing  at 
length  his  acts  in  connection  with  many  events,  and  showing  how 
his  efforts  to  be  just,  kind  and  generous  to  the  settlers  had  not  only 
failed  to  win  him  the  good  will  of  many  of  them,  or  justice  from  the 
Government,  but  had  lost  him  the  friendship  of  his  former  fellow- 
officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  details  quite  minutely 
the  incident  which  is  now  under  consideration,  and  it  will  be  ob 
served  that  the  Doctor's  version  differs  somewhat  from  that  of  Hines 
or  Gray  in  several  particulars,  especially  in  regard  to  the  quantity 
and  value  of  the  furs  recovered.  This  posthumous  paper  has  been 
published  in  full  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Oregon  Pioneer  Asso- 


198  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

elation,"  and  will  be  frequently  quoted  from  in  the  succeeding  pages. 

That  portion  referring  to  the  Unapqua  massacre  is  as  follows:— 
j 

One  night  in  August,  1828,  I  was  surprised  by  the  Indians  making  a  great  noise 
at  the  gate  of  the  fort,  saying  they  had  brought  an  American.  The  gate  was  opened, 
the  man  came  in,  but  was  so  aftected  he  could  not  speak.  After  sitting  down  some 
minutes  to  recover  himself,  he  told  he  was,  he  thought,  the  only  survivor  of  eighteen 
(18)  men,  conducted  by  the  late  Jedediah  Smith.  All  the  rest,  he  thought,  were 
murdered.  The  party  left  San  Francisco  bound  to  their  rendezvous  at  the  Salt 
Lake.  They  ascended  the  Sacramento  Valley,  but  finding  no  opening  to  cross 
the  mountains  to  go  east,  they  bent  their  course  to  the  coast,  which  they  reached 
at  the  mouth  of  Rogue  River,  then  came  along  the  beach  to  the  Umpqua,  where 
the  Indians  stole  their  ax,  and  as  it  was  the  only  ax  they  had,  and  which  they 
absolutely  required  to  make  rafts  to  cross  rivers,  they  took  the  chief  prisoner 
and  their  ax  was  returned.  Early  the  following  morning,  Smith  started  in  a 
canoe  with  two  (2)  men  and  an  Indian,  and  left  orders,  as  usual,  to  allow  no 
Indians  to  come  into  camp.  But  to  gratify  their  passion  for  women,  the  men 
neglected  to  follow  the  order,  allowed  the  Indians  to  corne  into  camp,  and  at  an 
Indian  yell  five  or  six  Indians  fell  upon  each  white  man.  At  the  time,  the 
narrator,  Black,  was  out  of  the  crowd,  and  had  just  finished  cleaning  and  loading 
his  rifle;  three  (3)  Indians  jumped  on  him,  but  he  shook  them  off,  and  seeing  all 
his  comrades  struggling  on  the  ground  and  the  Indians  stabbing  them,  he  fired  on 
the  crowd  and  rushed  to  the  woods  pursued  by  the  Indians,  but  fortunately  escaped  ; 
swam  across  the  Umpqua  and  [went]  northward  in  the  hopes  of  reaching  the  Colum 
bia,  where  he  knew  we  were.  But  broken  down  by  hunger  and  misery,  as  he  had 
no  food  but  a  few  wild  berries  which  he  found  on  the  beach ,  he  determined  to  give 
himself  up  to  the  Killimour,  a  tribe  on  the  coast  at  Cape  Lookout,  who  treated  him 
with  great  humanity,  relieved  His  wants  and  brought  him  to  the  Fort,  for  which,  in 
case  whites  might  again  fall  in  their  power,  and  to  induce  them  to  act  kindly  to 
them,  I  rewarded  them  most  liberally.  But  thinking  Smith  and  his  two  men  might 
have  escaped,  we  made  no  search  for  them  at  break  of  day  the  next  morning.  I 
sent  Indian  runners  with  tobacco  to  the  Willamette  chiefs,  to  tell  them  to  send 
their  people  in  search  of  Smith  and  his  two  men,  and  if  they  found  them  to  bring 
them  to  the  fort  and  I  would  pay  them  ;  and  also  told  them  if  any  Indians  hurt  these 
men  we  would  punish  them,  and  immediately  equipped  a  strong  party  of  forty 
\  (40)  well  armed  men.  But  as  the  men  were  embarking,  to  out  great  joy,  Smith  and 
his  two  men  arrived. 

I  then  arranged  as  strong  a  party  as  I  could  make  to  recover  all  we  could  of 
Smith's  property.  I  divulged  my  plan  to  none,  but  gave  written  instructions  to 
the  officer,  to  be  opened  only  when  he  got  to  the  Umpqua,  because  if  known  before 
they  got  there,  the  officers  would  talk  of  it  among  themselves,  the  men  would  hear 
it  and  from  them  it  would  go  to  their  Indian  wives,  who  were  spies  on  us',  and  my 
plan  would  be  defeated.  The  plan  was  that  the  officer  was,  as  usual,  to  invite  the 
Indians  to  bring  their  furs  to  trade,  just  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Count  the 
furs,  but  as  the  American  trappers  mark  all  their  skins,  keep  these  all  separate,  give 
them  to  Mr.  Smith  and  not  pay  the  Indians  for  them,  telling  them  that  they 
belonged  to  him;  that  they  got  them  by  murdering  Smith's  people. 

They  denied  having  murdered  Smith's  people,  but  admitted  they  bought  them 
of  the  murderers.  The  officers  told  them  they  must  look  to  the  murderers  for  the 
payment,  which  they  did ;  and  as  the  murderers  would  not  restore  the  property 
they  had  received,  a  war  was  kindled  among  them,  and  the  murderers  were  pun 
ished  more  severely  than  we  could  have  done,  and  which  Mr.  Smith  himself 
admitted,  and  to  be  much  preferable  to  going  to  war  on  them,  as  we  could  not  dis- 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  199 

tinguish  the  innocent  from  the  guilty,  who,  if  they  chose,  might  fly  to  the  mount 
ains,  where  we  could  not  find  them.  In  this  way  we  recovered  property  for  Mr. 
Smith  to  the  amount  of  three  thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  without  any  expense 
to  him,  and  which  was  done  from  a  principle  of  Christian  duty,  and  as  a  lesson  to 
the  Indians  to  show  them  they  could  not  wrong  the  whites  with  impunity. 

Smith's  report  of  the  excellence  of  the  region  to  the  south  as  a 
trapping  ground  aroused  the  company  to  the  importance  of  reaping 
the  benefit  of  the  American  trader's  enterprise.  Accordingly,  two 
expeditions  were  sent  out  in  different  directions  to  trap  over  the 
field  Smith  had  explored.  It  has  been  said  that  the  service  of  guides 
to  these  new  beaver  streams  was  part  of  the  price  paid  by  him  for 
the  recovery  of  his  furs  and  traps;  but  a  positive  statement  on  that 
point  is  impossible.  .  One  party,  consisting  of  forty  men,  completely 
equipped  for  a  year's  absence,  started  southward,  led  by  Alexander 
Roderick  McLeod,  and  guided  by  Turner.  Among  them  were  some 
of  the  men  who  had  come  out  to  Astoria  with  the  Pacific  Fur  Com 
pany,  and  had  remained  here  in  the  employ  of  the  Northwest  Com 
pany  and  its  successor.  These  were  Etinne  Lucier,  Joseph  Gervais, 
both  well  known  to  the  early  pioneers,  Alexander  McCarty,  William 
Canning  and  Thos.  McKay,  whose  father  perished  in  the  Tonguin. 
On  their  journey  southward  they  bestowed  several  of  the  familiar 
names  of  Southern  Oregon,  such  as  "Jump-off- Joe,"  u  Rogue  River," 
and  "  Siskiyou  Mountain."  The  first  was  so  named  because  of  an 
adventure  which  happened  to  Joe  McLoughlin,  son  of  the  Chief  Fac 
tor.  The  second  was  called  uLa  Rivier  de  Caqucain,"  because  the 
Indians  stole  some  of  their  traps  and  horses,  and  gave  them  much 
trouble.  The  last  received  its  title  because  an  old  white,  bobtailed 
horse,  belonging  to  Jean  Baptiste  Pairroult,  was  stolen  while  they 
were  camped  on  the  mountain,  "  Siskiyou  "  meaning  "  bobtail "  in 
the  patois  French  of  the  Canadian  trappers.  McLeod's  party  met 
with  considerable  success;  but  they  were  snowed  in,  early  in  the 
winter,  on  the  banks  of  a  tributary  of  the  Sacramento,  lost  their 
horses,  and  were  unable  to  get  out  of  the  mountains  with  the  large 
packs  of 'furs  and  traps.  In  this  emergency,  McKay,  McLoughlin 
and  Pairroult  started  on  foot  for  Vancouver,  to  procure  horses,  and 
after  much  hardship  and  suffering  reached  headquarters.  McLeod, 
however,  unable  to  procure  food  for  his  men,  did  not  wait  for  the 
expected  relief,  bat  cached  his  furs  and  traps,  and  also  made  his 
toilsome  way  to  Vancouver.  The  cache  was  made  near  the  eastern 


200  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

base  of  Mount  Shasta,  which  they  called  u  Mt.  McLoughlin."  When 
the  relief  party  arrived  at  the  deserted  camp,  the  following  spring, 
it  was  found  that  the  snow  and  rains  had  caused  the  river  to  flood 
its  banks,  and  the  furs  had  become  wet  and  spoiled.  The  stream 
was  ever  afterwards  known  among  the  trappers  as  "  McLeod  River," 
the  name  it  still  bears  in  pronunciation,  though  the  orthography 
has  been  changed  to  "McCloud."  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  in 
sound  the  two  names  are  very  similar,  and  that  Ross  McCloud,  a 
very  worthy  and  well-known  gentleman,  resided  on  the  stream  in 
an  early  day,  though  not  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  it  received 
its  baptism  of  "  McLeod. "  Care  should  be  taken  by  all  map 
makers,  historians,  and  writers  generally,  to  adhere  to  the  original 
orthography. 

The  other  party  referred  to  was  led  by  Peter  Skeen  Ogden,  and 
was  accompanied  by  Smith.  They  passed  up  the  Columbia  and 
Lewis,  or  Snake,  rivers,  to  the  source  of  the  latter,  where  Smith  left 
them  and  proceeded  to  the  general  rendezvous  of  his  company  on 
Green  River.  Ogden  continued  southward  until  he  reached  the  Hum- 
boldt.  That  stream  of  many  titles  was  known  among  the  American 
trappers  as  u  Mary's  River,"  and  among  the  Hudson's  Bay  people 
as  "  Ogden's  River,'7  its  present  name  having  been  bestowed  upon 
it  by  Fremont,  who  had  sought  through  that  region  in  vain  for  the 
fabulous  u  Buena  Ventura."  Ogden  passed  down  the  stream  to  the 
"  Sink,"  and  then  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  Sacramento  Valley 
through  Walker's  Pass.  Pie  trapped  along  the  Sacramento,  and 
continued  northward  until  he  reached  Vancouver,  sometime  in  the 
summer  of  18^9,  with  a  valuable  lot  of  furs.  When  Smith  appeared 
at  the  Green  River  rendezvous  with  the  tale  of  his  manifold  fortunes, 
he  was  as  one  risen  from  the  dead,  as  his  partners,  having  received 
no  tidings  of  him  for  two  years,  supposed  him  to  have  perished. 
In  1830  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur 
Company,  and  the  following  year  was  treacherously  killed  by  In 
dians,  while  digging  for  water  in  the  dry  bed  of  the  Cimeron  River, 
near  Taos,  New  Mexico,  and  was  buried  there  by  his  companions. 

The  second  party  of  American  trappers  to  enter  Oregon  was  that 
of  Major  Pilch er.  They  left  Green  River  in  1828,  and  passed  along 
the  western  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Flathead  Lake,  where 
they  wintered.  In  the  spring  they  descended  Clarke's  Fork  and  the 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT    OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  201 

main  Columbia  to  Colville  River,  up  which  they  ascended  to  its 
source  and  started  on  their  return  eastward.  Gray  says:  "This 
party  of  Major  Pilcher's  were  all  cut  off  but  two  men,  besides  him 
self;  his  furs,  as  stated  by  himself  to  the  writer,  found  their  way  into 
the  forts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company."  The  writer,  though  not 
stating  it  positively,  intends  to  convey  the  impression  that  these  men 
were  murdered  at  the  instigation  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or, 
at  least,  with  its  sanction.  That  the  captured  furs  were  sold  to  the 
company  is  true,  but  as  that  was  the  only  market  open  to  the  In 
dians,  it  is  a  very  small  foundation  upon  which  to  lay  a  charge  of 
murder  against  the  purchasers.  The  next  band  of  American  trap 
pers  was  that  of  Ewing  Young,  who  had  been  for  years  a  leader  of 
trapping  parties  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Del  Norte, 
Rio  Grande  and  Colorado  rivers.  He  entered  California  through 
Walker's  Pass,  in  1829,  and  returned  the  next  year.  In  1832  he 
again  entered  California  and  followed  Smith's  route  into  Oregon  as 
far  as  the  Umpqua,  when  he  turned  eastward,  crossed  the  moun 
tains  to  the  tributary  streams  of  the  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers, 
entered  Sacramento  Valley  again  from  the  north,  and  finally  crossed 
out  by  the  Tejon  Pass,  having  been  absent  from  Santa  Fe  two  years. 
Mr.  Young  soon  returned,  and  became  one  of  the  first  and  most 
energetic  of  the  American  settlers  in  Oregon,  his  death  a  few  years 
later  leading  to  the  organization  of  the  Provisional  Government. 
While  in  the  Sacramento  Valley,  in  1832,  Young  encountered  a 
brigade  of  Hudson's  Bay  trappers,  led  by  Michael  Laframbois.  The 
company  had  made  this  one  of  their  fields  of  operation,  and  had 
the  year  before  established  Fort  Umpqua,  at  the  confluence  of  Elk 
Creek  and  Umpqua  River,  as  a  base  of  supplies  for  Southern  Ore 
gon  and  California.  In  1833  an  agency  was  established  at  Yerba 
Buena  (San  Francisco),  and  trapping  headquarters  in  Yolo  and  San 
Joaquin  counties,  both  places  becoming  known  to  the  early  Ameri 
can  settlers  as  "  French  Camp."  J.  Alexander  Forbes,  the  first 
English  historian  of  California,  and  W.  G.  Ray,  represented  the 
company  at  Yerba  Buena  until  it  withdrew  from  California  in 
1845. 

William  Sublette  and  David  Jackson  retired  from  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company  in  1830,  at  the  same  time  as  Smith,  the  new 
proprietors  being  Milton  Sublette,  James  Bridger,  Robert  Campbell, 


202  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Thomas  Fitzpatrick,  Frapp  and  Jarvis.  In  1831  the  old  American 
Fur  Company,  which  had  been  managed  so  long  by  Mr.  Astor  but 
was  now  directed  by  Ramsey  Crooks,  one  of  Mr.  Astor's  partners  in 
the  Astoria  venture,  began  to  push  into  the  trapping  grounds  of 
the  other  company.  Great  rivalry  sprang  up  between  them,  which 
was  the  following  year  intensified  by  the  appearance  of  two  other 
competitors  in  the  persons  of  Captain  B.  L.  E.  Bonneville  and  Na 
thaniel  J.  Wyeth.  Captain  Bonneville  was  a  United  States  army 
officer,  who  had  been  given  permission  to  lead  a  party  of  trappers 
into  the  fur  regions  of  the  Northwest,  the  expedition  being  counte 
nanced  by  the  Government  only  to  the  extent  of  this  permit.  It 
was  supposed,  that,  by  such  an  undertaking,  sufficient  additional 
information  of  the  region  explored  would  be  obtained  to  warrant 
authorizing  an  officer  to  engage  in  a  private  venture.  The  Captain 
first  reached  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1832.  In  1833  he  sent  Joseph 
Walker  with  forty  men  to  California  over  the  route  formerly  pur 
sued  by  Smith,  and  on  Christmas  of  the  same  year  started  with  three 
companions  from  his  camp  on  Portneuf  River,  upon  an  expedition 
to  Fort  Walla  Walla.  His  object,  as  given  by  Irving,  was:  "  To 
make  himself  acquainted  with  the  country,  and  the  Indian  tribes; 
it  being  one  part  of  his  scheme  to  establish  a  trading  post  some 
where  on  the  lower  part  of  the  river,  so  as  to  participate  in  the 
trade  lost  to  the  United  States  by  the  capture  of  Astoria."  He 
reached  Powder  River  on  the  twelfth  of  January,  1834,  whence  his 
journey  was  continued  down  Snake  River  and  by  the  Nez  Perce 
trail  to  Fort  Walla  Walla,  where  he  arrived  March  4,  1834. 

This  journey,  in  mid -winter,  was  attended  with  its  accompany 
ing  detail  of  hardships  incident  to  the  season,  including  the  absence 
of  game  and  presence  of  snow  in  the  mountains.  At  one  time  they 
had  wandered  among  the  Blue  Mountains,  lost  amid  its  canyons 
and  denies  east  of  the  Grand  Ronde  Valley,  for  twenty  days,  nearly 
frozen  and  constantly  starved  until  they  were  at  the  verge  of  despair. 
At  length  a  Nez  Perce  chief  was  met  who  invited  them  to  his  lodge 
some  twelve  miles  further  along  the  trail  they  were  traveling,  and 
then  galloped  away.  So  great  had  been  the  strain  upon  the 
Captain's  system  in  sustaining  these  successive  days  of  unnatural 
exertion,  that  when  the  chief  disappeared  he  sank  upon  the 
ground  and  lay  there  like  one  dead.  His  companions  tried  in 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  203 

vain  to  arouse  him.  It  was  a  useless  effort,  and  they  were  forced  to 
camp  by  the  trail  until  he  awoke  from  his  trance  the  next  day  and 
was  enabled  to  move  on.  They  had  hardly  resumed  their  tedious 
journey  when  some  dozen  Nez  Perces  rode  up  with  fresh  horses  and 
carried  them  in  triumph  to  their  village.  Everywhere  after  this 
they  were  kindly  received  by  this  hospitable  people — fed,  cared  for 
and  guided  on  their  way  by  them. 

Bonneville  and  his  two  companions  were  kindly  received  at  Fort 
"Walla  Walla  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Pambrun,  who,  with  five  or  six  men, 
was  in  charge  of  that  station  at  the  mouth  of  the  Walla  Walla 
River.  This  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  representative  was  a  courte 
ous,  affable  host,  but  when  asked  to  sell  the  Captain  supplies  that 
would  enable  his  return  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  said:  "That 
worthy  superintendent,  who  had  extended  all  the  genial  rights  of 
hospitality,  now  suddenly  assumed  a  withered -up  aspect  and 
demeanor,  and  observed  that,  however  he  might  feel  disposed  to 
serve  him  personally,  he  felt  bound  by  his  duty  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  to  do  nothing  which  should  facilitate  or  encourage  the 
visits  of  other  traders  among  the  Indians  in  that  part  of  the  country.'1' 
Bonneville  remained  at  the  fort  but  two  days  longer,  for  his  desti 
tute  condition,  combined  with  the  lateness  in  the  season,  rendered 
it  necessary  for  him  to  return  immediately;  and  he  started  on  the 
back  trail  with  his  Nez  Perce  guide,  and  finally  reached  the  point  of 
general  rendezvous  for  his  various  expeditions.  This  is  a  true  state 
ment  of  the  position  assumed  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  its 
agents  would  not  themselves,  nor  would  they  permit  the  Indians 
under  their  control  to  deal  with  or  in  any  manner  assist  opposition 
traders ;  but  that  Bonneville  traversed  the  country  in  safety  with  but 
three  companions,  after  the  company  was  aware  of  his  intention  to 
return  and  found  a  rival  establishment  on  the  Columbia,  is  convinc 
ing  evidence  that  assassination  was  not  one  of  its  methods  of  over 
coming  competition,  however  much  such  charges  may  be  reiterated 
by  its  enemies. 

In  July,  1834,  Bonneville  started  on  a  second  expedition  to  the 
Columbia,  with  a  formidable  number  of  trappers  and  mountain 
men,  well  equipped,  and  with  an  extensive  stock  of  goods  to  traffic 
with  Indians.  He  still  contemplated  a  restoration  of  American  trade 
in  this  country,  and  designed  establishing  a  post  for  that  purpose  in 


204  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  Willamette  Valley.  This  time  he  passed  the  Blue  Mountains 
by  way  of  Grand  Ronde  Valley  and  the  Umatilla  River,  and  upon 
his  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  that  stream,  was  surprised  to  find  the 
natives  shunning  him.  They  ran  from  his  men,  hid  themselves,  and 
when  intercepted,  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Ameri 
cans.  Not  a  skin,  a  horse,  a  dog,  or  a  fish,  could  be  obtained  from 
them,  having  been  warned  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  not  to 
traffic  with  these  new  comers,  It  now  seemed  a  question  of  imme 
diate  evacuation  or  starvation,  and  Bonne ville  decided  to  abandon 
his  attempt  at  joint  occupancy.  Once  more  he  turned  his  back  upon 
the  Columbia  and  left  the  English  company  in  undisputed  possession 
of  the  field. 

A  contemporaneous  effort  was  made  by  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth,  a 
Boston  merchant.  With  eleven  men  who  knew  nothing  of  trapper- 
life,  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Humboldt  River,  with  Milton  Sublette, 
in  1832.  From  this  point  the  twelve  pushed  north  to  Snake  River, 
and  by  way  of  that  stream  to  Fort  Vancouver,  where  they  arrived 
on  the  twenty-ninth  of  October.  Mr.  Wyeth  had  his  whole  fortune 
invested  in  his  enterprise,  and  had  brought  with  him  a  large  stock 
of  goods,  such  as  were  used  in  the  Indian  trade.  He  was  received 
with  great  hospitality  by  Dr.  McLoughlin.  The  next  spring  he 
left  for  the  East,  a  financial  bankrupt,  only  two  of  his  followers 
accompanying  him.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  company's  officers 
contributed  in  any  way  to  produce  this  result;  but  if  they  did  not, 
it  was  simply  because  it  was  unnecessary  to  do  so.  Had  not  natural 
causes,  the  chief  of  which  were  the  wrecking  of  his  supply  ship 
which  had  been  sent  around  Cape  Horn,  and  his  utter  ignorance  of 
the  business  of  fur  trading,  led  to  his  failure,  the  company  would 
undoubtedly  have  protected  its  interests  as  it  did  upon  his  next 
venture  two  years  later.  Arriving  in  Boston,  Mr.  Wyeth  organized 
u  The  Columbia  River  Fishing  and  Trading  Company,"  with  a  view 
of  continuing  operations  on  the  Pacific  Coast  under  the  same  general 
plan  that  had  been  outlined  by  Astor,  adding,  however,  salmon  fish 
ing  to  the  fur  trade.  He  dispatched  the  brig  Mary  Dacres  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  loaded  with  supplies  and  implements  needed 
in  his  proposed  undertaking.  She  had  on  board  also  supplies  for 
the  Methodist  Mission,  to  be  spoken  of  hereafter.  With  sixty  ex 
perienced  men,  Mr.  Wyeth  himself  started  overland  in  1834.  Near 


FAILURE  AT  JOINT  OCCUPATION  BY  THE  AMERICANS.  205 

the  headwaters  of  Snake  River  he  built  Fort  Hall,  as  an  interior 
trading  post,  the  name  being  that  of  one  of  his  partners.  Here  he 
left  twelve  men  and  a  stock  of  goods.  He  then  pushed  forward  to 
the  Columbia  and  erected  a  fort  on  Sauvie's  Island,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Willamette  River,  which  he  called  "  Fort  Williams,"  in  honor 
of  another  partner;  and  again  the  American  flag  waved  over  soil 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  officers  of  the  company  again 
received  him  with  much  hospitality,  and  though  they  continued  to 
treat  him  with  courtesy,  this  did  not  prevent  them  from  taking  the 
steps  necessary  to  protect  the  company's  interests.  Fort  Boise  was 
established  as  an  opposition  to  Fort  Hall,  and  drew  the  bulk  of  the 
trade  of  the  Indians  of  Snake  River.  On  the  Columbia,  Wyeth 
found  that  the  natives  were  so  completely  under  the  control  of  the 
company  that  he  could  establish  no  business  relations  with  them 
whatever.  In  two  years  he  was  compelled  to  sell  all  his  possessions, 
including  Fort  Hall,  to  the  rival  company,  and  abandon  this  second 
effort  at  joint  occupation.  To  this  result  the  American  Fur  Com 
pany  and  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  largely  contributed  by 
conduct  towards  Mr.  Wyeth  that  was  neither  generous  nor  honor 
able,  and  it  was  finally,  with  a  sense  of  gratification,  that  he  sold 
Fort  Hall  to  the  British  Company,  and  thus  gave  them  an  impor 
tant  post  in  the  very  heart  of  the  trapping  grounds  of  his  unpatriotic 
and  unscrupulous  countrymen. 

Dr.  McLoughlin's  account  of  Mr.  Wyeth's  venture,  as  given  in 
the  document  previously  spoken  of,  is  as  follows:— 

In  1832,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Wyeth,  of  Cambridge,  near  Boston,  came  across  land 
with  a  party  of  men,  but  as  the  vessel  he  expected  to  meet  here  with  supplies  was 
wrecked  on  the  way,  he  returned  to  the  East  with  three  (3)  men.  The  remainder 
joined  the  Willamette  settlement  and  got  supplies  and  were  assisted  by  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company's  servants,  and  to  be  paid  the  same  price  for  their  wheat — that 
is,  three  shillings  sterling  per  bushel,  and  purchase  their  supplies  at  fifty  per  cent, 
on  prime  cost. 

In  1834,  Mr.  Wyeth  returned  with  a  fresh  party,  and  met  the  vessel  with  supplies 
here,  and  started  with  a  large  outfit  for  Fort  Hall,  which  he  had  built  on  his  way, 
and  in  1836,  he  abandoned  the  business  and  returned  to  the  States,  and  those  of  his 
men  that  remained  in  the  country  joined  the  settlements  and  were  assisted  as  the 
others  on  the  same  terms  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  servants,  and  in  justice 
to  Mr.  Wyeth,  I  have  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  state  that  as  a  rival  in  trade,  I 
always  found  him  open,  manly,  frank  and  fair,  and  in  short,  in  all  his  contracts,  a 
perfect  gentleman  and  an  honest  man,  doing  all  he  could  to  support  morality  and 
encouraging  industry  in  the  settlement. 


206  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

In  1835  the  two  rival  American  companies  were  consolidated  as 
"  The  American  Fur  Company,"  Bridger,  Fontenelle  and  Dripps 
being  the  leaders.  The  retirement  of  Bonneville,  and  the  sale  of 
Fort  Hall  by  Mr.  Wyeth,  left  only  the  consolidated  company  and 
a  few  ulone  traders"  to  compete  with  the  English  corporation. 
For  a  few  years  longer  the  struggle  was  maintained,  but  gradually 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  absorbed  the  trade  until  the  American 
trappers,  so  far  as  organized  effort  was  concerned,  abandoned  the 
field. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 

Missionaries  Introduce  a  New  Element  into  the  Oregon  Question — The 
Flatheads  send  Messengers  to  St.  Louis  to  Procure  a  Bible — Jason 
Lee  and  others  sent  by  the  Methodist  Board  of  Missions — They  Locate 
in  the  Willamette  Valley — Their  Plan  of  Operations — Sickness  at 
the  Mission  and  Hostility  of  the  Indians — Parker  and  Whitman 
sent  by  the  American  Board — Parker's  Triumphal  March — He  Re 
turns  Home  and  Publishes  a  Book — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman — Whit 
man  Takes  a  Cart  as  Far  as  Fort  Boise— Missions  Founded  at 
Waiilatpu  and  Lapwai — Progress  of  the  Missions  of  the  American 
Board — Mission  Founded  at  The  Dalles — Advent  of  the  Catholics 
—A  Religious  War  at  Once  Begins — A  Few  Sample  Incidents — Ef 
fects  of  the  Two  Forms  of  Worship  upon  the  Natives. 


THE  opening  wedge  for  American  settlement  and  occupation  of 
Oregon,  which  was  the  new  and  decisive  factor  time  intro 
duced  into  the  Oregon  Question,  was  the  Protestant  Missionaries. 
In  despair  of  coming  to  an  amicable  agreement,  the  plenipotentiaries 
of  England  and  the  United  States,  in  1827,  had  continued  indefi 
nitely  the  treaty  of  joint  occupation,  hoping  that  something  would 
turn  up  to  put  a  new  phase  upon  the  question ;  and  in  less  than  ten 
years  their  expectations  were  fully  realized,  but  in  a  manner  little 
dreamed  of  by  the  most  astute  of  them  all.  Military  posts  were 
thought  of,  emigrants  were  thought  of,  fur  traders  were  thought  of; 
but  no  one  seemed  to  have  thought  of  the  earnest  and  self-abnegat 
ing  missionary — that  is  no  one  but  the  aborigines,  whose  rights 
and  preferences  had  not  been  considered  by  either  party  to  this 
long  controversy. 

From  Lewis  and  Clarke  the  Indians  of  the  Columbia  first  learned 
of  the  white  man's  God.     They  were  told  that  the  Great  Spirit  wor- 


208  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

shiped  by  their  visitors  had  made  of  them  a  powerful  nation,  given 
them  books,  guns,  clothing,  and  a  thousand  things  the  red  man  did 
not  possess.  Other  white  men  who  came  later  w^hetted  their  already 
keen  desire  to  learn  about  this  powerful  God,  and  possess  that  won 
derful  book  which  he  had  given  to  these  strange  people.  One  tribe 
was  presented  by  some  irreverent  trappers  with  a  well-thumbed 
pack  of  cards,  with  the  assurance  that  they  were  the  bible  for  which 
they  longed;  but  the  deception  was  a  brief  one.  Finally,  in  1832, 
four  (some  authorities  say  five)  Flathead  Indians  were  delegated 
by  their  tribe  to  proceed  to  St.  Louis,  which  they  believed  to  be 
the  great  center  of  the  white  man's  power,  and  procure  this  all- 
powerful  book  and  some  one  to  teach  them  its  contents.  It  was  a 
strange  quest,  and  a  stranger  place  in  which  to  make  it,  for  St. 
Louis  then  overflowed  with  that  turbulent  and  ungodly  class  that 
in  those  early  times  swarmed  along  the  western  border  of  civiliza 
tion.  The  messengers  were  laughed  at  by  the .  few  to  whom  they 
applied;  and  after  two  of  their  number  had  died  in  the  city,  the 
others  set  out  sorrowfully  on  their  return,  without  having  procured 
the  great  book,  and  with  their  faith  in  its  efficacy  for  good  sadly 
shaken  by  the  scenes  they  had  witnessed.  One  of  them  died  on 
the  way,  yet  their  journey  was  not  wholly  fruitless;  for  their 
lamentations  were  overheard  one  day  by  one  who  immediately 
wrote  to  the  missionary  societies  in  the  East  that  there  was  a  wide 
and  ripe  field  for  their  labors  in  Oregon.  The  matter  was  taken  in 
hand  by  two  organizations,  the  Methodist  Board  of  Missions,  and 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  a 
society  supported  by  the  Congregational,  Presbyterian  and  Dutch 
Reformed  denominations. 

The  Methodists  were  the  first  to  take  the  field.  Rev.  Jason 
Lee  was  given  direction  of  the  work.  Mr.  Lee  was  born  in  Canada, 
of  American  parents,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the  United 
States;  yet  his  American  citizenship  has  been  questioned  by  secta 
rian  writers,  who  imagine  that  by  doing  so  they  gain  for  themselves 
certain  pioneer  honors  that  are  justly  his  due.  His  associates  were 
Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  Cyrus  Shepard  and  P.  L.  Edwards.  When  Na 
thaniel  Wyeth  made  his  second  journey  to  the  Columbia,  in  1834, 
as  already  related,  this  missionary  party  accompanied  him.  When 
Wyeth  stopped  to  build  Fort  Hall  the  missionaries  left  him  and 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  909 

continued  their  journey  with  a  brigade  of  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
trappers,  under  A.  R.  McLeod  and  Thomas  McKay.  On  the  first 
of  September  they  reached  Fort  Walla  Walla,  a  post  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  had  established  on  the  Columbia  at  the  mouth  of 
Walla  Walla  River,  where  the  town  of  Wallula  now  stands.  On 
the  fifteenth  they  landed  from  boats  at  the  company's  headquarters 
at  Vancouver.  They  were  most  cordially  welcomed  by  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin,  who  entertained  them  with  the  greatest  hospitality.  It 
had  been  their  intention  to  locate  east  of  the  mountains,  but  the 
Chief  Factor  persuaded  them  to  found  their  establishment  in  the 
Willamette  Valley.  It  has  been  charged  that  his  reasons  for  desir 
ing  them  to  choose  the  latter  place  were  that  he  might  secure  the 
services  of  one  of  them  as  teacher  to  children  at  the  fort.  If  such 
was  the  case  his  motive  was  far  from  being  an  unworthy  one ;  and  he 
did  the  Indians  no  wrong,  since  those  on  one  side  of  the  mountains 
were  as  much  in  need  of  missionary  labors  as  those  on  the  opposite- 
It  was  a  fortunate  thing  for  the  United  States  that  he  did  so,  for 
the  mission  became  the  center  about  which  American  settlers  rallied 
a  few  years  later,  and  it  became  an  important  factor  in  wresting 
Oregon  from  the  grasp  of  Great  Britain.  On  this  subject  McLough- 
lin's  document  says:— 

In  1834,  Messrs.  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee,  and  Messrs.  Walker  and  P.  L.  Edwards 
came  with  Mr.  Wyeth  to  establish  a  mission  in  the  Flathead  country.  I  observed 
to  them  that  it  was  too  dangerous  for  them  to  establish  a  mission ;  that  to  do  good 
to  the  Indians,  they  must  establish  themselves  where  they  could  collect  them  around 
them ;  teach  them  to  cultivate  the  ground  and  live  more  comfortably  than  they  do 
by  hunting,  and  as  they  do  this,  teach  them  religion  ;  that  the  Willamette  afforded 
them  a  fine  field,  and  that  they  ought  to  go  there,  and  they  would  get  the  same 
assistance  as  the  settlers.  They  followed  my  advice  and  went  to  the  Willamette, 
and  it  is  but  justice  to  these  pioneers  to  say  that  no  men,  in  my  opinion,  could  exert 
themselves  more  zealously  than  they  did  till  1840,  when  they  received  a  large  rein 
forcement  of  forty  (40)  or  more  persons ;  then  the  new-comers  began  to  neglect  their 
duties,  discord  sprang  up  among  them  and  the  mission  broke  up. 

The  location  chosen  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette,  some 
sixty  miles  above  its  mouth  and  ten  below  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Salem.  They  began  the  erection  of  a  log  house,  32x18  feet, 
and  so  eager  were  they  to  begin  their  labors  that  they  took  posses 
sion  of  it  on  the  third  of  November  in  an  uncompleted  condition, 
and  received  Indian  pupils  before  the  roof  was  finished.  Their  re 
lations  with  the  people  at  Vancouver  were  the  most  friendly  and 


210  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cordial.  Twenty -one  persons  were  baptized  at  the  fort  by  Jason 
Lee  on  the  fourteenth  of  December,  seventeen  of  them  children; 
and  he  received  a  donation  of  twenty  dollars  to  aid  in  his  mission 
ary  work.  They  were  viewed  by  the  officers  of  the  company  solely 
in  their  character  as  missionaries,  their  nationality  and  creed  not 
being  considered;  and  as  such  they  received  hospitable  treatment 
and  hearty  encouragement  in  a  work  which  was  deemed  beneficial. 
They  proposed  not  only  to  teach  religion  to  the  Indians,  but  to 
teach  them  to  till  the  soil  and  to  do  other  useful  and  productive 
labor,  by  means  of  which  their  moral,  mental  and  physical  condi 
tion  might  be  elevated.  Realizing  that  the  plastic  mind  of  youth 
is  the  easiest  moulded,  they  opened  a  school  for  children,  and  fur 
nished  them  a  house,  where  they  could  learn  to  read,  worship  God 
and  till  the  soil.  To  do  this  required  food  for  their  support;  and 
it  became  necessary  for  them  to  embark  in  farming  in  order  to  pro 
duce  it.  This  they  began  the  following  spring,  and  their  first 
harvest  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  potatoes  and 
a  quantity  of  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  peas.  To  this  they  added  six 
barrels  of  salmon,  procured  from  the  Indians.  In  September,  one 
year  after  their  arrival,  the  first  of  a  series  of  misfortunes  overtook 
them.  An  intermittent  fever  became  prevalent,  and  four  of  the 
children  died.  The  Indians  had  been  watching  their  movements 
with  considerable  interest,  and  these  sad  occurrences  had  a  powerful 
effect  upon  their  superstitious  natures,  causing  them  to  view  with 
distrust  the  place  where  the  Great  Spirit  was  displaying  his  disap 
proval  by  causing  the  death  of  their  children.  One  Indian,  who 
had  lost  a  little  brother,  paid  the  mission  a  visit  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  killing  Daniel  Lee  and  Cyrus  Shepard,  but  was  dis 
suaded  from  doing  so  by  a  companion.  He  gave  vent  to  his  wrath 
against  the  "  white  medicines "  by  crossing  the  river  and  killing 
several  of  his  own  race,  presumably  his  wife's  relations.  During 
the  fall  an  addition,  16x32  feet,  was  built  to  the  mission  house,  and 
the  close  of  the  year  found  them  comfortably  housed,  with  a  suffi 
cient  supply  of  provisions  and  only  ten  pupils  under  their  charge, 
while  the  Indians  generally  entertained  serious  doubts  of  the  ad 
vantage  of  having  them  there  at  all. 

The  American  Board  dispatched  Rev.  Samuel  Parker  and  Dr. 
Marcus  Whitman  in  the  spring  of  1835,  as  a  pioneer  committee  to 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  211 

examine  the  field  and  select  suitable  locations  for  missionary  work. 
They  joined  a  party  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  ac 
companied  them  to  the  grand  rendezvous  on  Green  River,  where 
they  encountered  a  band  of  Nez  Perce  Indians  who  had  come  across 
the  mountains  to  trade  with  the  trappers,  with  whom  the  tribe  was 
on  terms  of  warmest  friendship.  Among  the  Nez  Perces  was  a 
young  chief  who  was  a  most  ardent  friend  of  the  Americans.  He 
possessed  great  eloquence  in  debate,  and  was  named  "  Lawyer  "  by 
the  whites,  because  of  his  forensic  efforts.  With  this  chief  the 
missionaries  had  a  consultation,  and  resolved  to  establish  at  least 
two  missions.  Accordingly  it  was  agreed  that  Dr.  Parker  would 
continue  the  journey  across  the  continent  for  the  purpose  of  explora 
tion,  so  that  suitable  locations  might  be  selected;  he  was  then  to 
leave  a  letter  of  advice  with  the  Nez  Perces  to  be  given  to  Whit 
man  the  next  year,  and  return  home  by  sea.  This  was  decided 
upon  because  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  two  men  were  such 
as  to  prevent  cordial  co-operation.  Dr.  Whitman  was  the  very  soul 
of  energy  and  devotion  to  duty,  caring  nothing  for  appearances  or 
the  opinion  of  others  if  they  stood  between  him  and  the  object  to 
which  he  had  devoted  his  life;  while  Dr.  Parker  seems  to  have 
been  a  self-important  man  to  whom  a  little  notoriety  was  extremely 
soothing.  Dr.  Whitman,  accompanied  by  two  young  Nez  Perces, 
returned  to  the  East  to  procure  the  necessary  assistance  for  the  two 
missions  to  be  founded. 

Dr.  Parker  resumed  his  journey  westward  on  the  twenty -second 
of  August,  and  when  he  entered  the  Nez  Perce  country  received 
such  an  ovation  from  the  delighted  Indians  as  must  have  gratified 
his  vanity  in  the  highest  degree.  No  white  man  before  or  since 
was  ever  received  by  the  natives  of  the  Columbia  with  such  cordial 
ity  and  ceremonious  distinction  as  greeted  Mr.  Parker  on  his  way 
to  Fort  Walla  Walla.  His  approach  to  an  Indian  village  was  the 
occasion  of  general  display  of  savage  grandeur  and  hospitality. 
Here  was  one  who  had  come  to  tell  them  of  that  unseen  and  myste 
rious  power  which  had  done  so  many  wonderful  things  for  the 
white  man;  and  they  hoped  now  to  learn  how  to  worship  that  Great 
Spirit  of  whom  they  had  heard  their  first  white  visitors  speak,  and 
who,  they  hoped,  might  smile  upon  them  and  make  them  wise  and 
powerful.  With  this  thought  they  received  the  missionary  every- 


212  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

where  with  outstretched  arms  and  demonstrations  of  unbounded 
joy.  He  held  religious  services  in  several  places,  and  to  a  degree 
inducted  his  eager  neophytes  into  the  mysteries  of  the  white  man's 
religion.  He  reached  Fort  Walla  Walla  on  the  fifth  of  October, 
receiving  a  cordial  welcome  from  P.  C.  Pambrun,  the  gentleman  in 
charge.  A  few  days  later  he  passed  down  the  Columbia  in  a  boat, 
and  during  the  winter  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  Dr.  McLoughlin 
at  Vancouver.  In  the  spring  he  returned  east  of  the  mountains  and 
made  a  journey  through  the  Nez  Perce,  Spokane  and  Colville 
countries,  after  which  he  embarked  from  Vancouver  for  the  Sand 
wich  Islands,  and  thence  for  home,  arriving  in  1837.  He  soon  after 
published  an  account  of  his  travels,  which  was  of  special  value  at 
that  time  because  of  the  deep  interest  the  people  were  beginning  to 
take  in  the  Oregon  Question. 

Dr.  Whitman,  with  his  two  Indian  companions,  reached  Rush- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  his  home,  late  on  Saturday  night,  and  his  presence 
there,  instead  of  in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was  first 
known  when  he  walked  quietly  into  church  the  next  morning  with 
his  copper-hued  friends,  his  mother  starting  up  with  a  cry  of  as 
tonishment  and  joy.  During  the  winter  all  his  arrangements  were 
made,  including  his  marriage  in  February,  1836,  with  Miss  Nar- 
cissa  Prentiss,  daughter  of  Stephen  H.  Prentiss.  Mrs.  Whitman 
was  a  woman  of  refined  nature,  rare  accomplishments  of  voice  and 
manner,  of  commanding  presence,  firm  in  purpose  and  an  enthu 
siast  in  the  line  of  her  accepted  duty.  In  this  cause  her  deepest 
sympathies  had  been  enlisted,  and  she  cheerfully  yielded  all  her 
fair  prospects  among  friends  and  kindred,  and  devoted  her  life  to 
isolation  in  a  country  so  far  away  that  the  very  name  conveyed  to 
the  mind  a  sense  of  loneliness  and  mystery,  and  where  a  martyr's 
grave  was  awaiting  her.  She  was  born  at  Pittsburg,  N.  Y.,  March 
14,  1808,  and  was  therefore  but  thirty-nine  years  of  age  when 
merciless  and  ingrate  hands  crowned  with  her  death  the  sacrifice  of 
her  life.  Marcus  Whitman,  M.  D.,  was  born  September  4,  1802, 
at  Rushville,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  age  of  forty-five  offered  up  his  life 
on  the  altar  of  duty.  These  two,  accompanied  by  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spalding  and  wife,  a  lady  of  much  firmness  of  character  and  devo 
tion  to  duty,  and  W.  H.  Gray,  set  out  on  their  westward  journey 
under  the  escort  of  a  party  of  the  American  Fur  Company.  With 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  213 

the  party  were  Major  Pilcher,  an  independent  trader  previously 
alluded  to,  and  Sir  William  Druminond,  an  English  nobleman 
traveling  under  the  alias  of  "  Captain  Stewart "  and  accompanied 
by  a  companion  and  three  servants.  The  missionary  party  took  with 
them  three  wagons,  eight  mules,  twelve  horses  and  sixteen  cows, 
besides  farming  utensils,  blacksmith  and  carpenter  tools,  seeds, 
clothing,  etc.,  to  enable  them  to  become  self-supporting.  At  Fort 
Laramie  all  the  wagons  but  one  were  abandoned,  but  Whitman  in 
sisted  upon  taking  this  one  for  the  ladies  to  ride  in ;  the  trappers  also 
concluded  to  try  the  experiment  of  wheels  in  the  mountains,  and 
safely  took  a  small  cart  to  the  grand  rendezvous  on  Green  River. 
Here  the  missionaries  met  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth  on  his  return  home 
from  his  second  unfortunate  effort  to  test  the  virtues  of  joint  occu 
pation  in  Oregon,  and  they  were  by  him  introduced  to  McKay  and 
McLeod,  the  two  Hudson's  Bay  Company  agents  who  had  escorted 
Jason  Lee  two  years  before,  and  who  were  about  to  return  to  Van 
couver  from  a  trapping  and  trading  tour.  Notwithstanding  the 
urgent  objection  of  the  trappers  and  their  assurances  that  it  was 
impossible  for  a  wagon  to  pass  through  the  mountains,  Whitman 
insisted  upon  taking  the  vehicle  along;  but  when  he  reached  Fort 
Hall  he  was  compelled  to  reduce  it  to  two  wheels,  and  at  Fort  Boise 
they  insisted  upon  an  entire  abandonment  of  it.  Nevertheless,  he 
had  demonstrated  that  wagons  could  cross  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  was  satisfied  that  the  remainder  of  the  route  presented  no  more 
formidable  obstacles.  They  were  met  on  the  route  by  a  band  of 
Nez  Perces  who  had  been  informed  in  the  spring  by  Dr.  Parker  of 
their  expected  coming,  and  their  reception  was  only  less  impressive 
than  had  been  that  of  their  herald,  whose  failure  to  do  anything  for 
them  had  served  somewhat  to  cool  the  ardor  which  his  appearance 
had  raised  to  fever  heat.  Mr.  Pambrun  gave  them  a  hearty  wel 
come  to  Fort  Walla  Walla  on  the  second  of  September,  which  was 
repeated  by  Dr.  McLoughlin  a  few  days  later  when  they  landed 
from  the  company's  boats  at  Fort  Vancouver. 

Leaving  the  ladies  to  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  the  fort,  the  three 
gentlemen  returned  to  Walla  Walla,  and,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Pam 
brun,  sought  for  suitable  locations  for  their  proposed  missions.  It 
was  decided  to  locate  one  among  the  Cayuses  and  the  other  among 
the  Nez  Perces.  The  former  was  located  at  Waiilatpu,  on  the 


214  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Walla  Walla  River,  six  miles  west  of  the  present  city  of  Walla 
Walla,  and  was  taken  charge  of  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman.  This 
was  knowrn  as  the  "  Waiilatpu,"  or  "  Whitman,  Mission,"  the  former 
name  signifying  uthe  people,"  being  the  proper  title  of  the  Cay  use 
tribe.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaldirig  founded  the  "  Lapwai  Mission  "  among 
the  Nez  Perces,  at  a  place  on  the  Clearwater  River  a  few  miles  from 
the  site  of  Lewiston,  Idaho.  Mr.  Gray  rendered  material  aid  in 
constructing  the  two  posts,  and  assisted  the  two  principals  in  their 
missionary  labors. 

The  next  year,  it  being  deemed  advisable  to  extend  the  field  of 
their  operations,  Mr.  Gray  returned  East,  to  procure  the  necessary 
means  and  additional  aid  to  accomplish  that  purpose.  He  was 
accompanied  by  four  Nez  Perces,  who  took  a  large  band  of  horses 
with  them,  the  price  of  which  they  intended  to  contribute  to  the 
Mission  fund.  On  the  Platte  River  the  party  was  attacked  by  Sioux 
Indians,  their  horses  stolen  and  the  four  Nez  Perces  killed,  Mr. 
Gray  barely  escaping  with  his  life.  He  returned  in  1838,  with  Rev. 
E.  Walker  and  wife,  Rev.  Gushing  Eells  and  wife,  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith, 
Mrs.  Gray,  and  Cornelius  Rogers.  With  the  party  came  Captain 
John  A.  Sutter,  the  honored  pioneer  of  the  Sacramento  Valley. 
They  brought  with  them  fourteen  cows  of  a  superior  breed,  but  at 
Fort  Hall  were  persuaded  to  leave  *them  and  accept  in  their  place 
an  order  for  a  similar  number  to  be  delivered  them  by  the  agent  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  when  they  reached  their  destination. 
They  failed  to  fully  appreciate  the  beauties  of  this  transaction  until 
after  their  arrival  at  the  Whitman  Mission  in  September,  and  wit 
nessed  the  efforts  of  an  expert  vaquero  to  catch  some  of  the  wild 
heifers  roaming  with  the  herds  belonging  to  the  company. 

The  following  brief  and  accurate  account  of  the  Missions  of  the 
American  Board  is  taken  from  Rev.  Myron  Eells'  book,  entitled 
"  Indian  Missions,"  and  carries  them  up  to  the  time  when  the  Amer 
ican  settlers  organized  a  government  in  Oregon,  from  which  time 
they  will  only  be  considered  in  connection  with  concurrent  events. 
Mr.  Eells  says:— 

On  the  arrival  of  this  mission  reinforcement,  Mr.  Gray  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Spalding.  Mr.  Smith  was  first  stationed  with  Dr.  Whitman,  but  the  next  year  he 
opened  a  new  station  at  Kamiah,  sixty  miles  from  Lapwai,  among  the  Nez  Perces, 
and  Messrs.  Walker  and  Eells  likewise  began  another  station  among  the  Spokanes, 
ut  Tshimakain,  six  miles  north  of  the  Spokane  River,  in  the  spring  of  1839.  The 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  215 

first  few  years  of  the  mission  were  quite  encouraging.  Owing  partly  to  the  novelty, 
the  Indians  seemed  very  anxious  to  labor,  to  learn  at  school,  and  to  receive  religious 
instruction.  In  1837,  as  soon  as  a  school  was  opened  at  Lapwai,  Mr.  Spalding  wrote 
that  a  hundred,  both  old  and  young,  were  in  attendance.  As  soon  as  one  had 
learned  something  more  than  the  others,  they  would  gather  around  him,  while  he 
would  become  their  teacher.  In  1839  one  hundred  and  fifty  children,  and  as  many 
more  adults,  were  in  school.  Similar  interest  was  shown  in  religious  instruction. 
They  sometimes  spent  whole  nights  in  repeating  over  and  over  what  they  had  but 
partly  learned  at  a  religious  service.  Two  years  later  1,000  to  2,000  gathered  for 
religious  instruction.  Then  2,000  made  a  public  confession  of  sin,  and  promised  to 
serve  God.  Many  of  them  evidently  did  so  with  imperfect  ideas  of  what  they  were 
doing,  yet  not  a  few  were  believed  to  give  evidence  of  conversion.  Among  the 
Cayuses,  also,  more  were  ready  to  attend  school  than  the  mission  family  could  sup 
ply  with  books,  or  had  ability  to  teach.  Morning  and  evening  worship  was  main 
tained  in  all  the  principal  lodges,  and  a  confession  of  sin  was  made  somewhat 
similar  to  that  among  the  Nez  Perces.  For  a  time,  when  Dr.  Whitman  or  Mr. 
Spalding  traveled  through  the  country,  they  were  followed  by  hundreds  of  Indians, 
eager  to  see  them  and  hear  Bible  truths  at  night.  They  had  a  strong  desire  for  hoes 
and  other  agricultural  implements,  and  were  willing  to  part  writh  any  property  they 
had,  in  order  to  obtain  them,  even  bringing  their  rifles  to  be  manufactured  into 
such  articles.  From  eighty  to  one  hundred  families  planted  fields  near  Mr.  Spald 
ing,  and  many  near  Dr.  Whitman  raised  enough  provisions  for  a  comfortable  sup 
ply  for  their  families. 

In  1838  Mr.  Spalding  reported  that  his  field  produced  2,000  bushels  of  potatoes, 
besides  wheat  and  other  articles.  In  the  year  1841  a  saw  and  grist  mill  were  erected 
among  the  Nez  Perces,  and  a  grist  mill  among  the  Cayuses.  At  Kamiah  a  large 
part  of  the  Indians  gave  up  their  roving  habits  for  a  time,  and  remained  most  of 
the  year  at  home,  and  the  Spokanes  received  Messrs.  Walker  and  Eells  with  glad 
ness.  In  1837  a  church  was  organized,  and  in  September,  1838,  the  first  Indian  was 
received  into  it;  though,  in  July  previous,  two  Indian  girls,  who  afterwards  died  in 
Mr,  Spalding's  family,  gave  evidence  of  conversion,  and  were  baptized  as  the  first 
fruits  of  the  work.  In  November,  1839,  Joseph  and  Timothy,  Nez  Perces  Indians, 
were  admitted  to  the  church.  In  1840  Mr.  Eells  reported  a  school  of  eighty  scholars. 
In  1839  the  mission  received  a  donation  from  Rev.  H.  Bingham's  church,  at  Hono 
lulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  of  a  small  printing  press,  with  types,  furniture,  paper,  and 
other  things,  of  the  value  of  $450.  The  same  church  had,  the  year  before,  sent 
eighty  dollars  in  money  and  ten  bushels  of  salt  to  the  Oregon  mission^  Mr.  E.  O. 
Hall,  a  printer  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  on  account  of  the  health  of  his  wife,  came 
with  the  press,  and  the  first  book  printed  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  so  far  as 
known,  was  issued  that  fall  in  the  Nez  Perces  language.  This  added  new  interest 
to  the  school,  and  other  books  in  the  same  language,  and  one  in  that  of  the  Spo 
kanes,  followed.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  remained  until  the  spring  of  1840,  when  they 
returned  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

*-£•**  *  * 

But  the  novelty  gradually  wore  off',  and  discouragements  began.  The  natural 
heart  naturally  resisted  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  and  some  of  the  Spokane  chiefs  led 
in  the  opposition.  In  1838  two  Roman  Catholic  priests  arrived,  spoke  against  the 
missionaries,  and  persuaded  some  of  the  Cayuses  to  be  baptized  by  them.  Others 
afterwards  came,  established  a  mission  among  them,  and  one  of  the  Roman  Catholic- 
Indians  instigated  some  others  of  the  tribe  to  treat  Dr.  Whitman  and  Mr.  Gray 
with  much  insolence  and  abuse,  to  destroy  some  property,  and  to  demand  payment 
for  the  land,  timber,  fuel  and  water  which  had  been  used.  But  by  moderation  and 
firmness,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the  Indians  afterwards 


216  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

admitted  their  guilt,  and  peace  was  apparently  restored.  In  1841,  Mr.  Smith,  after 
suffering  no  little  annoyance  from  the  savage  manners  of  the  Nez  Perces,  on 
account  of  the  failure  of  his  own  and  his  wife's  health  [he  had  located  among  Ellis' 
band  of  Nez  Perces  in  1839,  and  the  following  year  was  prevented  from  cultivating 
any  ground  under  pain  of  death,  at  the  command  of  Ellis  himself],  left  that  mission 
and  Oregon,  and  joined  the  mission  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  He  subsequently 
returned  to  the  Eastern  States.  In  his  opinion  the  Indians  were  pharisaical,  and 
desired  to  make  money  out  of  the  missionaries. 

****** 

By  February,  1842,  affairs  seemed  so  discouraging  that  the  Board  of  Missions 
concluded  to  give  up  the  stations  among  the  Cayuses  and  Nez  Perces,  and  Rev.  J. 
D.  Paris  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Rice,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  mission  by  the  way  of  Cape 
Horn  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  having  reached  the  latter  place,  were  induced  to 
remain  there  temporarily,  an  arrangement  which  wras  afterwards  made  permanent 
by  the  Board  at  Boston.  The  roving  habits  of  the  Indians,  and  the  decrease  in  the 
attendance  on  the  schools,  increased  the  trials.  Hence,  Messrs.  Spalding  and  Gray 
were  to  return  East,  and  Dr.  Whitman  was  to  join  the  Spokane  Mission.  In  the 
fall  of  1842,  however,  affairs  took  a  more  favorable  turn  :  the  Spokane  Indians 
showed  more  thoughtfulness  and  conscientiousness ;  the  school  at  Lapwai  increased 
to  an  average  of  eighty,  and  afterwards  to  over  200;  1,000  Nez  Perces  attended  a 
series  of  meetings  for  nine  or  ten  days,  seven  of  whom  were  examined  for  admission 
to  the  church ;  the  Cayuse  Sabbath  congregations  varied  in  the  spring  from  200  to 
400,  in  the  fall  from  50  to  200,  and  less  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  The  two  Nez 
Perces  received  into  the  church  four  years  previous,  and  some  others  of  whom  hope 
was  entertained,  stood  well  as  Christian  workers ;  and  there  was  abundant  evidence 
that  the  truth  was  exerting  a  restraining  influence  over  most  of  the  Indians.  Some 
of  them  were  becoming  more  settled,  so  that  50  Cayuse  and  150  Nez  Perces  families 
cultivated  from  a  quarter  of  an  acre  to  five  acres  each  ;  one  Nez  Perces  chief  raised 
176  bushels  of  peas,  100  of  corn,  and  300  of  potatoes.  Mrs.  Spalding  had  taught  a 
few  of  the  Nez  Perces  women  to  knit,  card,  spin,  and  weave,  and  a  large  number  to 
sew.  • 

****** 

It  was  also  becoming  evident  that  more  Americans  were  soon  to  come  into  the 
territory,  and  they  would  need  something  other  than  Roman  Catholic  preaching. 
All  these  things  determined  the  missionaries  in  the  fall  of  1842,  to  continue  all  the 
stations,  notwithstanding  the  instructions  received  from  the  Board  at  Boston,  until 
the  matter  could  again  be  reconsidered.  These,  and  other  considerations  relating  to 
the  possession  of  the  country,  to  which  reference  will  afterwards  be  made,  rendered 
it  expedient,  in  the  opinion  of  the  mission,  for  Dr.  Whitman  to  return  East.  He 
did  so,  leaving  Walla  Walla  October  3d,  1842,  and  reaching  Boston  March  30th, 
1843.  He  made  such  representations  that  the  Board  ratified  the  action  of  the  mis 
sion,  in  continuing  all  the  stations.  After  transacting  important  business  at  Wash 
ington,  and  visiting  his  friends,  he  returned  to  Oregon.  He  left  the  western 
frontiers  of  Missouri,  May  31st,  and  after  a  short  time  overtook  a  company  of  about 
875  emigrants,  some  of  whom,  when  he  was  in  the  East,  he  had  promised  to  aid, 
should  they  determine  to  go  to  Oregon.  This  journey  was  successfully  made,  and 
the  first  train  of  emigrant  wagons  rolled  through  to  the  Columbia  River. 

The  Methodist  mission,  founded  by  Jason  Lee  in  the  Willamette 
Valley,  and  which  had  met  with  such  misfortune  by  sickness,  was 
reinforced  by  Elijah  White  and  wife,  Alanson  Beers  and  wife,  W. 
H.  Willson,  Annie  M.  Pitman,  Susan  Downing  and  Elvira  Johnson, 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  217 

who  sailed  from  Boston  in  July,  1836,  and  reached  their  destination 
the  following  May.  The  scourge  of  fever  still  afflicted  the  mission, 
and  it  consequently  bore  ill  repute  among  the  Indians  of  the  Wil 
lamette,  in  spite  of  the  most  earnest  and  conscientious  efforts  of  Mr. 
Lee  and  his  associates  to  win  the  good  will  of  those  for  whose  ben 
efit  they  had  made  so  great  a  sacrifice.  In  the  fall  of  1837  Rev. 
David  Leslie,  Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkins  and  Margaret  Smith  were 
added  to  their  force  of  missionary  laborers.  Their  field  of  opera 
tions  was  enlarged  in  the  spring  of  1838  by  the  establishment  of 
a  mission  at  The  Dalles,  under  the  charge  of  Daniel  Lee  and  H.  K. 
W.  Perkins.  To  do  this  required  money,  if  they  would  continue 
their  plan  of  operations.  The  Protestant  method  of  working  em 
braced  the  instruction  of  the  Indian  in  the  methods  of  procuring 
food  and  clothing  by  his  own  intelligent  effort,  so  that  he  might 
not  experience  those  alternate  seasons  of  feasting  and  famine  to 
which  he  was  subjected  when  relying  solely  upon  the  products  of 
nature.  They  sought,  also,  to  destroy  his  roving  habits  by  trans 
forming  him  from  a  hunter  to  a  farmer.  Jason  Lee  accordingly 
started  East  to  procure  the  necessary  financial  aid,  accompanied  by 
P.  L.  Edwards,  F.  Y.  Ewing  and  two  Indian  boys.  During  his 
absence  Mrs.  Lee  died,  also  Cyrus  Shepard,  who  was  teaching 
school  at  the  Willamette  Mission.  Mr.  Lee  returned  in  1840  with 
a  party  of  forty -eight  persons,  eight  of  them  being  clergymen,  and 
nineteen  ladies.  From  this  time  the  history  of  the  missions  be 
comes  so  closely  interwoven  with  that  of  the  settlements,  that  no 
further  effort  will  be  made  to  keep  it  distinct. 

A  new  element  was  introduced  into  the  mission  field  in  1838,  in 
the  form  of  two  zealous  Catholic  priests.  Rev.  Francis  N.  Blanchet 
and  Rev.  Modest  Demers  came  overland  from  Montreal  with  the 
regular  express  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  reaching  Vancouver 
on  the  twenty-fourth  of  November,  1838,  and  having  baptized  fifty- 
three  persons  while  voyaging  down  the  Columbia.  They  came  pre 
pared  to  stay,  and  not  without  having  received  a  cordial  invitation. 
The  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  such,  at  least,  as  were  of 
Canadian  descent,  had  a  natural  leaning  toward  the  Catholic  church, 
which  had  been  the  one  to  administer  to  the  religious  wants  of  them 
selves  and  parents,  whenever  they  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  come 
within  the  radius  of  Christian  worship.  When  the  Protestant  mis- 


218  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sionaries  appeared  it  caused  them  to  long  for  the  presence  of  the 
pious  fathers;  not  with  that  insatiable  longing  which  has  its  source 
in  the  deepest  fountains  of  our  nature;  they  simply  preferred,  in 
case  they  were  to  enjoy  religious  privileges  at  all,  to  have  those 
with  which  they  most  naturally  sympathized.  Not  only  did  they 
feel  thus  themselves,  but  they  told  the  Indians  that  there  were 
other  and  better  missionaries  than  those  who  had  settled  amongst 
them,  men  who  wore  long  black  gowns  and  who  would  teach  them 
the  true  religion.  This  created  a  natural  desire  among  the  tribes 
to  have  these  holy  men  come  among  them,  a  desire  shared  by  the 
officers  of  the  company,  who  naturally  preferred  that  religion  which 
would  meet  with  the  most  favor  among  their  servants  and  the  In 
dians,  and  which  was  taught  by  subjects  of  Great  Britain.  This 
wras  the  reason  why  the  society  of  Montreal  sent  out  Fathers  Blan- 
chet  and  Demers,  and  why  the  advent  of  the  "  Black  Gowns,"  as 
they  were  called  by  the  Indians  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Prot 
estants,  was  not  unexpected  by  the  natives. 

The  coming  of  Catholics  was  the  signal  for  the  commencement 
of  a  contest  for  spiritual  control  of  the  Indians,  whose  terrible 
results  will  be  seen  as'  this  narrative  progresses.  For  this  both 
parties  to  the  controversy  were  to  blame.  They  were  all  firmly  set 
in  their  religious  convictions,  and  intolerant  of  opposing  or  differing 
opinions  to  the  highest  degree.  Embued  by  the  loftiest  of  motives 
themselves,  they  did  not  possess  sufficient  charity  or  liberality  to 
ascribe  equally  exalted  purposes  to  their  opponents.  This  spirit  is 
exhibited  to  the  present  day  in  the  rancorous  writings  of  certain 
participants  on  either  side,  in  which  they  do  not  hesitate  to  charge 
upon  their  adversaries  crimes  for  which  the  scaffold  and  peniten 
tiary  are  the  only  adequate  penalty;  or  motives  and  conduct,  which, 
being  proven,  would  cause  them  to  be  shunned  and  despised  by 
every  honorable  man.  It  is  but  a  continuation  of  that  sectarian 
rivalry,  that  battle  of  religious  creeds,  which  has  existed  since  first 
primitive  man  began  to  worship  his  shadow  as  a  manifestation  of 
some  intangible  and  mysterious  power,  and  which  has  caused  so 
much  bloodshed,  misery  and  horror  in  the  world,  and  will  not  end 
until  man  judges  his  fellow  man  more  by  his  motives  and  deeds, 
and  less  by  his  purely  religious  opinions. 

A  few  instances  will  suffice  to  show  the  existence  of  this  spirit 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  219 

on  both  sides — a  determination  to  impress  upon  the  Indians  the  fact 
that  their  particular  creed  and  form  of  worship  were  the  only  true 
and  potent  ones,  and  that  all  others  were  both  false  and  harmful. 
The  Catholics  were  the  chief  aggressors  in  this  respect,  the  more 
energetic  and  crafty  in  undermining  their  opponents,  but  it  was  not 
entirely  lacking  with  the  other  side;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that 
in  the  matter  of  subsequent  acrimonious  writings,  the  Protestants 
lead  the  van.  The  first  gun  was  fired  and  the  nature  of  the  cam 
paign  outlined  by  Dr.  Parker  when  he  first  entered  the  country, 
and  long  before  the  Catholics  appeared  in  the  field.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  Alpowa  Creek,  on  Snake  River,  he  came  upon  a  burial  party 
of  the  Nez  Perces,  who  "  had  prepared  a  cross  to  set  up  at  the  grave," 
and  because  the  symbol  of  the  crucifixion  offended  his  sight,  and  he 
feared  it  would  make,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  a  stepping-stone  to  idol 
atry,"  he  took  u  the  cross  the  Indians  had  prepared  and  broke  it  in 
pieces."  As  the  Catholics  had  not  yet  appeared  in  the  field,  they 
consequently  "didn't  know  they  were  hit";  and  this  incident  is  of 
interest  only  to  show  the  spirit  of  religious  intolerance  which  held 
possession  of  Dr.  Parker,  and  which  subsequent  events  proved  to 
also  pervade  his  successors.  When  the  Catholics  appeared  they 
found  the  Protestants  well  entrenched,  and  they  had  either  to  attack 
them  there  or  enter  new  fields.  They  did  both.  Their  plan  Of 
operations  is  outlined  by  Father  Blanchet,  who,  in  after  years,  wrote 
thus  of  the  duties  of  the  missionary  priests:— 

They  were  to  warn  their  flocks  against  the  dangers  of  seduction,  to  destroy  the 
false  impression  already  received,  to  enlighten  and  confirm  the  faith  of  the  waver 
ing  and  deceived  consciences,  to  bring  back  to  the  practice  of  religion  and  virtue  all 
of  them  who  had  forsaken  them  for  long  years,  or  who,  raised  in  infidelity,  had 
never  known  nor  practiced  any  of  them.  *  *  In  a  word,  they  were  to  run 

after  the  sheep  when  they  were  in  danger.  Hence  their  passing  so  often  from  one 
post  to  another — for  neither  the  white  people  nor  the  Indians  claimed  their  assist 
ance  in  vain.  And  it  was  enough  for  them  to  hear  that  some  false  prophet  (mean 
ing  a  Protestant  missionary)  had  penetrated  into  a  place,  or  intended  visiting  some 
locality,  to  induce  the  missionaries  to  go  there  immediately,  to  defend  the  faith  and 
prevent  error  from  propagating  itself. 

Here  is  a  direct  statement  from  the  Archbishop  at  the  head  of 
the  church,  that  it  was  the  Catholic  plan  to  counteract  the  influence 
of  the  Protestants  where  they  had  already  located  missions,  as  well 
as  to  hasten  to  any  new  point  they  might  select  in  order  to  prevent 
the  founding  of  others.  The  first  overt  act  of  this  kind  was  com- 


220  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

mitted  at  Nesqually,  only  a  few  months  after  their  arrival.     Rev. 
Blanchet  says:— 

The  first  mission  to  Nesqually  was  made  by  Father  Deniers,  who  celebrated  the 
first  mass  in  the  fort  on  April  22,  [1839],  the  day  after  he  arrived.  His  visit  at  such 
a  time  was  forced  upon  him  by  the  establishment  of  a  Methodist  mission  for  the 
Indians.  *  *  *  After  having  given  orders  to  build  a  chapel,  and  said  mass  out 
side  of  the  fort,  he  parted  with  them,  blessing  the  Lord  for  the  success  of  his  mis 
sion  among  the  whites  and  Indians,  and  reached  Cowlitz  on  Monday,  the  thirtieth, 
with  the  conviction  that  his  mission  at  Nesqually  had  left  a  very  feeble  chance  for 
a  Methodist  mission  there. 

The  priests  introduced  a  novelty  in  the  shape  of  a  picture  by 
some  ingenious  artist.  It  was  a  representation  of  a  large  tree,  with 
many  branches,  and  the  different  Protestant  sects  were  shown  as 
ascending  the  trunk  and  going  out  upon  the  various  branches,  from 
which  they  dropped  into  a  fire,  the  blaze  being  fed  by  a  priest  with 
the  heretical  books  of  his  roasting  victims.  This  tickled  the  Indians 
immensely,  and  among  the  Nez  Perces  it  seemed  about  to  capture 
the  whole  tribe.  As  an  offset  to  this,  Mr.  Spalding  had  his  wife 
paint  a  number  of  illustrations  of  prominent  Bible  events,  and  this 
colored  panorama  soon  crowded  the  Catholic  cartoon  from  the  field. 
Thus  was  the  contest  waged  for  several  years.  In  1841,  the  Cas 
cades  Indians  were  won  away  from  the  The  Dalles  Mission  in  spite 
of  Mr.  Waller's  strenuous  efforts  to  hold  them.  This  same  Mr. 
Waller  gave  expression  to  his  feelings  on  doctrinal  points  by  cutting 
down  a  cross  erected  by  the  Catholics  at  Clackamas  village. 

There  was  one  thing  which  gave  the  Catholics  a  decided  advan 
tage  among  the  natives — the  use  of  symbols  and  ceremonies.  Mr. 
Blanchet  says:  "The  sight  of  the  altar,  vestments,  sacred  vessels, 
and  great  ceremonies,  were  drawing  their  attention  a  great  deal  more 
than  the  cold,  unavailable  and  long  lay  services  of  Brother  Waller." 
These  were  more  akin  to  their  own  ideas  of  religion  than  the  simple 
services  of  the  Protestants.  The  mystery  was  fascinating  to  them, 
and  they  preferred  to  see  the  priests  "make  medicine'7  to  hearing 
so  much  "  wa-wa  "  from  the  ministers.  By  thus  working  upon  the 
superstitious  nature  of  the  savages,  and  making  no  effort  to  suddenly 
change  their  old  habits  and  time -honored  customs,  the  Catholics 
gained  a  firm  hold  upon  them,  and  were  thus  able,  gradually,  to 
bring  about  the  desired  change.  The  Protestants,  on  the  contrary, 
endeavored  to  accomplish  too  much  at  once,  and  having  no  censers 


FOUNDATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  221 

to  swing,  or  imposing  vestments  to  wear,  could  gain  but  slight 
influence  over  the  natives  when  their  opponents  were  about.  There 
was  also  another  distinction  the  Indians  recognized,  and  one  which 
gradually  led  them  to  entertain  a  spirit  of  bitterness  and  hos 
tility  against  the  Protestants.  This  was  their  affiliation  with  the 
American  settlers,  whose  presence  was  highly  distasteful  to  the 
Indians,  the  reasons  for  which  will  be  developed  as  the  narrative 
progresses. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AMERICAN  EMIGRANTS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

Early  Advocates  of  Oregon  Emigration — Efforts  of  Hall  J.  Kelley — 
The  American  Society  for  the  Settlement  of  Oregon  Territory — It 
Memorializes  Congress  and  Advertises  fur  Emigrants — Wyeth,  Kelley 
and  Ewing  Young  come  to  Oregon — Earliest  American  Settlers — 
McLoughlirfs  Account  of  Settlement  of  French  Prairie — The  Wil 
lamette  Cattle  Company — Population  of  Oregon  in  1840 — First 
Effort  at  a  Government — Settlement  at  Willamette  Falls — Radical 
Change  in  the  Policy  oj  the  Hudson 's  Bay  Company  as  Regards  Set 
tlers The  Company^  Deep  Laid  Plan — Attitude  of  the  Company 

and  its  Chief  Representative — Dr.  McLoughlin  Considered — Reasons 
for  the  Bitter  Feelings  Entertained  by  some  Americans — Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlirfs  Statement  of  His  Conduct  and  the  Treatment  Received 
from  both  English  and  Americans — A  bad  Showing  for  the  Grati 
tude  of  some  Americans — Classification  of  the  Population  as  Regards 
Interests — Reasons  for '  Desiring  a  Government — A  Petition  Sent  to 
Congress  in  1840 — First  Meeting  to  Form  a  Government — Death  of 
Ewing   Young  Leads  to  the  Organization  of  a   Government — The 
Officers  Elected — Failitre  to  Form  a  Constitution — The  Wilkes  Ex 
pedition- — The   Wolf  Meeting — Thz  First  Legislative  Committee — 
Organization  of  the  Provisional  Government — The  First  Officers — 
Condition  of  the  Missions — Antagonism  of  the  Indians  to  Ameri 
can  Settlers— Dr.  White  Induces  the  Nez  Perces,  Wascopums  and 
Cay  uses  to  Adopt  a  Code  of  Laws. 

TO  the  missionaries  belongs  the  credit  of  opening  the  route  to 
Oregon  and  encouraging  that  large  emigration  of  hardy  pio 
neers  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  which  was  the  element  to  finally 
decide  the  Oregon  Question  in  favor  of  the  United  States.  This 
was  not  their  object  when  they  left  their  Eastern  homes,  but  was 
simply  the  natural  sequence  of  events.  Emigration  to  Oregon  was 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  223 

considered  and  advocated  long  before  there  was  any  thought  of 
founding  missions,  but  it  was  deemed  impracticable,  and  remained  to 
be  so  considered  until  the  missionaries  and  their  wives  demonstrated 
that  the  intervening  mountains  and  deserts  presented  no  barrier 
which  might  not  be  overcome  even  by  delicate  ladies.  It  then  be 
came  but  a  matter  of  time,  not  a  question  of  possibility,  when  emi 
grants  should  beat  a  well-worn  trail  to  Oregon. 

O  O 

The  first  recorded  instance  of  an  effort  to  induce  emigration  to 
seek  the  far  distant  coast  of  Oregon,  was  in  1817,  when  Hall  J. 
Kelley,  of  Boston,  advocated  the  immediate  occupation  of  the  coun 
try  in  dispute  by  American  settlers.  At  that  time  the  United  States 
was  making  her  first  genuine  effort  to  regain  possession  of  the  Col 
umbia,  and  was  negotiating  with  Great  Britain  on  the  question  of 
the  restoration  of  Fort  George,  or  Astoria.  Mr.  Kelley  became  an 
enthusiast  upon  the  subject,  and  continued  his  exertions  throughout 
the  subsequent  years  of  diplomatic  negotiation.  In  1829  he  organ 
ized  a  company  which  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  of  Mas 
sachusetts  as  "  The  American  Society  for  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon 
Territory."  This  society  presented  a  memorial  to  Congress  in  1831, 
setting  forth  that  they  were  "  engaged  in  the  work  of  opening  to  a 
civilized  and  virtuous  population  that  part  of  Western  America 
called  Oregon."  Among  other  statements,  the  memorialists  said: 
"  They  are  convinced  that  if  the  country  should  be  settled  under  the 
auspices  of  the  United  States  of  America,  from  such  of  her  worthy 
sons  who  have  drunk  the  spirit  of  those  civil  and  religious  institu 
tions  which  constitute  the  living  fountain  and  the  very  perennial 
source  of  her  national  prosperity,  great  benefits  must  result  to  man 
kind.  They  believe  that  there  the  skillful  and  persevering  hand  of 
industry  might  be  employed  with  unparalleled  advantage;  that 
there  science  and  the  arts,  the  invaluable  privilege  of  a  free  and 
liberal  government,  and  the  refinement  and  ordinances  of  Chris 
tianity,  diffusing  each  its  blessing,  would  harmoniously  unite  in 
ameliorating  the  moral  condition  of  the  Indians,  in  promoting  the 
comfort  and  happiness  of  the  settlers,  and  in  augmenting  the  wealth 
and  power  of  the  Republic."  They  further  stated  "that  the  coun 
try  in  question  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  unoccupied  portions 
of  the  earth,"  and  they  believed  Providence  designed  it  "to  be  the 
residence  of  a  people  whose  singular  advantages  will  give  them  un- 


224  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

exampled  power  and  prosperity."     They  continued:     "That  these 
things  *  have  settled  in  the  policy  of  the  British 

nation  the  determined  purpose  of  possessing  and  enjoying  the 
country  as  their  own,  and  have  induced  their  Parliament  to  confer 
on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  chartered  privileges  for  occupying 
with  their  settlements  the  fertile  banks  of  the  Columbia. 
Already  have  they  flourishing  towns,  strong  fortifications  and  culti 
vated  fields.  Their  largest  town  is  Vancouver, 
which  is  situated  on  a  beautiful  plain,  in  the  region  of  tide  water, 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Columbia.  Every 
thing,  either  in  the  organization  of  the  government,  or  in  the  busy 
and  various  operations  of  the  settlements  of  this  place,  at  Walla 
Walla,  at  Fort  Colville  and  at  DeFuca,  indicate  the  intention  of  the 
English  to  colonize  the  country.  Now,  therefore,  your  memorial 
ists,  in  behalf  of  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
would  respectfully  ask  Congress  to  aid  them  in  carrying  into  opera 
tion  the  great  purposes  of  their  institution;  to  grant  them  troops, 
artillery,  military  arms  and  munitions  of  war  for  the  security  of  the 
contemplated  settlement;  to  incorporate  their  society  with  the 
power  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  such  tracts  and  extent  of 
territory,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  and  the  junction  of  the 
Multnomah  with  the  Columbia,  as  may  be  adequate  to  the  lauda 
ble  objects  and  pursuits  of  the  settlers;  and  with  such  other  powers, 
rights  and  immunities  as  may  be  at  least  equal  and  concurrent  to 
those  given  by  Parliament  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  and  such 
as  are  not  repugnant  to  the  stipulations  of  the  convention,  made 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  wherein  it  was  agreed 
that  any  country  on  the  Northwest  coast  of  America,  to  be  westward 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  should  be  free  and  open  to  the  citizens  and 
subjects  of  the  two  powers,  for  a  term  of  years;  and  to  grant  them 
such  other  rights  and  privileges  as  may  contribute  to  the  means  of 
establishing  a  respectable  and  prosperous  community." 

Congress  did  not  see  fit  to  encourage  this  scheme  of  coloniza 
tion;  and  it  may  well  be  said  that,  had  Congress  been  relied  upon, 
Oregon  would  inevitably  have  become  a  dependency  of  Great  Brit 
ain.  That  body  of  concentrated  national  wisdom  lagged  several 
years  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of  progress,  and  it  was  only  by  constant 
effort  that  through  it  the  people  were  enabled  to  have  their  victories 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A   PROVISIONAL   GOVERNMENT.  *22.~) 

finally  recognized  and  ratified.  This  halting  and  dilatory  conduct 
of  the  national  legislature  placed  the  acquisition  of  Oregon  in  con 
stant  jeopardy.  The  society,  however,  which  had  constituted  Mr. 
Kelley  its  general  agent,  continued  its  efforts  despite  the  supineness 
of  Congress.  In  1831  a  pamphlet  was  published  entitled — "A 
general  circular  to  all  persons  of  good  character  who  wish  to  emi 
grate  to  Oregon  Territory."  The  region  covered  by  that  designa 
tion  is  defined  in  the  head  lines  and  opening  paragraph,  which 
read:  u  OREGON  SETTLEMENT. —  To  be  commenced  in  the  spring  of 
1832  on  the  delightful  and  fertile  banks  of  the  Columbia  River. 
It  has  been  for  many  years  in  serious  contemplation  to  settle  with 
a  free  and  enlightened  but  redundant  population  from  the  Amer 
ican  Republic  that  portion  of  her  territory,  called  Oregon,  bound 
ing  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  lying  between  the  forty -second  and 
forty-ninth  parallels  of  N.  latitude."  It  was  well  known  by  every 
intelligent  man  that  the  United  States  claimed  as  far  north  as  the 
Russian  boundary  at  fifty -four -forty,  but  that  forty-nine  had  been 
offered  as  a  compromise  line;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  society 
thus  defined  Oregon  within  the  limits  generally  believed  at  that 
time  it  would  eventually  assume.  The  cry,  "  fifty  -four  -forty  -or  - 
fight,"  had  not  then  been  heard,  nor  had  the  people  as  yet  been 
aroused  to  such  a  pitch  of  interest  in  this  subject.  That  was  re 
served  for  the  time  when  negotiations  were  again  resumed,  prior  to 
the  settlement  of  the  question  in  1846.  The  pamphlet  gave  the 
names  of  thirty-seven  agents  of  the  society,  to  whom  persons  de 
siring  to  emigrate  should  make  application  for  proper  certificates 
and  full  information;  and  these  agents  were  located  at  various 
points  throughout  the  Union.  One  of  these  was  Nathaniel  J.  Wy- 
eth,  whose  unfortunate  fur  and  salmon  ventures  on  the  Columbia 
have  been  related.  It  was  arranged  for  the  expedition  to  start  from 
St.  Louis  in  March,  1 832,  with  a  train  of  wagons  and  a  good  supply 
of  stock.  A  town  was  to  be  laid  out  at  the  junction  of  the  Co 
lumbia  and  Multnomah,  and  each  emigrant  was  to  receive  a  town 
lot  and  a  farm,  also,  a  lot  in  a  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 
these  places  being  already  platted  on  paper.  The  failure  of  Con 
gress  to  take  any  action  in  the  matter  ended  the  colonization  scheme 
for  that  year.  Mr.  Wyeth,  it  will  be  remembered,  crossed  the 
country  with  a  small  party  of  Boston  men,  and  returned  the  next 


226  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

year.  He  again  visited  the  Columbia  in  1834,  accompanied  by  Ja 
son  Lee's  party  of  missionaries.  Mr.  Kelley  had  undertaken  to 
send  a  ship  loaded  with  supplies  to  the  Columbia,  but  unsuccess 
fully.  He  then  endeavored  to  open  a  route  of  trade  through  Mex 
ico;  but  in  that  country  the  revenue  officers  pounced  upon  his 
goods  and  confiscated  the  greater  portion  of  them.  He  still  perse 
vered,  and  falling  in  with  Ewing  Young,  the  independent  trader 
whose  operations  on  the  coast  have  been  related,  persuaded  him 
and  several  others  to  accompany  him  to  Oregon.  They  reached 
Vancouver  October  15,  1834.  Mr.  Kelley's  health  failed  him,  and 
he  departed  for  home  the  following  March,  having  lost  $30,000  in 
his  efforts  to  colonize  Oregon. 

Mr.  Young,  and  others  who  had  come  with  Mr.  Kelley,  or  with 
Wyeth's  party,  remained  after  the  departure  of  those  gentlemen— 
among  them  were  James  A.  O'Neil,  T.  J.  Hubbard,  Courtney  M. 
Walker  and  Solomon  Smith.  There  were  also  two  men  of  French 
descent — Joseph  Gervais  and  Etinne  Lucier — who  had  come  out 
with  Wilson  G.  Hunt's  party,  and  whose  sympathies  were  Ameri 
can.  All  told,  aside  from  the  missionaries,  there  were  about  twenty - 
five  men  in  Oregon  who  were  favorable  to  the  United  States,  most 
of  them  being  mountaineers  with  Indian  wives.  Four  of  the  inde 
pendent  settlers  were  John  Turner,  George  Gay,  John  Woodworth 
and  Dr.  Bailey,  the  survivors  of  a  party  of  nine,  which  left  Califor 
nia  in  the  summer  of  1835  for  Oregon.  The  others  were  Daniel 
Miller,  -  -  Saunders,  an  Irishman  called  "  Big  Tom,"  a  man  whose 
name  is  unknown,  and  a  squaw.  Turner  was  one  of  the  survivors 
of  the  Umpqua  massacre  of  1828.  The  incidents  attending  their 
arrival  are  thus  related  by  Hon.  J.  W.  Nesmith,  who  had  them  from 
the  lips  of  the  survivors:— 

The  party  had  forty-seven  head  of  good  horses  and  a  complete  outfit  for  trapping. 
About  the  middle  of  June,  1835,  the  party  encamped  for  the  night  near  a  place 
known  as  "The  Point  of  Rocks,"  on  the  south  bank  of  Rogue  River.  Early  the 
next  morning  the  Indians  commenced  dropping  into  camp,  a  few  at  a  time.  Gay 
was  on  guard,  and  not  liking  the  appearance  of  the  Indians,  awoke  Turner,  who 
was  the  leader  of  the  party,  and  the  latter  conversed  with  the  savages  through  his 
squaw,  who  spoke  Chinook.  Turner  concluded  that  there  was  no  harm  to  be 
apprehended  from  their  dusky  visitors,  and,  forgetting  the  fearful  massacre  which 
he  so  narrowly  escaped  with  Smith's  party  seven  years  before,  near  the  Umpqua, 
the  party  became  careless.  In  the  meantime,  some  four  or  five  hundred  Indians 
had  assembled  in  and  about  the  camp  of  the  little  party,  and  at  a  signal, 
furiously  attacked  the  white  men  with  clubs,  bows  and  arrows  and  knives.  The 


AMERICANS   ORGANIZE  A    PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

attack  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  the  Indians  obtained  three  of  the  eight 
guns  with  which  Turner  and  his  party  were  armed.  The  struggle  of  the  trappers 
for  life  was  desperate  and  against  fearful  odds.  The  eight  men  seized  whatever  they 
could  lay  their  hands  on  for  defense.  Some  of  them  discharged  their  rifles  in  the 
bosom  of  their  assailants  andNthen  clubbed  their  guns  and  laid  about  them  with  the 
barrels.  Turner,  who  was  a  herculean  Kentucky  giant,  not  being  able  to  reach  his 
rifle,  seized  a  big  fir  limb  from  the  camp  fire  and  laid  about  him  lustily,  knocking 
his  assailants  right  and  left.  At  one  time  the  savages  had  Gay  down  and  were 
pounding  him,  but  they  were  crowded  so  thick  as  to  impede  the  force  of  their  blows. 
Old  Turner,  seeing  Gay's  peril,  made  a  few  vigorous  blows  with  his  limb  which 
released  him,  and  the  latter,  springing  to  his  feet,  dealt  fearful  cuts,  thrusts,  slashes 
and  stabs  with  his  long,  sharp  sheath-knife  upon  the  naked  carcasses  of  the  dusky 
crowd.  The  other  men,  following  Turner's  and  Gay's  example  fought  with  the 
energy  of  despair  and  drove  the  Indians  from  their  camp.  Dan  Miller  and  another 
trapper  were  killed  upon  the  spot,  while  the  six  survivors  of  the  melee  were  all 
more  or  less  seriously  wounded.  While  the  fight  was  going  on,  the  squaws  drove 
off  the  herd  of  horses  and  carried  off  all  of  the  baggage  and  camp-equipage,  together 
with  three  rifles.  Three  of  the  remaining  guns  were  rendered  useless  by  having 
their  stocks  broken  off  in  the  clubbing  process.  The  six  badly  wounded  survivors 
took  to  the  brush  and  kept  the  Indians  at  bay  with  their  two  remaining  rifles. 
By  traveling  in  the  night-time  and  hiding  in  the  brush  in  the  day-time,  they  man 
aged  to  elude  the  Indians,  but  suffered  .terribly  from  their  wounds  and  for  want  of 
provisions  and  clothing.  Dr.  Bailey  had  received  a  fearful  wound  from  a  toma 
hawk,  which  split  his  lower  jaw  from  the  point  of  the  chin  to  the  throat.  From 
want  of  proper  treatment,  the  parts  never  properly  united,  and  many  old  pioneers 
will  recollect  the  unsightly  scar  that  disfigured  his  face  for  life.  Saunders'  wounds 
disabled  him  from  traveling,  and  he  was  left  on  the  South  Umpqua,  and  "  Big  Tom" 
was  left  on  the  North  Umpqua.  The  Indians  subsequently  reported  to  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin  that  both  men  had  died  of  their  wounds  where  they  were  left.  Turner, 
Gay,  Woodworth  and  Dr.  Bailey,  after  reaching  the  head  of  the  Willamette  Valley, 
differed  about  the  route.  Turner  mistook  the  Willamette  for  the  Columbia.  Gay, 
in  his  sea  voyages,  had  seen  a  map  or  chart  showing  that  the  Columbia  ran  west,  and 
determined  to  strike  due  north  in  search  of  the  great  river,  upon  the  banks  of  which 
he  expected  to  find  Hudson's  Bay  trappers  and  traders.  Turner,  Bailey  and  Wood- 
worth  followed  down  the  Willamette  River  until,  in  a  famishing  condition,  they 
struck  the  Methodist  mission  below  Salem.  Gay  kept  along  the  foot-hills  on  the 
west  side  of  the  valley  and  crossed  the  Rickreal  about  where  Dallas  now  stands, 
and  crossed  the  Yamhill  River  at  the  falls  near  Lafayette,  passing  along  on  the  west 
side  of  Wapatoo  Lake,  and  crossing  the  Tualatin  Plains,  reached  Wyeth's  trading 
post  on  Sauvie's  Island  some  time  in  August.  Before  separating  from  his  compan 
ions,  Gay  had  cut  up  his  buckskin  breeches  to  make  moccasins  for  the  party,  and 
made  the  most  of  the  journey  in  a  naked  condition,  with  the  exception  of  the 
tattered  remnants  of  an  old  shirt.  The  mosquitoes  nearly  devoured  him  in  the 
Columbia  bottoms.  This  perilous  trip  of  nearly  500  miles  was  made  nearly  fifty 
years  ago,  and  was  a  terrible  test  of  the  endurance  of  a  naked,  wounded,  and  starv 
ing  man. 

There  were,  however,  other  settlers  than  the  Americans.  In 
1828,  Sir  George  Simpson,  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
who  was  then  on  an  official  visit  to  Fort  Vancouver,  took  possession 
of  the  Willamette  Falls,  for  the  purpose,  as  expressed  by  him,  of 


228  HISTOKY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

locating  there  a  colony  of  their  retired  servants.  It  had  previously 
been  the  policy  of  the  company  not  to  permit  settlements  to  be  made 
by  their  servants  whose  term  of  contract  had  expired,  since  they 
deemed  them  detrimental  to  the  preservation  of  this  region  as  a  fur- 
producing  wilderness.  They  wanted  no  settlements  here  whatever, 
neither  British  nor  American.  This  move  at  Willamette  Falls  was 
not  persisted  in,  but  a  few  years  later  some  of  their  ex-servants  located 
about  Champoeg,  or  French  Prairie,  in  Marion  county,  and  became 
quite  a  flourishing  colony;  and  there  their  descendants  live  to  the 
present  day,  useful  and  industrious  citizens. 

On  the  subject  of  the  first  settlements  in  the  valley,  Dr.  McLough- 
lin's  posthumous  manuscript  has  much  to  say.  The  Etinne  Lucier, 
spoken  of  by  him,  is  the  one  mentioned  above.  He  first  settled  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Willamette,  opposite  the  city  of  Portland,  where 
he  lived  several  years  before  removing  to  French  Prairie.  The 
Doctor  says:— 

In  1824  I  came  to  this  country  to  superintend  the  management  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  trade  on  the  coast,  and  we  came  to  the  determination  to  abandon 
Astoria,  and  go  to  Fort  Vancouver,  as  it  was  a  place  where  we  could  cultivate  the  soil 
and  raise  our  own  provisions. ,  In  March,  1825,  we  moved  there  and  that  spring  planted 
potatoes  and  sowed  two  bushels  of  peas,  the  only  grain  we  had,  and  all  we  had.  In 
the  fall  I  received  from  New  York  Factory  a  bushel  spring  wheat,  a  bushel  oats,  a 
bushel  barley,  a  bushel  Indian  corn  and  a  quart  of  timothy,  and  all  of  which  was 
sown  in  proper  time,  and  which  produce  well  except  the  Indian  corn,  for  which  the 
ground  was  too  poor  and  the  nights  rather  cool,  and  continued  extending  our  im 
provements.  In  1828,  the  crop  was  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  dispense  with  the  im 
portation  of  flour,  etc. 

In  1825,  from  what  I  had  seen  of  the  country,  I  formed  the  conclusion  from  the 
mildness  and  salubrity  of  the  climate,  that  this  was  the  finest  portion  of  North 
America  that  I  had  seen  for  the  residence  of  civilized  man,  and  as  the  farmers  could 
not  cultivate  the  ground  without  cattle,  and  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  only 
twenty-seven  (27)  head,  big  and  small,  and  as  I  saw  at  the  time  no  possibility  of  getting 
cattle  by  sea,  and  that  was  too  expensive,  I  determined  that  no  cattle  should  be 
killed  at  Vancouver  except  one  bull  calf  every  year  for  rennet  to  make  cheese,  till 
we  had  an  ample  stock  to  meet  all  our  demands,  and  to  assist  settlers,  a  resolution 
to  which  I  strictly  adhered,  and  the  first  animal  killed  for  beef  was  in  1838 ;  till  that 
time  we  had  lived  on  fresh  and  salt  venison  and  wild  fowl.  From  morality  and 
policy  I  stopped  the  sale  and  issue  of  spiritous  liquor  to  the  Indians,  but  to  do  this 
effectually  I  had  to  stop  the  sale  of  liquor  to  all  whites.  In  1834,  when  Mr.  Wyeth, 
of  Boston,  came,  he  began  by  selling  liquor,  but  on  my  assuring  him  that  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company  sold  no  liquor  to  whites  or  Indians,  he  immediately  adopted 
the  same  rule. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

In  1828,  Etinne  Lucier,  a  Willamette  trapper,  asked  me  if  I  thought  this  would 
become  a  settled  country.  I  told  him  wherever  wheat  grew,  he  might  depend  it 
would  become  a  farming  country.  He  asked  me  what  assistance  I  would  attbrd 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  229 

him  to  settle  as  a  farmer.  I  told  him  I  would  loan  him  seed  to  sow  and  wheat  to 
feed  himself  and  family,  to  be  returned  from  the  produce  of  his  farm,  and  sell  him 
such  implements  as  were  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  store,  at  fifty  per  cent,  on 
prime  cost.  But  a  few  days  after  he  came  back  and  told  me  he  thought  there  was 
too  remote  a  prospect  of  this  becoming  a  civilized  country,  and  as  there  were  no 
clergymen  in  the  country,  he  asked  me  a  passage  for  his  family  in  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  boats,  to  which  I  acceded.  He  started  in  September  to  meet  the 
boats  at  the  mountain ;  the  express  came  in  too  late  and  he  had  to  return,  and  went 
to  hunt  for  the  winter. 

In  1829  he  again  applied  to  begin  to  farm.  I  told  him  that  since  he  had 
spoken  to  me  I  heard  that  several  trappers  would  apply  for  assistance  to  begin  to 
farm,  and  that  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  come  to  a  distinct  understanding  with 
him  to  serve  as  a  rule  for  those  who  might  follow.  That  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
were  bound  under  heavy  penalties  to  discharge  none  of  their  servants  in  the  Indian 
country,  and  bound  to  return  them  to  the  place  where  they  engaged  them.  That 
this  was  done  to  prevent  vagabonds  being  let  loose  among  the  Indians  and  incite 
them  to  hostility  to  the  whites.  But  as  I  knew  he  was  a  good,  honest  man,  and 
none  but  such  need  apply,  and  as  if  he  went  to  Canada  and  unfortunately  died 
before  his  children  could  provide  for  themselves  they  would  become  objects  of  pity 
arid  a  burthen  to  others.  For  these  reasons  I  would  assist  him  to  settle.  But  I 
must  keep  him  and  all  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  servants  whom  I  allowed  to 
settle,  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  books  as  servants,  so  as  not  to  expose  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  me  to  a  fine,  but  they  could  work  for  themselves,  and 
no  service  would  be  exacted  from  them. 

Many  of  the  Canadians  objected  to  go  to  the  Willamette,  because  it  was  to  become 
American  Territory,  which  I  told  them  it  would,  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in 
1825  officially  informed  that  on  no  event  could  the  British  Government  claim  extend 
south  of  the  Columbia,  and  that  they  were  afraid  they  would  not  have  the  same 
advantages  as  American  citizens.  I  told  them  from  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the 
extent  of  prairie  and  the  easy  access  from  the  sea,  that  the  Willamette  (they  must 
admit)  was  the  best  and  only  place  adapted  to  form  a  settlement  which  would  have 
a  beneficial  effect  on  the  whole  country  north  of  San  Francisco,  where  we  could 
assist  and  protect  them  from  the  Indians  in  case  of  difficulty,  and  as  to  advantages 
I  did  not  know  what  they  would  have,  but  this  I  knew,  that  the  American  Govern 
ment  and  people  knew  only  two  classes  of  persons,  rogues  and  honest  men,  that 
they  punished  the  first  and  protected  the  last,  and  it  depended  only  upon  them 
selves  to  what  class  they  would  belong. 

Others  wanted  to  go  and  live  with  the  relatives  of  their  wives,  but  as  their  chil 
dren  would  be  brought  up  with  the  sympathies  and  feelings  of  Indians,  and  as  the 
half-breeds  are  in  general  leaders  among  Indians,  and  they  would  be  a  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  whites,  I  insisted  they  should  go  to  the  Willamette,  where  their  children 
could  be  brought  up  as  whites  and  Christians,  and  brought  to  cultivate  the  ground 
and  imbued  with  the  feelings  and  sympathies  of  whites,  and  where  they  and  their 
mothers  would  serve  as  hostages  for  the  good  behavior  of  their  relatives  in  the 
interior.  As  Indians  judge  of  whites  by  themselves,  and  I  think  if  they  injure 
whites  on  their  lands,  the  whites  would  revenge  it  by  murdering  their  Indian  rela 
tives  among  them,  and  as  the  settlement  increased  by  the  addition  of  Indian  women 
half-breeds,  the  turbulence  of  the  Indian  tribes  would  diminish;  and  certainly  the 
Cay  use  war  would  not  have  been  quelled  so  easily  as  it  was  if  other  halt-breeds  had 
not  joined  the  Americans ;  and  I  have  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  say,  what  must 
be  admitted  by  all  who  know  them,  that  the  Canadian  trappers  and  half-breeds 
who  have  settled  as  farmers,  are  as  peaceable,  orderly,  neighborly  and  industrious 
a  set  of  men  as  any  in  the  settlement ;  and  that  so  far  the  Canadian  settlement  has 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

produced  and  supplied  three-fourths  of  the  grain  that  has  been  exported.     [Every 
pioneer  will  heartily  endorse  this  eulogy  of  the  people  of  French  Prairie.] 

###•**••* 

I  made  it  a  rule  that  none  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  servants  should  be 
allowed  to  join  the  settlements  unless  he  had  fifty  pounds  sterling  before  him,  as  he 
required  that  sum  to  supply  him  with  clothing  and  implements.  He  that  begins 
business  on  credit  is  seldom  so  careful  and  industrious  as  he  who  does  business  on 
his  own  means.  By  this  I  effected  two  objects — I  made  the  men  more  saving  and 
industrious,  and  attached  them  to  their  farms.  If  I  had  not  done  so,  they  would 
have  abandoned  on  tire  least  difficulty.  But  having  their  means  invested  on  their 
improvements,  they  saw  if  they  abandoned  the  loss  would  be  theirs,  they  therefore 
persisted  and  succeeded.  When  the  settlement  was  formed,  though  the  American 
trappers  had  no  means,  they  were  assisted  on  credit,  and  all  in  three  years  paid  up 
from  the  produce  of  their  farms. 

The  presence  of  American  settlers  was  extremely  distasteful  to 
the  company ;  not  simply  because  they  were  Americans,  but  because 
they  were  American  settlers.  The  officers  of  the  company  were 
instructed  not  to  encourage  them  in  any  way.  It  stood  ready  to 
sell  to  the  settlers  at  a  high  price,  but  not  to  purchase  from  them 
anything  whatever.  They  were  without  cattle,  except  a  few  rented 
to  them  by  the  company,  and  until  they  possessed  them  could  not 
be  or  feel  independent  of  the  overshadowing  corporation;  To 
remedy  this  evil,  Young  and  Jason  Lee  (who  never  let  the  fact  that 
he  came  to  Oregon  simply  as  a  missionary  prevent  him  from  advanc 
ing  American  interests  whenever  possible),  set  on  foot  a  scheme  to 
procure  a  supply  of  cattle  from  the  vast  herds  grazing  about  the 
Spanish  Missions  in  California.  The  effort  was  opposed  by  the 
company,  but  with  the  aid  of  Lieutenant  William  A.  Slocum,  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  advanced  money  and  gave  a 
free  passage  to  California  in  his  vessel  to  those  who  went  after  the 
cattle,  it  was  completely  successful,  and  "The  Willamette  Cattle 
Company '"  was  organized.  The  party  which  went  to  California 
was  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Young,  and  was  composed  of  P. 
L.  Edwards  (who  kept  a  diary  of  the  expedition,  which  is  now  pre 
served  in  the  State  Library  at  Sacramento  and  numbered  23,989), 
Hawchurst,  Carmichael,  Bailey,  Erequette,  DesPau,  AVilliams,  Tib- 
betts,  George  Gay,  Wood,  Camp,  Turner,  and  enough  others  to 
make  a  company  of  about  twenty  men,  all  inured  to  the  dangers  and 
privations  of  mountain  life.  They  collected  a  band  of  seven  hundred 
cattle,  at  three  dollars  per  head,  and,  with  much  labor  and  difficulty, 
succeeded  in  bringing  six  hundred  of  them  into  the  valley.  They 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  231 

had  much  trouble  with  the  Indians  on  Siskiyou  Mountain  and  along 
Rogue  River,  and  Gay,  without  any  foundation,  charges  the  com 
pany  with  stirring  up  the  Indians  to  cut  them  off.  The  fact  is,  as 
Edwards1  diary  plainly  shows,  the  trouble  grew  out  of  the  unpro 
voked  murder  by  one  of  the  party  of  an  Indian  who  visited  their 
camp  on  Klamath  River.  Turner,  Gay  and  Bailey  were  three  of 
four  survivors  of  the  American  trapping  party  which  had  been 
attacked  on  Rogue  River  two  years  before,  and  shot  this  Indian  in 
a  spirit  of  revenge.  It  is  certainly  difficult  to  trace  any  agency  of 
the  company  in  this  affair,  or  to  assign  any  other  cause  than  wanton 
murder  for  their  trouble  with  the  Indians.  The  arrival  of  the  cat 
tle  was  hailed  with  joy  by  the  settlers,  as  it  guaranteed  them  com 
plete  independence  of  the  company,  and  demonstrated  that  Ameri 
cans  could  settle  in  the  Willamette  Valley  with  an  assurance  of 
being  self-supporting. 

Such  is  the  version  of  the  cattle  question,  as  it  comes  from  Amer 
ican  sources.  Dr.  McLoughlin  gives  quite  another  tone  to  it.  His 
document  says:— 

Every  settler  had  as  much  wheat  on  loan  as  he  wanted  to  begin  with,  and  I  lent 
them  each  two  cows,  as  in  1825  we  had  only  twenty-seven  head,  big  and  small,  old 
and  young.  If  I  sold  they  would  of  course  be  entitled  to  the  increase,  and  I 
would  not  have  the  means  to  assist  the  new  settlers,  "and  the  settlement  would  be 
retarded,  as  those  purchasers  who  offered  me  two  hundred  dollars  for  a  cow  would 
put  such  a  price  on  the  increase  as  would  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  poor  settlers 
to  buy.  This  would  prevent  industrious  men  from  settling.  For  these  reasons  I 
would  not  sell,  but  loaned,  as  I  say,  two  cows  to  each  settler,  and  in  case  the  increase 
of  settlers  might  be  greater  than  we  could  afford  to  supply  with  cattle,  I  reserved 
the  right  to  take  any  cattle  I  required  (above  his  two  cows)  from  any  settlers  to  assist 
new  settlers.  To  the  Methodist  Mission,  as  it  was  a  public  institution,  I  lent  seven 
oxen,  one  bull  and  eight  cows  with  their  calves.  In  the  beginning,  several  settlers 
lost  cattle,  poisoned  by  eating  water  hemlock.  It  has  been  said  by  the  late  Mr. 
Thurston,  Delegate  from  Oregon,  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  that  settlers  paid  for 
dead  cattle.  This  is  a  wanton  falsehood,  as  it  is  well  known  to  all  old  settlers  that 
no  settler  paid  a  cent  for  dead  cattle.  It  was  a  loss  to  the  company. 

In  1836  we  found  means  of  forming  a  company  to  go  to  California  for  cattle.  I 
took  half  the  stock  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  so  that  by  purchasing  a  large 
number  (as  the  expense  of  driving  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  was  the  same)  as  it 
would  make  the  cattle  cheaper.  Those  of  the  settlers  that  had  means  put  it  in  the 
stock  ;  those  that  had  none,  engaged  as  drivers  at  one  dollar  per  day,  to  be  paid  in 
cattle  at  their  actual  cost.  Mr.  Slocum,  who  came  here  in  a  chartered  vessel,  gave 
them  a  passage  gratis  from  this  place  to  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Ewing  Young  was  se 
lected  to  conduct  the  party.  Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards,  who  came  with  Messrs.  Lee,  of 
the  Methodist  Mission,  but  now  a  lawyer  in  California,  was  appointed  Treasurer. 
They  brought,  I  think,  about  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle,  which  cost  eight  dollars 
per  head  rendered.  In  the  Willamette,  the  settlers  kept  the  tame  and  broken-in 


*23'2  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

oxen  they  had  belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  gave  their  California 
wild  cattle  in  the  place,  so  that  they  found  themselves  stocked  with  tame  cattle 
which  cost  them  only  eight  dollars  per  head,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  to 
favor  the  settlers,  took  calves  in  place  of  grown-up  cattle,  because  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  wanted  them  for  beef.  These  calves  would  grow  up  before  they  were  re 
quired. 

At  the  close  of  1837,  the  independent  population  of  Oregon  con 
sisted  of  forty-nine  souls,  about  equally  divided  between  missionary 
attaches  and  settlers.  With  but  few  exceptions  the  arrivals  during 
the  next  two  years  were  solely  of  persons  connected  with  the  various 
missions,  whose  advent  has  already  been  noted.  Those  coming  in 
1839  were,  Rev.  J.  S.  Griffin  and  wife,  and  Mr.  Hunger  and  wife, 
who  had  made  an  unsuccessful  effort  to  found  an  independent  mis 
sion  on  Snake  River,  and  Ben  Wright,  Robert  Shortess,  Sidney 
Smith,  Lawson,  Reiser,  Geiger,  and  Blair,  a  blacksmith.  By  add 
ing  the  following  list  of  arrivals  in  1840,  to  those  previously  men 
tioned,  the  population  of  Oregon  at  that  time  will  be  quite  accu 
rately  listed.  Mr.  Gray  thus  summarizes  the  arrivals  of  that  sea 
son:— 

In  1840— Methodist  Episcopal  Protestant  Mission— Mrs.  Lee,  second  wife  of  Rev. 
Jason  Lee;  Rev.  J.  H.  Frost  and  wife  ;  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller,  wife  and  two  children  ; 
Rev.  W.  W.  Kone  and  wife;  Rev.  G.  Hines,  wife  and  sister;  Rev.  L.  H.  Judson, 
wife  and  two  children ;  Rev.  J.  L.  Parish,  wife  and  three  children ;  Rev.  G.  P. 
Richards,  wife  and  three  children ;  Rev.  A.  P.  Olley  and  wife.  Laymen — Mr.  Geo. 
Abernethy,  wife  and  two  children  ;  Mr.  H.  Campbell,  wife  and  one  child  ;  Mr.  W. 
W.  Raymond  and  wife;  Mr.  H.  B.  Brewer  and  wife ;  Dr.  J.  L.  Babcock,  wife  and 
one  child ;  Mrs.  Daniel  Lee ;  Mrs.  David  Carter  ;  Mrs.  Joseph  Holman  ;  Miss  E. 
Phillips.  Independent  Protestant  Mission— Rev.  Harvey  Clarke  and  wife  ;  P.  B. 
Littlejohn  and  wife  ;  Robert  Moore,  James  Cook,  and  James  [Travers,  according  to 
Judge  Deady,]  Fletcher,  settlers.  Jesuit  Priests — P.  J.  DeSmet,  Flathead  Mission. 
Rocky  Mountain  men  with  native  wives— William  Craig,  Doctor  Robert  Newell, 
Joseph  L.  Meek,  George  Ebbert,  William  M.  Dougherty,  John  Larison,  Geo.  Wil 
kinson,  a  Mr.  Nicholson,  and  Mr.  Algear,  and  William  Johnson,  author  of  the 
novel,  "Leni  Leoti,  or,  The  Prairie  Flower."  The  subject  was  first  written  and 
read  before  the  Lyceum  at  Oregon  City,  in  1843. 

He  classifies  the  population  as  follows:  American  settlers, 
twenty-five  of  them  with  Indian  wives,  36;  American  women,  33; 
children,  32;  lay  members,  Protestant  Missions,  13;  Methodist  Min 
isters,  13;  Congregational,  6;  American  Physicians,  3;  English  Phy 
sicians,  1 ;  Jesuit  Priests,  including  DeSmet,  3 ;  Canadian  French, 
60.  Total  Americans,  137;  total  Canadians,  including  Priests,  63; 
total  population,  not  including  Hudson's  Bay  Company  operatives, 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  233 

within  what  now  is  a  portion  of  Montana,  and  all  of  Idaho,  Wash 
ington  and  Oregon,  200. 

Up  to  1839  the  only  law  or  government  administered  in  this 
region  was  the  rules  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company ;  but  that  year, 
deeming  that  there  must  be  some  authority  which  the  settlers  would 
respect,  the  Methodist  missionaries  designated  two  persons  to  act  as 
magistrates.  This  was  done  entirely  without  the  co-operation  of 
the  settlers,  but  the  action  received  their  endorsement,  or,  at  least, 
was  generally  acquiesced  in.  Several  cases  came  before  these  officers 
for  adjudication,  the  most  important  being  the  trial  of  T.  J.  Hub- 
bard  for  murder,  he  having  shot  a  man  who  was  attempting  to 
enter  his  cabin  through  the  window.  The  magistrate  was  Rev. 
David  Leslie.  The  prisoner  was  acquitted  by  the  jury. 

Settlements  were  made  at  this  time  with  reference  to  the  possi 
ble  division  of  the  country  on  the  line  of  the  Columbia  River,  all 
Americans  locating  south  of  the  stream,  and  none  but  British  sub 
jects  north  of  it.  Cook,  Fletcher  and  Moore  settled  on  the  banks 
of  the  Willamette,  near  the  falls,  the  last  named  locating  directly 
opposite  the  cataract,  on  the  west  bank.  He  purchased  a  section 
of  land  of  the  Indians,  a  transaction  which,  of  course,  had  no  legal 
force,  and  named  his  place  "Robin's  Nest."  Dr.  McLoughlin 
claimed  the  opposite  end  of  the  falls,  and,  later,  when  he  resigned 
from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  located  there  and  became  as  good 
an  American  as  any  of  them.  He  thus  relates  some  of  the  diffi 
culties  he  experienced  with  this  claim:— 

In  1840,  as  I  already  stated,  the  Methodist  Mission  received  a  large  reinforce 
ment.  I  had  selected  for  a  claim,  Oregon  City,  in  1829,  made  improvements  on  it 
and  had  a  large  quantity  of  timber  squared.  The  Superintendent  applied  to  me  for 
a  loan  of  some  of  it  to  build  a  mission  house.  I  lent  them  the  timber  and  had  a  place 
pointed  out  to  them  upon  which  to  build.  In  1840  the  Methodist  Mission  formed  a 
milling  association  and  jumped  part  of  my  claim  and  began  to  build  a  saw  and 
grist  mill.  They  assumed  the  right  to  judge  of  my  rights,  and  said  that  I  could  not 
hold  it  as  part  of  my  claim,  though  the  stream  that  separates  the  islet  from  the  main 
land  is  not  more  than  forty  feet  wide  in  summer.  This  island  is  what  is  called 
"Abernethy  Island,"  and  is  about  three  or  four  acres  in  extent.  In  1842,  Mr. 
Walker,  the  resident  missionary  in  the  house,  to  build  which  I  lent  timber,  which 
they  never  returned,  and  gave  the  ground  upon  which  to  build,  set  up  a  claim  to 
Oregon  City  in  opposition  to  me,  but  after  some  difficulty,  I  paid  them  $500 
and  he  gave  it  up.  I  preferred  to  do  this  and  have  done  with  it  rather  than  here 
after  trouble  Government  with  it. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  the  policy  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 


334  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

pany  was  to  discourage  any  settlements  whatever,  preferring  that 
the  country  should  remain  uninhabited  by  all  save  the  Indians  and 
the  actual  servants  of  the  company.  It  had  even  gone  to  the  ex 
pense  of  sending  to  Canada  those  employees  whose  terms  of  service 
expired.  Had  they  but  themselves  and  employees  to  deal  with,  the 
policy  was  a  wise  one  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  the  end  aimed  at 
—the  preservation  of  the  country  in  its  primeval  state — but  with 
the  complication  of  independent  American  settlers  it  was  the  re 
verse.  Had  the  company  from  the  beginning  colonized-  Oregon 
with  its  discharged  servants,  as  it  had  previously  done  the  Red 
River  region,  there  would  now  have  been  such  a  flourishing  colony 
as  would  have  completely  overshadowed  the  Americans,  if,  indeed, 
it  did  not  prevent  their  coming  altogether.  Failure  to  do  this  lost 
Great  Britain  her  only  hope  of  acquiring  Oregon.  The  company's 
eyes  were  fully  opened  to  the  danger  when  the  Wallaniet  Cattle 
Company  was  organized  in  1837.  It  resolved  then  upon  a  radical 
and  immediate  change  of  policy — to  colonize  the  country  with  sub 
jects  of  Great  Britain  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Accordingly,  the 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company  was  organized  in  1837  as  an 
associate  of  the  company,  which  it  was  to  supply  with  its  products 
as  well  as  carry  on  a  trade  with  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  Alaska. 
The  company,  for  reasons  previously  stated,  selected  a  location  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Columbia,  at  Cowlitz  and  Nescjually.  It  took 
several  years  to  carry  the  scheme  into  effect,  since  it  was  necessary 
to  bring  a  large  emigration  from  the  company's  older  colony  on 
Red  River.  The  settlement  on  French  Prairie  has  been  mentioned ; 
this  consisted  of  about  twenty-five  families  at  the  time  Father  Blan- 
chet  arrived  in  1838,  and  located  there  the  Mission  of  St.  Paul, 
where  a  school  and  church  have  ever  since  been  maintained.  The 
plan  of  the  company  was  to  thus  overwhelm  the  American  settlers 
in  point  of  numbers,  and  at  the  same  time  to  open  negotiations  be 
tween  the  home  governments  for  a  final  settlement  of  the  mooted 
question  of  title,  in  which  the  great  preponderance  of  English  sub 
jects  should  be  urged  as  a  reason  why  Great  Britain's  claim  to  the 
country  should  be  conceded.  To  the  defeat  of  this  deep-laid  plan 
the  United  States  is  indebted  largely  to  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman's  per 
spicacity,  determination  and  patriotism,  as  will  appear  later  on. 
The  company's  plans  embraced,  also,  a  studied  and  persistent 


AMERICANS   ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  235 

misrepresentation  of  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  country.  The 
idea  was  industriously  impressed  upon  every  one  that  Oregon  was 
a  barren  waste,  of  no  earthly  value  except  as  a  fur  region.  By  this 
means  it  was  hoped  not  only  to  discourage  emigration,  hut  to  im 
press  upon  American  statesmen  the  idea  that  a  country  of  such  little 
value  for  colonization  was  not  worth  contending  for,  and  some  of 
the  speeches  made  in  Congress  by  several  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  nation  show  how  well  the  plan  succeeded.  That  England,  and 
Englishmen  generally,  became  embued  with  the  same  idea  was  of 
no  consequence,  since  the  company  did  not  desire  English  settlers 
other  than  such  as,  in  a  measure,  belonged  to  it;  and  England  could 
be  relied  upon  to  do  her  best  to  secure  it  as  a  perpetual  trapping 
ground  for  this  great  corporation,  which  was  her  powerful  repre 
sentative  in  the  extreme  West.  Not  only  was  the  region  decried, 
but  it  was  asserted  with  great  positiveness  that  it  was  absolutely 
impossible  for  wagons  to  cross  the  mountains,  and  that  emigrants 
could  not  pass  overland  from  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Every  book 
of  English  origin  laid  great  stress  upon  these  facts,  and  they  were 
echoed  by  the  magazines  and  newspapers.  Said  John  Dunn,  a 
former  clerk  of  the  company,  in  his  work  on  Oregon:  "None  but 
the  wild  and  fearless  free-trappers  can  clamber  over  these  precipices 
and  tread  these  deserts  with  security.  It  is  true  that  there  have 
been  published  more  favorable  accounts,  within  the  last  year  or  two, 
by  parties  who  have  made  the  journey  safely,  and  who  encourage 
others  to  make  a  similar  experiment,  but  these  accounts  are  mere 
bravado.1'  In  1843,  the  Edinburg  Review  said:  "However  the 
political  question  between  England  and  the  United  States,  as  to  the 
ownership  of  Oregon,  may  be  decided,  Oregon  will  never  be  colo 
nized  overland  from  the  United  States.  The  world  must  assume  a 
new  phase  before  the  American  wagons  will  make  plain  the  road 
to  the  Columbia,  as  they  have  done  to  the  Ohio."  These  extracts 
are  sufficient  to  show  the  general  tenor  of  them  all. 

In  this  there  was  nothing  either  criminal  or  dishonest,  nothing 
which  Americans  would  not  have  done  under  the  same  circum 
stances;  and  yet  certain  writers  speak  of  this  and  other  steps  of  the 
company  to  obtain,  or  retain,  possession  of  Oregon,  as  constituting 
a  heinous  crime.  In  looking  at  this  matter  one  should  divest  him 
self  of  all  national  and  religious  prejudice  or  bigotry.  Both  na- 


236  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tions  having  well-founded  claims  to  the  country,*  the  subjects  of 
Great  Britain  certainly  were  as  fully  justified  in  making  an  effort 
for  possession  as  were  the  citizens  of  the  United  States;  and  the 
actual  fact  is  that  they  were  less  active,  less  aggressive  than  were 
the  Americans,  to  which  is  largely  due  their  defeat  in  the  contest 
upon  which  they  entered  with  every  advantage.  Because  they  made 
these  efforts,  parties  who  were  equally  active  on  the  other  side  have 
charged  the  company  with  grave  crimes,  not  the  least  of  which  was 
the  inciting  of  the  natives  to  murder  American  settlers  and  mission 
aries.  These  charges  rest  solely  upon  the  most  flimsy  circumstan 
tial  evidence,  which  is  outweighed  by  the  conduct  and  character  of 
the  officers  who  administered  the  company's  affairs  in  Oregon.  It 
is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  engage  in  a  general  defense  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or  acquit  it  of  all  censure;  for  he  be 
lieves  its  policy  to  have  been  harsh  and  cruel,  though  natural  and 
human.  He  would,  however,  desire  to  defend  the  name  of  good 
Dr.  McLoughlin  from  the  aspersions  of  men  who  were  not  worthy 
to  untie  the  latchet  of  his  shoes;  who  possessed  neither  his  large  and 
liberal  mind,  nor  his  warm  and  generous  heart.  He  must  be  dis 
associated  entirely  from 'the  company  whose  chief  representative  he 
was,  since  he  failed  utterly  to  carry  out  its  policy.  He  was  ever  the 
sympathizing  friend  of  the  needy  pioneer,  and  liberally  aided  him 
in  distress;  and  when  called  to  account,  in  1844,  for  not  enforcing 
the  company's  orders  to  withhold  from  American  settlers  all  assist 
ance  whatever,  resigned  his  position  and  became  nearly  penniless 
because  of  being  held  personally  responsible  for  the  debts  he  had 
permitted  many  distressed  emigrants  to  contract  for  necessary  sup 
plies,  which  debts,  it  may  be  stated,  many  never  had  the  honor  or 
gratitude  to  discharge.  Aside  from  this  order  to  withhold  assistance, 
which,  had  it  been  enforced  by  Dr.  McLoughlin,  would  have  caused 
great  distress,  and  which,  of  course,  not  being  present  to  witness  it, 
the  chief  officers  of  the  company  could  not  fully  appreciate,  there 
was  nothing  in  the  conduct  of  the  company  which  would  not  be 
looked  upon  in  any  country  and  by  any  people  as  proper  and  nec 
essary  for  the  protection  of  their  interests,  could  they  be  placed  in  a 
similar  position,  It  is  questionable  if  the  gentlemen  entertaining 
such  bitter  feelings  had  possessed  the  great  power  of  the  company, 
whether  they  would  have  used  it  as  honorably  and  conscientiously 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  237 

as  did  Dr.  McLoughlin  and  his  associates.  These  narrow-minded 
views  were  not  entertained  by  Dr.  Whitman,  the  Nestor  of  them  all. 
He  had  a  brain  sufficiently  large,  and  a  nature  sufficiently  honor 
able,  to  divorce  politics  and  personality,  and  he  honored  and  respected 
some  of  these  men,  and  enjoyed  their  warmest  friendship,  while  do 
ing  more  than  any  other  man  to  counteract  and  defeat  their  plans. 
The  active  part  taken  politically  by  the  Protestant  missionaries  lost 
them  the  support  they  at  first  received  from  the  company,  which 
was  transferred  to  the  Catholics,  who,  as  subjects  of  Great  Britain, 
could  be  counted  upon  to  further  its  interests.  It  was  this  support 
of  their  religious  adversaries  which  caused  the  bitter  enmity  of  cer 
tain  Protestant  historians  to  the  company.  The  mutual  intolerance 
of  adherents  of  the  two  creeds,  and  the  especially  bitter  spirit  en 
gendered  by  the  contest  for  spiritual  control  of  the  Indians,  suffi 
ciently  explain  why  those  whose  minds  were  thus  wrought  up  to  a 
belief  in  the  commission  of  fiendish  acts  by  their  Catholic  opponents, 
should  extend  their  prejudices  to  the  company  which  aided  in  their 
defeat. 

Dr.  McLoughlin  treats  the  subject  of  his  attitude  and  conduct 
towards  American  settlers  at  great  length,  and  justice  to  him  requires 
that  his  words  be  given  in  full.  He  says:— 

In  1843,  about  800  emigrants  arrived  from  the  States.  I  saw  by  the  looks  of  the 
Indians  that  they  were  excited,  and  I  watched  them.  As  the  first  stragglers  were 
arriving  at  Vancouver  in  canoes,  I  was  standing  on  the  bank.  Nearer  the  water 
there  was  a  group  of  ten  or  twelve  Indians.  One  of  them  bawled  out  to  his  com 
panions,  "It  is  good  for  us  to  kill  these  Bostons !  "  Struck  with  the  excitement  I 
had  seen  in  the  countenances  of  the  Indians  since  they  had  heard  the  report  of  the 
immigration  coming,  I  felt  certain  they  were  inclined  to  mischief,  and  that  he  spoke 
thus  loud  as  a  feeler  to  sound  me,  and  take  their  measures  accordingly.  I  imme 
diately  rushed  on  them  with  my  cane,  calling  out  at  the  same  time,  "Who  is  the 
dog  that  says  it  is  a  good  thing  to  kill  these  Bostons!"  The  fellow,  trembling, 
excused  himself,  "  I  spoke  without  meaning  harm,  but  the  Dalles  Indians  say  so." 
"Well,"  said  I,  "the  Dalles  Indians  are  dogs  for  saying  so,  and  you  also,"  and  left 
him,  as,  if  I  had  remained  longer,  it  would  have  had  a  bad  effect.  I  had  done 
enough  to  convince  them  I  would  not  allow  them  to  do  wrong  to  the  immigrants 
with  impunity.  From  this  Indian  saying,  in  the  way  he  did,  that  the  Dalles 
Indians  said  it  was  good  to  kill  the  Bostons,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  do  all  I  could  to 
avert  so  horrid  a  deed. 

Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards,  whom  I  mentioned,  came  in  1834,  with  Messrs.  Lee,  and 
left  in  1838,  sent  me  a  letter  by  Gen.  McCarver,  stating  he  had  given  a  letter  of  in 
troduction  to  me  to  P.  H.  Burnett,  Esq.  I  immediately  formed  my  plan  and  kept 
my  knowledge  of  the  horrid  design  of  the  Indians  secret,  as  I  felt  certain  that  if 
Americans  knew  it,  these  men  acting  independent  of  each  other,  would  be  at  once 
for  fighting,  which  would  lead  to  their  total  destruction,  and  I  sent  two  (2)  boats 


238  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

with  provisions  to  meet  them ;  sent  provisions  to  Mr.  Burnett,  and  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions  for  sale  to  those  who  would  purchase,  and  to  be  given  to  those  who 
had  not  the  means,  being  confident  that  the  fright  I  had  given  (as  already  stated)  the 
Indians  wh*o  said  it  was  a  good  thing  to  kill  the  Bostons  was  known  at  the  Dalles 
before  our  boats  were  there,  and  that  with  the  presence  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany  people,  and  the  assistance  they  afforded  the  immigrants,  would  deter  the 
Indians  from  doing  them  any  wrong,  and  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  say  I  entirely 
succeeded.  At  first  I  thought  these  Indians  were  excited  by  some  of  the  Iroquois 
Indians  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  service,  and  tried  to  find  if  so,  but  found 
nothing  to  enlighten  me  on  the  subject. 

About  a  month  after  Dr.  Whitman,  from  his  mission  Walla  Walla  to  Vancou 
ver,  as  the  Dalles  was  on  his  way,  and  as  he  had  seen  the  principal  men  there,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  he  might  have  heard  of  it,  and  told  him  what  I  heard  the 
Indian  say,  and  how  I  had  alarmed  him,  what  I  had  done  to  deter  them  and  my 
suspicion  that  all  this  sprung  from  some  of  our  rascally  Iroquois,  and  that  I  was 
anxious  to  find  that  rascal  out  to  punish  him  as  an  example  to  deter  others.  "  Oh," 
says  the  Doctor,  "  I  know  ail  about  it."  "  You  do,  Doctor,"  says  I.  "  Yes,"  said 
the  Doctor,  "and  I  have  known  it  for  two  years."  "You  have  known  it  for  two 
years  and  you  told  me  nothing!  Pray  tell  me  his  name."  The  Doctor,  seeing  I 
was  on  the  wrong  scent,  said,  "His  name  is  Thomas  Hill."  After  thinking  for 
some  time,  I  replied,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  no  man  of  that  name  in  their 
service.  "  Oh,"  says  the  Doctor,  "  Tom  Hill  the  Shawnee."  This  Indian,  it  is  said, 
had  been  educated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the  States,  had  told  the  Indians  that  a 
few  Americans  had  come  to  settle  on  their  land  ;  that  the  Shawnees  allowed  them, 
but  when  the  Americans  were  strong  enough  they  drove  the  Shawnees  off  and  now 
the  Shawnees  have  no  lands,  and  had  urged  the  Indians  to  allow  no  Americans  to 
settle  on  their  lands,  which  advice  the  Indians  about  Walla  Walla  say  the  Cayuses 
are  following  to  this  day,  and  the  Indians  are  inclined  to  follow  by  killing  the  immi 
grants  who  first  came,  and  which  I  believe  they  would  have  done  but  for  the  decided 
and  cautious  manner  that  I  acted.  And  the  reason  the  Indian  made  use  of  the  ex 
pression  he  did,  was  because  I  punished  the  murderers  of  the  Smith  party,  and  be 
fore  acting  they  wanted  to  know  how  I  would  treat  them,  and  most  certainly  if  I 
had  not  been  most  anxious  for  the  safety  of  the  immigrants  and  to  discharge  to 
them  the  duties  of  a  Christian,  my  ear  would  not  have  caught  so  quickly  the  words, 
"  it  is  a  good  thing  to  kill  these  Bostons,"  and  acted  as  I  did.  In  fact,  if  the  immi 
grants  had  all  been  my  brothers  and  sisters,  I  could  not  have  done  more  for  them. 
I  fed  the  hungry,  caused  the  sick  to  be  attended  to  and  nursed,  furnished  them 
every  assistance  so  long  as  they  required  it,  and  which  some  have  not  paid  to  this 
day,  though  abundantly  able,  and  for  which,  if  they  do  not  pay,  I  am  answerable 
to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  may  be  said,  and  has  been  said,  that  I  was  too 
liberal  in  making  these  advances.  It  is  not  so,  but  was  done  judiciously  and 
prudently. 

When  the  immigration  of  1842  came,  we  had  enough  of  breadstuffs  in  the  country 
for  one  year,  but  as  the  immigrants  reported  that  next  season  there  would  be  a 
greater  immigration,  it  was  evident  if  there  was  not  a  proportionate  increase  of  seed 
sown  in  1843  and  1844,  there  would  be  a  famine  in  the  country  in  1845,  which  would 
lead  to  trouble,  as  those  that  had  families,  to  save  them  from  starvation,  would  be 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  violence  to  get  food  for  them.  To  avert  this  I  freely  sup 
plied  the  immigrants  of  1843  and  1844  with  the  necessary  articles  to  open  farms,  and 
by  these  means  avoided  the  evils.  In  short  I  afforded  every  assistance  to  the  immi 
grants  so  long  as  they  required  it,  and  by  management  I  kept  peace  in  the  country, 
and  in  some  cases  had  to  put  up  with  a  great  deal ;  for  instance,  when  the  milling 
company  jumped  part  of  my  claim,  the  island  upon  which  they  built  a  mill,  and 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  239 

which  subsequently  Abernethy  purchased,  and  when  Williamson  jumped  part  of 
Fort  Vancouver,  as  may  be  seen  by  my  correspondence  with  the  provisional  govern 
ment  on  the  subject,  and  which  occurred  in  the  presence  of  several  American 
citizens,  who  I  am  happy  to  say  strongly  expressed  their  disapprobation  of  William 
son's  conduct,  and  which  I  am  induced  to  believe  made  him  desist,  and  it  will  be 

seen,  to  their  credit,  that  Messrs ,  the 

pjxecutive  Committee,  acted  in  a  straightforward,  manly  and  correct  manner,  and 
it  was  by  such  conduct  on  the  part  of  respectable  American  citizens,  that  peace  and 
order  were  maintained  in  the  country.  It  is  true,  several  thought  I  was  too  for 
bearing;  but  when  I  saw  how  much  the  good  on  both  sides  would  suffer  if  I  acted 
differently,  and  that  a  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  might  be 
caused  by  it,  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  act  as  I  did,  and  by  which  I  think  I  may 
have  prevented  a  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.  And  how 
have  I  been  treated  by  both  ? 

By  British  demagogues  I  have  been  represented  as  a  traitor.  For  what?  Because 
I  acted  as  a  Christian ;  saved  American  citizens,  men,  women  and  children  from 
the  Indian  tomahawk,  and  enabled  them  to  make  farms  to  support  their  families. 
American  demagogues  have  been  base  enough  to  assert  that  I  had  caused  American 
citizens  to  be  massacred  by  hundreds  by  the  savages.  I,  who  saved  all  I  could. 
I  have  been  represented  by  the  delegate  from  Oregon,  the  late  S.  R.  Thurston,  as 
doing  all  I  could  to  prevent  the  settling,  while  it  was  well  known  to  every  Ameri 
can  settler  who  is  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Territory,  that  this  is  a  down 
right  falsehood,  and  most,  certainly  will  say,  that  they  most  firmly  believe  that  I 
did  all  I  could  to  promote  its  settlement,  and  that  I  could  not  have  done  more  for 
the  settlers  if  they  had  been  my  brothers  and  sisters,  arid  after  being  the  first  person 
to  take  a  claim  in  the  country  and  assisting  the  immigrants  as  I  have,  my  claim  is 
reserved,  after  having  expended  all  the  means  I  had  to  improve  it,  while  every  other 
settler  in  the  country  gets  his.  But  as  I  felt  convinced  that  any  disturbance 
between  us  here  might  lead  to  a  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  States,  I  felt  it 
my  bounden  duty  as  a  Christian,  to  act  as  I  did,  and  which  I  think  averted  the 
evil,  and  which  was  so  displeasing  to  some  English  demagogues  that  they  repre 
sented  me  to  the  British  Government  as  a  person  so  partial  to  American  interests  as 
selling  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  goods  in  my  charge  cheaper  to  American  than 
I  did  to  British  subjects.  On  the  other  hand,  though,  if  the  American  immigrants 
had  been  my  brothers  and  sisters,  I  could  not  have  done  more  for  them ;  yet,  after 
acting  as  I  have,  spending  my  means  and  doing  my  utmost  to  settle  the  country, 
my  claim  is  reserved,  while  every  other  settler  in  the  country  gets  his;  and  how 
much  this  has  injured  me,  is  daily  injuring  me,  it  is  needless  to  say,  and  certainly 
it  is  a  treatment  I  do  not  deserve  and  which  I  did  not  expect.  To  be  brief,  I  founded 
this  settlement  and  prevented  a  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
and  for  doing  this  peaceably  and  quietly,  I  was  treated  by  the  British  in  such  a 
manner  that  from  self  respect  I  resigned  my  situation  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany's  service,  by  which  I  sacrificed  $12,000  per  annum,  and  the  "  Oregon  Land 
Bill "  shows  the  treatment  I  received  from  the  Americans. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  state  that  all  liberal -minded  pioneers  regard 
the  good  Doctor  as  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  noble  characters 
with  whom  they  ever  came  in  contact. 

The  population  of  Oregon  may  be  classified,  in  1840,  into  four 
distinct  divisions — the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  the  Catholic  mis 
sionaries  and  their  French  proteges;  the  Protestant  missionaries; 


240  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  the  independent  settlers.  The  first  two  generally  acted  together, 
though  there  were  a  few  members  of  the  Catholic  church  who  favored 
American  rule.  Though  not  always  in  full  accord,  and  occasionally 
opposing  each  other,  the  settlers  and  missionaries,  as  a  rule,  acted 
together,  the  missions  serving  as  a  rallying  point  for  the  settlers. 
These  latter  cared  nothing  for  the  religious  creed  the  missionaries 
represented,  their  sole  object  in  securing  homes  in  the  Willamette 
Valley  being  to  better  their  wordly  condition,  yet  they  favored  the 
mission  to  the  extent  that  it  served  their  purpose  of  settling  in  the 
country.  The  missions  of  the  American  Board  located  east  of  the 
mountains,  cut  no  figure  at  first  in  the  organization  of  a  government, 
that  movement  being  confined  to  the  settlers  in  the  Willamette  Val 
ley.  The  motives  which  actuated  them  are  thus  set  forth  by  J. 
Quinn  Thornton:— 

Distant  from  the  land  of  their  birth,  surrounded  by  restless  tribes  of  Indians, 
who  clamorously  and  insolently  demanded  of  the  immigrants  pay  for  lands  which 
the  immigrants  had  neither  the  means  nor  the  right  to  purchase ;  still  ardently  de 
siring  to  have  their  names  and  their  destiny  connected  with  that  of  the  republic, 
and  yet,  often  pierced  to  the  heart  by  the  thought,  which  would  sometimes,  unbid 
den,  obtrude  itself  upon  the  mind,  that  they  were  the  victims  of  their  country's 
neglect  and  injustice,  and  suffering  all  the  inconveniences  and  embarrassments 
w  hich  are  necessarily  felt  by  a  resident  and  civilized  community,  without  a  system  of 
laws  for  the  conservation  of  peace  and  order,  they  were  at  length  compelled  to  or 
ganize  a  provisional  government. 

Their  first  step  was  taken  March  16,  1838,  when  J.  L.  Whit- 
comb  and  thirty-five  other  settlers  prepared  a  memorial,  which  was 
presented  to  Congress  January  28,  1839,  by  Senator  Linn.  This 
document  set  forth  the  resources  and  condition  of  the  country,  and 
contained  the  following  paragraph:— 

We  are  anxious  when  we  imagine  what  will  be,  what  must  be,  the  condition  of 
so  mixed  a  community,  free  from  all  legal  restraint  and  superior  to  that  moral  influ 
ence  which  has  hitherto  been  the  pledge  of  our  safety.  We  flatter  ourselves  that 
we  are  the  germ  of  a  great  State  and  are  anxious  to  give  an  early  tone  to  the  moral 
and  intellectual  character  of  our  citizens— the  destinies  of  our  posterity  will  be 
intimately  affected  by  the  character  of  those  who  immigrate.  The  territory  must 
populate — the  Congress  of  the  United  States  must  say  by  whom.  The  natural 
resources  of  the  country,  with  a  well-judged  civil  code,  will  invitea  good  community 
but  a  good  community  will  hardly  emigrate  to  a  country  which  promises  no  pro 
tection  to  life  or  property.  *  *  *  We  can  boast  of  no  civil  code.  We 
can  promise  no  protection  but  the  ulterior  resort  of  self-defense.  *  *  We 

have  thus  briefly  shown  that  the  security  of  our  persons  and  our  property,  the 
hopes  and  destinies  of  our  children,  are  involved  in  the  subject  of  our  petition.  We 
do  not  presume  to  suggest  the  manner  in  which  the  country  should  be  occupied  by 
the  Government,  nor  the  extent  to  which  our  settlement  should  be  encouraged. 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  241 

We  confide  in  the  wisdom  of  our  national  legislators,  and  leave  the  subject  to  their 
candid  deliberations. 

This  petition  was  read,  laid  on  the  table,  and  neglected.  In 
June,  1840,  Senator  Linn  again  presented  a  memorial,  signed  by 
seventy  citizens  of  Oregon  :— 

Your  petitioners  represent  that  they  are  residents  in  Oregon  Territory,  and  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States,  or  persons  desirous  of  becoming  such.  They  further  rep 
resent  that  they  have  settled  themselves  in  said  Territory,  under  the  belief  that  it 
was  a  portion  of  the  public  domain  of  the  United  States,  and  that  they  might  rely 
upon  the  government  thereof  for  the  blessings  of  free  institutions  and  the  protec 
tion  of  its  arms.  But  your  petitioners  further  represent,  that  they  are  uninformed 
of  any  acts  of  said  Government  by  which  its  institutions  and  protection  are  ex 
tended  to  them;  in  consequence  whereof,  themselves  and  families  are  exposed  to  be 
destroyed  by  the  savages  and  others  that  ivould  do  them  harm.  And  your  petition 
ers  would  further  represent  that  they  have  no  means  of  protecting  their  own  and 
the  lives  of  their  families,  other  than  self-constituted  tribunals,  organized  and  sus 
tained  by  the  power  of  an  ill-instructed  public  opinion,  and  the  resort  to  force  and 
arms.  And  your  petitioners  represent  these  means  of  safety  to  be  an  insufficient 
safeguard  of  life  and  property.  Your  petitioners  wherefore 

pray  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  of  America,  to  establish,  as  soon  as  may  be, 
a  territorial  government  in  Oregon  Territory. 

The  phrase  which  is  italicized  in  the  above  memorial  undoubt 
edly  refers  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  which,  so  some  of  the 
settlers  then  believed  and  a  few  still  affect  to  believe,  designed  their 
destruction.  The  absurdity  of  this  has  already  been  pointed  out  by 
calling  attention  to  the  character  of  the  company's  officers  in  Ore 
gon,  and  to  the  very  patent  fact  that  had  such  been  their  intention 
it  would  have  been  carried  out,  since  nothing  could  have  been  easier 
of  accomplishment.  That  the  company  succeeded  in  ''freezing  out" 
opposition  traders,  by  exerting  its  authority  to  prevent  the  Indians 
form  trading  with  its  rivals,  and  by  refusing  to  sell  such  men  sup 
plies  when  in  business  distress,  is  an  undisputed  fact;  and  that 
it  sought  to  "  starve  out "  all  American  settlers,  or,  at  least,  keep 
them  in  practical  subjection,  is  equally  undisputable,  and  would 
probably  have  been  as  fully  successful  had  another  than  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin  been  in  charge  at  Vancouver;  but  that  it  sought  to  achieve 
these  ends  by  murder  and  inciting  the  Indians  to  slaughter  them, 
lacks  proof  of  any  kind.  Its  domination  over  the  Indians  was  so 
complete  that  a  simple  hint  that  the  company  desired  the  Americans 
killed  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  accomplished  that  end. 
The  simple  fact  that  these  petitioners  lived  for  many  years  exposed 


242  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

to  attack  and  never  once  received  it,  is  evidence  enough  to  show 
that  the  fears  expressed  in  the  memorial  were  ungrounded. 

Having  thus  provided  for  making  known  the  situation  of  affairs 
to  Congress,  and  being  well  aware  that  one,  and  possibly  two,  years 
must  roll  around  before  they  could  even  know  that  their  petition 
had  been  presented,  they  addressed  themselves  to  the  task  of  pro 
viding  such  government  as  was  absolutely  required  for  the  security 
of  their  families  and  the  proper  conservation  of  the  peace.  The 
principal  settlement  was  at  Champoeg,  and  there  a  meeting  was 
held  on  the  seventh  of  February,  1841,  the  record  of  which  shows 
that  it  was  "  a  meeting  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  *  *  *  for 
the  purpose  of  consulting  upon  steps  necessary  to  be  taken  for  the 
formation  of  laws,  and  the  election  of  officers  to  execute  them."  Rev. 
Jason  Lee  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  requested  to  express  his 
opinion  of  what  was  necessary  to  be  done.  In  a  brief  speech,  which 
indicates  that  he  had  given  considerable  thought  to  the  subject,  he 
advised  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  draft  a  constitution  and 
by-laws  for  the  government  of  that  portion  of  the  territory  lying 
south  of  the  Columbia.  The  people  were  also  recommended  to  con 
sidered  the  question  of  a  governor  and  other  officers.  Here  the 
matter  rested  temporarily;  but  an  event  happened  a  few  days  later 
which  revived  it  with  greater  vigor.  This  was  the  death  of  that 
able  and  energetic  leader,  Ewing  Young,  on  the  fifteenth  of  Feb 
ruary.  His  funeral,  which  was  held  two  days  later,  was  attended 
by  nearly  every  settler  in  the  valley.  Mr.  Young  possessed  con 
siderable  property,  and  left  no  visible  heirs  to  claim  it  and  no  one 
to  administer  upon  the  estate.  Had  he  been  a  servant,  or  even  an 
employee  of  the  company,  the  officers  would  have  taken  charge  of 
the  effects;  or  had  he  been  associated  with  one  of  the  missions,  there 
would  have  been  no  doubt  about  the  disposition  of  his  property;  but 
he  was  simply  an  independent  settler,  and  no  one  had  any  color  of 
authority  to  act  in  the  premises.  After  the  funeral  ceremonies  were 
concluded,  the  people  organized  a  u  meeting  of  some  of  the  inhabit 
ants  of  the  Wallamet  Valley,  for  consultation  concerning  the  steps 
necessary  to  be  taken  for  the  formation  of  laws,  and  the  election  of 
officers  to  execute  the  same,  and  for  the  better  preservation  of  peace 
and  good  order."  Rev.  Jason  Lee  was  chosen  Chairman,  and  Rev. 
Gustavus  Hines  Secretary.  It  was  determined  to  institute  a  civil  gov- 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  243 

ernment  south  of  the  Columbia,  to  the  protection  of  which  any  per 
son  living  north  of  that  stream  and  not  connected  with  the  company, 
might  be  admitted  upon  application.  The  form  of  government 
decided  upon  was  a  legislative  committee,  a  governor,  a  supreme 
judge  with  probate  powers,  three  justices  of  the  peace,  three  con 
stables,  three  road  commissioners,  an  attorney -general,  a  clerk  of  the 
courts  and  public  recorder,  a  treasurer,  and  two  overseers  of  the 
poor.  Names  of  gentlemen  to  occupy  the  various  offices  were  sug 
gested,  and  then  the  meeting  adjourned  to  assemble  the  next  day  at 
the  Methodist  Mission,  and  elect  officers.  Nearly  all  the  male  pop 
ulation  south  of  the  Columbia  assembled  at  the  time  and  place 
specified.  There  were  three  distinct  factions — the  Methodist  mis 
sionaries  and  their  associates,  the  independent  settlers,  and  the 
Catholics  as  allies  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  first  busi 
ness  was  the  choice  of  a  committee  to  draft  a  constitution  and  code 
of  laws,  the  following  gentlemen  being  selected:  Rev.  F.  N.  Blan- 
chet,  representing  the  Catholics;  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  Rev.  Gustavus 
Hines  and  Rev.  Josiah  L.  Parrish,  representing  the  Methodist  Mis 
sion;  D.  Donpierre  and  M.  Charlevo,  representing  the  French  Can 
adian  settlers;  Robert  Moore  and  Etinne  Lucier,  representing  the 
American  settlers;  William  Johnson,  representing  the  purely  English 
element.  The  main  point  at  issue  between  the  factions  seemed  to 
be  the  position  of  governor;  Revs.  Leslie  and  Hines  and  Dr.  J.  L. 
Babcock  were  the  mission  candidates,  and  seemed  liable  to  divide 
the  vote  sufficiently  to  ensure  the  election  of  Dr.  Bailey,  a  man  of 
strong  English  prejudices,  who  was  opposed  to  religion  generally. 
He  could  secure  the  French  Catholics  and  a  majority  of  the  settlers' 
votes,  but  the  latter  element  he  alienated  by  his  extreme  immodesty 
in  nominating  himself.  It  was  finally  decided  to  dispense  with  a 
governor,  the  duties  of  that  office  being  discharged  by  the  supreme 
judge,  to  which  position  Dr.  J.  L.  Babcock  was  elected.  He  was 
instructed  to  render  decisions  in  cases  which  might  come  before  him, 
in  accordance  with  the  New  York  code ;  but  as  there  was  not  a  New 
York  statute  book  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  determine  whether  he  complied  or  not.  The  committee 
being  divided  between  the  different  interests,  and  the  bench  having 
fallen  to  the  Methodists,  the  Catholics  were  given  the  recorder  in 
the  person  of  George  W.  LeBreton,  who  had  come  out  in  the  brig 


244  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Maryland,  and  was  a  young  man  of  good  education.  Later,  lie 
affiliated  entirely  with  the  settlers,  and  is  spoken  of  by  the  priests 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  will  be  subsequently  noted,  as  being 
an  apostate.  The  English  element  was  represented  by  William 
Johnson,  as  high  sheriff.  Joseph  Grervais,  Hadier  Laderaut  (Zania 
Ladaroot),  Pierre  Billique  and  William  McCarty  were  chosen  con 
stables.  The  other  offices  designated  were  not  filled;  to  have  done 
so  would  have  required  nearly  every  prominent  man  in  the  settle 
ments.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  assemble  on  the  first  Tues 
day  in  June,  at  the  new  building  near  the  Catholic  church.  Dr. 
Babcock  administered  upon  the  estate  of  Mr.  Young,  and  as  no 
heirs  appeared  to  claim  it,  the  property  was  devoted  to  the  build 
ing,  two  years  later,  of  a  jail  at  Oregon  City,  the  first  of  its  kind 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  A  score  of  years  later  the  Oregon 
Legislature  refunded  the  value  of  the  estate  to  Joaquin  Young,  of 
New  Mexico,  who  proved  himself  to  be  a  son  of  the  deceased 
pioneer. 

Upon  the  day  appointed  in  June  the  people  again  assembled, 
and  learned  that  the  committee  had  not  framed  a  constitution,  nor 
had  they  even  met  for  that  purpose.  Rev.  F.  N.  Blanchet  resigned, 
and  after  choosing  Dr.  Bailey  to  fill  the  vacancy,  the  meeting  in 
structed  the  committee  to  "  confer  with  the  Commodore  of  the 
American  squadron  and  John  McLoughlin,  Chief  Factor  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with  regard  to  forming  a  constitution  and 
code  of  laws  for  this  community."  The  meeting  then  adjourned 
till  the  following  October.  The  naval  officer  alluded  to  was  Com 
modore  Charles  Wilkes,  who  had  been  despatched  by  the  United 
States  Government,  in  1838,  with  a  fleet  of  vessels,  on  an  extended 
voyage  of  exploration,  continuing  five  years.  Wilkes  was  then  in 
Oregon  with  the  double  purpose  of  obtaining  geographical  and  sci 
entific  information  and  learning  the  exact  situation  of  affairs.  Per 
sonally,  he  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  Dr.  McLoughlin  during  his 
brief  stay,  several  expeditions  being  sent  out  from  Vancouver,  one 
going  to  Puget  Sound,  one  to  the  missions  east  of  the  mountains, 
and  a  third,  under  Lieutenant  Emmons,  passing  up  the  Willamette 
Valley  and  going  overland  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  whither 
the  squadron  proceeded  by  sea.  Having  visited  the  various  mis 
sions,  talked  with  the  settlers,  and  consulted  with  the  worthy  Chief 


? 

OF 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A    PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  '245 

Factor,  he  learned  that  only  a  minority  were  in  favor  of  a  govern 
ment,  chiefly  those  associated  with  the  Methodist  Mission.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  prevailing  opinion  that  the  settlement  was  not 
strong  enough  to  sustain  a  government  and  not  large  enough  to 
absolutely  require  it.  Accordingly,  Wilkes  advised  the  com 
mittee  which  waited  upon  him,  to  wait  until  they  were  stronger 
before  attempting  a  government,  until  the  "Government  of  the 
United  States  should  throw  its  mantle  over  them."  This  advice  was 
accepted,  and  the  adjourned  meeting  never  convened.  This  ended 
the  first  effort  to  organize  a  local  government. 

The  first  regular  emigration  from  the  East  arrived  in  1841,  be 
ginning  that  steady  stream  of  young  and  vigorous  life  which  has 
annually  flowed  into  Oregon  for  over  forty  years;  and  the  end  will 
not  be  seen  for  many  years  to  come.  There  were  deep  and  moving 
causes  for  this  living  stream  to  force  its  way  through  the  rocky  bar 
riers  and  alkali  deserts  and  cut  a  deep  channel  to  Oregon.  Trap 
pers  who  had  visited  the  Pacific  Coast  sang  the  praises  of  the  lovely 
and  fertile  valleys  of  the  Willamette  and  Sacramento,  where  winter 
was  unknown  and  the  grass  remained  green  the  year  round.  The 
western  frontiersmen  caught  up  the  refrain  as  it  passed  from  cabin 
to  cabin  ;  and  in  a  few  years  the  tale  was  an  old  one  with  the  hardy 
pioneers  of  the  "West.  The  publication  of  Dr.  Parker's  book,  Irv- 
ing's  "Astoria'1  and  u  Bonneville,"  John  Dunn's  work  on  Oregon, 
a  letter  written  by  Robert  Shortess,  who  had  come  out  in  1839, 
combined  with  a  general  financial  depression  in  the  Western  States, 
caused  much  attention  to  be  directed  towards  Oregon,  California 
then  being  a  province  of  Mexico  and,  consequently,  less  attractive 
to  American  citizens.  The  two  steadfast  friends  of  Oregon  in  Congress 
were  the  senators  from  Missouri,  Thomas  H.  Benton  and  Lewis  F. 
Linn,  whose  names  are  borne  by  two  of  the  oldest  and  best  counties 
in  the  Willamette  Valley.  They  never  ceased  to  urge  upon  the 
Government  the  necessitv  of  taking  some  decisive  step  to  perfect 
its  title  to  the  region  of  the  Columbia,  and  to  extend  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  the  law  over  this  disputed  country  for  the  protection  of 
American  citizens  who  were  making,  and  might  in  the  future  make, 
their  homes  in  the  far-off  Occident.  It  was  Senator  Linn  who  pre 
sented  the  two  memorials  before  alluded  to,  and  who,  at  the  same 
time,  introduced  bills  for  the  extension  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the 


246  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

United  States  laws  over  Oregon,  urging  them  warmly  upon  the 
consideration  of  Congress.  Early  in  1842  he  introduced  a  bill 
granting  donations  of  the  public  lands  to  all  who  might  settle  in 
Oregon,  his  idea  being  that  a  liberal  emigration  alone  could  be  re 
lied  upon  to  win  the  Columbia  for  the  United  States,  and  that 
special  inducements  should  be  offered  to  those  brave  and  hardy 
people  who  must  be  relied  upon  to  thus  constitute  the  line  of  battle 
on  the  frontier.  With  all  earnestness  he  supported  this  measure  in 
the  Senate,  ably  seconded  by  his  eminent  colleague,  but  his  sudden 
death  on  the  3d  of  October,  1843,  suspended,  for  the  time,  the  vi 
tality  of  these  measures;  yet,  in  the  donation  laws  passed  by  Con 
gress  a  few  years  later,  the  pioneers  of  Oregon  reaped  the  benefit 
of  his  unselfish  exertions,  and  received  the  fulfillment  of  that  im 
plied  promise  which  had  induced  many  of  them  to  undertake  the 
toilsome  and  dangerous  journey.  In  his  eulogy  upon  his  distin 
guished  colleague,  delivered  in  the  Senate,  Mr.  J3enton  said:  "In 
the  character  of  such  a  man,  so  exuberant  in  all  that  is  grand  and 
beautiful  in  human  nature,  it  is  difficult  to  particularize  excellen 
cies,  or  pick  out  any  one  quality  or  circumstance  which  could  claim 
pre-eminence  over  all  others.  If  I  should  attempt  it,  I  should  point 
among  his  measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  Union,  to  the  Or 
egon  bills." 

The  emigration  of  1841  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  eleven 
persons,  who,  owing  to  the  supposed  impossibility  of  crossing  the 
country  with  wagons,  made  no  attempt  to  bring  vehicles  with  them. 
That  such  was  not  an  impossibility  had  been  demonstrated  in  two 
instances — when  Dr.  Whitman  took  his  cart  to  Fort  Boise  in  1836, 
and  again  in  1840  by  Dr.  Robert  Newell,  an  old  mountaineer,  who 
took  a  prominent  and  honorable  part  in  the  early  affairs  of  Oregon. 
He  was  one  of  the  arrivals  of  1840  previously  noted.  Newell  had 
served  as  guide  to  the  Methodist  missionaries  from  Green  River  to 
Fort  Hall,  where,  as  compensation  for  his  services,  he  received  the 
two  wagons  belonging  to  the  missionaries,  which  they  had  decided 
to  abandon  at  that  point.  The  wagon  party  consisted  of  Dr.  Rob 
ert  Newell  and  family,  Joseph  L.  Meek,  Caleb  Wilkins  and  Francis 
Ermatinger,  a  Factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  inci 
dent  is  thus  related  by  Dr.  Newell:— 

At  the  time  I  took  the  wagons,  I  had  no  idea  of  undertaking  to  bring  them  into 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  247 

this  country.  I  exchanged  fat  horses  to  these  missionaries  for  their  animals,  and 
after  they  had  been  gone  a  month  or  more  for  Wallamet,  and  the  American  Fur 
Company  had  abandoned  the  country  for  good,  I  concluded  to  hitch  up  and  try  the 
much-dreaded  job  of  bringing  a  wagon  to  Oregon.  I  sold  one  of  these  wagons  to 
Mr.  Ermatinger,  at  Fort  Hall.  Mr.  Caleb  Wilkins  had  a  small  wagon  which  Joel 
Walker  had  left  at  Fort  Hall.  On  the  fifth  of  August,  1840,  we  put  out  with  three 
wagons.  Joseph  L.  Meek  drove  my  wagon.  In  a  few  days  we  began  to  realize  the 
difficult  task  before  us,  and  found  that  the  continual  crashing  of  the  sage  under  our 
wagons,  which  was  in  many  places  higher  than  the  mule's  backs,  was  no  joke. 
Seeing  our  animals  begin  to  fail,  we  began  to  light  up,  finally  threw  away  our 
wagon-beds  and  were  quite  sorry  we  had  undertaken  the  job.  All  the  consolation 
we  had  was  that  we  broke  the  first  sage  on  that  road,  and  were  too  proud  to  eat 
anything  but  dried  salmon  skins  after  our  provisions  had  become  exhausted.  In  a 
rather  rough  and  reduced  state  we  arrived  at  Dr.  Whitman's  mission  station  in  the 
Walla  Walla  Valley,  where  we  were  met  by  that  hospitable  man  and  kindly  made 
welcome  and  feasted  accordingly.  On  hearing  me  regret  that  I  had  undertaken  to 
bring  wagons,  the  Doctor  said,  "Oh,  you  will  never  regret  it.  You  have  broken  the 
ice,  and  when  others  see  that  wagons  have  passed,  they  too  will  pass,  and  in  a  few 
years  the  valley  will  be  full  of  our  people."  The  Doctor  shook  me  heartily  by  the 
hand  ;  Mrs.  Whitman,  too,  welcomed  us,  and  the  Indians  walked  around  our 
wagons,  or  what  they  called  "horse  canoes,"  and  seemed  to  give  it  up.  We  spent  a 
day  or  so  with  the  Doctor,  and  then  went  to  Fort  Walla  Walla,  where  we  were 
kindly  received  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Pambrun,  Chief  Trader  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany,  Superintendent  of  that  post.  On  the  first  of  October,  we  took  leave  of  those 
kind  people,  leaving  our  wagons  and  taking  the  river  trail — but  we  proceeded 
slowly.  Our  party  consisted  of  Joseph  L.  Meek  and  myself,  also  our  families,  and 
a  Snake  Indian  whom  I  brought  to  Oregon,  where  he  died  a  year  after  our  arrival. 
The  party  did  not  arrive  at  the  Wallamet  Falls  till  December,  subsisting  for  weeks 
upon  dried  salmon,  and  upon  several  occasions  compelled  to  swim  their  stock  across 
the  Columbia  and  Wallamet. 

The  emigrants  from  the  Red  River  colonies  which  were  brought 
to  Oregon  in  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
set  forth  above,  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1841.  Sir  George  Simpson, 
governor  of  the  company,  visited  Vancouver  the  same  year,  crossing 
overland  from  Montreal.  Just  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  he 
passed  this  train  of  emigrants,  which  he  records  as  consisting  of 
"  twenty- three  families,  the  heads  being  generally  young  and  active.'' 
They  reached  Oregon  in  September  and  were  located  north  of  the 
Columbia,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cowlitz  farm  of  the  Puget  Sound 
Agricultural  Company.  A  number  of  them  relocated  the  next  year 
in  the  Willamette  Valley. 

The  emigration  of  184'J  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  nine 
people,  fifty-five  of  them  over  eighteen  years  of  age.  They  started 
from  Independence  on  the  sixteenth  of  May,  with  sixteen  wagons 
and  a  number  of  cattle.  In  the  train  was  Dr.  Elijah  White,  who 
had  spent  three  years  in  Oregon  in  connection  with  the  Methodist 


248  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mission.  He  had  now  secured  an  appointment  as  Indian  Agent  for 
the  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  on  his  way  back 
to  the  scene  of  his  missionary  labors.  Alexander  and  John  McKay, 
sons  of  Tom.  McKay,  were  also  with  the  party,  being  homeward 
bound  from  a  few  years  of  attendance  at  school  in  New  York  State. 
These  three  had  lived  in  Oregon,  but  were  not  acquainted  with  the 
route  thither.  Judge  Columbia  Lancaster  and  his  family  accompa 
nied  them  as  far  as  the  Kansas  River,  but  he  was  compelled  by  the 
sickness  of  his  wife  to  abandon  the  journey  and  return.  A  few 
years  later  he  was  more  successful  and  his  name  is  now  indelibly 
stamped  upon  the  pages  of  Oregon  history.  Stephen  H.  Meek,  an 
experienced  mountaineer  and  brother  of  Col.  Jo.  Meek,  served  as 
guide  and  general  advisor,  having  trapped  for  years  through  the 
mountains  and  been  in  Oregon  several  times,  first  with  Bonneville 
and  afterwards  as  an  employee  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  F.  X. 
Matthieu,  well  known  in  the  State,  joined  the  train  at  Fort  Lara- 
mie,  with  three  Frenchmen  whose  names  are  unknown.  Thomas 
Fitzpatrick,  a  former  partner  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com 
pany,  and  one  of  the  most  experienced  of  mountain  men,  was  en 
countered  at  Fort  Laramie  and  engaged  for  $500  to  pilot  the  train 
to  Fort  Hall.  At  Independence  Rock  a  young  man  named  Bailey 
was  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  rifle;  and  L.  W.  Hast 
ings  and  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  two  names  prominent  in  Oregon  history, 
were  captured  by  Sioux  Indians  while  engaged  in  carving  their 
names  on  the  face  of  the  rock.  They  were  ransomed  by  making 
their  captors  a  present  of  a  few  trinkets  and  pieces  of  tobacco;  and 
this  was  what  gave  rise  to  the  story  in  after  years  that  Hastings  had 
been  bought  for  a  plug  of  tobacco.  At  Green  River  one -half  of 
the  wagons  were  dismantled  and  used  to  make  pack  saddles,  since 
it  was  deemed  too  slow  and  difficult  a  task  to  take  the  whole  train 
further.  This  event  and  the  subsequent  incidents  of  the  journey 
are  thus  related  by  Hon.  Medorum  Crawford,  one  of  the  party:— 

Horses,  mules  and  oxen  were  packed  with  such  clothing,  utensils  and  provisions 
as  were  indispensable  for  our  daily  wants,  and  with  heavy  hearts  many  articles  of 
comfort  and  convenience,  which  had  been  carefully  carried  and  cared  for  on  the 
long  journey,  were  left  behind.  About  the  middle  of  August  we  arrived  at  Fort 
Hall,  then  an  important  trading  post  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
From  Captain  Grant,  his  officers  and  employees,  we  received  such  favors  and  assist 
ance  as  can  only  be  appreciated  by  worn-out  and  destitute  emigrants.  Here  the 
remaining  wagons  were  left,  and  our  company,  no  longer  attempting  to  keep  up  an 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  249 

organization,  divided  into  small  parties,  each  traveling  as  fast  as  their  circumstances 
would  permit,  following  the  well-beaten  trail  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  now  Wallula.  The  small  party  to  which  I  was  attached  was 
one  month  traveling  from  Fort  Hall  to  Dr.  Whitman's,  where  we  were  most  hos 
pitably  received  and  supplied  with  flour  and  vegetables  in  abundance,  a  very 
acceptable  change  after  subsisting  almost  entirely  on  buffalo  meat  from  Laramie  to 
Fort  Hall,  and  on  salmon  from  Fort  Hall  to  Whitman's.  In  fact  there  had  not 
been  in  my  mess  a  mouthful  of  bread  since  leaving  Laramie.  From 

Walla  Walla  Dr.  White  and  some  others  took  passage  down  the  Columbia  River  in 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  boats.  Others  pursued  the  journey  by  land  to  The 
Dalles,  and  there  embarked  in  boats  or  canoes,  and  still  others,  and  the  larger  por 
tion  of  the  emigrants,  crossed  the  Cascade  Mountains  on  the  old  Indian  trail.  From 
Fort  Hall  to  the  Willamette  no  precaution  was  taken  against,  or  the  slightest 
apprehension  felt  of  Indian  hostility,  nor  were  we  in  any  instance  molested  by 
them  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  furnished  us  with  salmon  and  game,  and  rendered  us 
valuable  assistance  for  very  trifling  rewards.  From  Walla  Walla  to  the  Willamette 
Falls  occupied  about  twenty  days,  and  all  things  considered,  was  the  hardest  part 
of  the  entire  journey — what  with  the  drifting  sands,  rocky  cliffs,  and  rapid  streams 
along  the  Columbia  River,  and  the  gorges,  torrents,  and  thickets  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  it  seems  incredible  how,  with  our  worn-out  and  emaciated  animals,  we 
ever  reached  our  destination. 

The  members  of  that  little  train  of  1842,  such  as  were  then  over 
eighteen  years  of  age,  are  thus  enumerated  by  Mr.  Crawford:— 

The  following  named  men  over  eighteen  years  of  age  composed  the  emigration 
of  1842:  C.  T.  Arendell,  James  Brown,  William  Brown,  Gabriel  Brown,  Barnum, 
Hugh  Burns,  Geo.  W.  Bellamy,  Bennett,  Bennett,  Jr.,  Bailey  (killed),  Nathaniel 
Crocker,  Nathan  Coombs,  Patrick  Clark,  Alexander  Copeland.  A.  N.  Coates, 
Medorum  Crawford,  Allen  Davy,  John  Dearnn,  John  Dobbinbess,  Samuel  Davis, 
Foster,  John  Force,  James  Force,  Girtman,  Gibbs,  L.  W.  Hastings,  J.  M.  Hudspeath, 
John  Hofstetter,  Hardin  Jones,  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  Reuben  Lewis,  F.  X.  Matthieu,  S. 
W.  Moss,  J.  L.  Morrison,  Stephen  Meek,  Alex.  McKay,  John  McKay,  Walter 
Pomeroy,  Dwight  Pomeroy,  J.  W.  Perry,  Dutch  Paul,  J.  R.  Robb,  Owen  Summer, 
T.  J.  Shadden,  Andrew  Smith,  A.  D.  Smith,  Darling  Smith,  Adam  Storn,  Aaron 
Towner,  Joel  Turnham,  Elijah  White,  David  Weston,  Three  Frenchmen. 

The  condition  of  the  valley  and  the  settlers,  when  these  emigrants 
arrived,  is  thus  delineated  by  Mr.  Crawford:— 

On  the  fifth  day  of  October  our  little  party,  tired,  ragged  and  hungry,  arrived  at 
the  Falls,  now  Oregon  City,  where  we  found  the  first  habitations  west  of  the  Cas 
cade  Mountains.  Here  several  members  of  the  Methodist  Mission  were  located, 
and  a  saw  mill  was  being  erected  on  the  island.  Our  gratification  on  arriving 
safely  after  so  long  and  perilous  a  journey,  was  shared  by  these  hospitable  people, 
each  of  whom  seemed  anxious  to  give  us  hearty  welcome  and  render  us  every  assist 
ance  in  their  power.  From  the  Falls  to  Vancouver  was  a  trackless  wilderness, 
communication  being  only  by  the  river  in  small  boats  and  canoes.  Toward  Salem 
no  sign  of  civilization  existed  until  we  reached  the  French  Prairie,  where  a  few 
farms  near  the  river  were  cultivated  by  former  employees  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  West  of  the  Falls  some  fifteen  miles  was  Tualitan  Plains,  where  a  few 
settlers,  mostly  from  Red  River,  had  located.  Within  the  present  limits  of  Yamhill 
County,  the  only  settlers  I  can  remember  were  Sidney  Smith,  Amos  Cook,  Francis 
Fletcher,  James  O'Neil,  Joseph  McLaughlin, Williams,  Louis  LaBoute  and 


250  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

George  Gay.  There  may  have  been  one  or  two  more,  but  I  think  not.  South  of 
George  Gay's  on  the  west  end  of  Salem,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Willamette  River, 
there  were  no  settlements  in  the  territory. 

There  were  in  the  valley  some  twelve  or  fifteen  Methodist  Missionaries,  most  of 
them  having  families,  under  the  general  superintendence  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee.  Some 
of  them  were  living  at  the  Falls,  some  at  Salem,  and  some  at  the  Mission  farm,  ten 
miles  below  Salem,  opposite  the  place  now  known  as  Wheatland.  At  these  places, 
especially  at  the  Falls  and  Salem,  many  improvements  were  being  made,  and  em 
ployment  was  given  at  fair  wages  to  all  who  desired  work.  Payment  was  made  in 
lumber  and  flour  from  their  mills  at  Salem,  cattle  and  horses  from  their  herds,  and 
orders  on  the  mission  stores  at  the  Falls,  kept  by  Hon.  George  Abernethy.  There 
was  no  money  in  the  country,  and  in  fact  I  do  not  remember  seeing  a  piece  of 
money  of  any  description  for  more  than  a  year  after  my  arrival.  A  man's  financial 
condition  was  based  upon  his  cattle,  horses,  and  credit  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany's  or  Abernethy's  books.  With  these  he  could  procure  everything  that  was 
purchaseable  in  the  country.  All  kinds  of  tools  and  implements  were  scarce  and 
generally  of  the  most  primitive  character.  There  were  no  wagons  in  the  country. 
Carts  of  the  rudest  manufacture  were  in  general  use,  which  among  the  French 
were  frequently  ironed  with  raw-hide.  Ground  was  plowed  with  wooden  mould- 
boards,  grain  was  threshed  in  rail  pens  by  the  tramping  of  horses  and  cleaned  by 
winnowing  in  the  wind,  and  transported  in  canoes  and  bateaux  to  Fort  Vancouver 
to  market.  Most  of  our  clothing  came  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was  all 
of  one  size,  and  said  to  have  been  made  to  fit  Dr.  McLoughlin,  who  was  a  very  large 
man.  Boots  and  shoes  were  more  difficult  to  be  obtained  than  any  other  article  of 
clothing  ;  as  for  myself  I  had  no  covering  for  my  feet  for  two  years,  either  summer 
or  winter,  but  buckskin  moccasins,  still  I  never  enjoyed  better  health  in  my  life. 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

A  number  of  our  company,  probably  one-third,  dissatisfied  with  the  winter  and 
not  willing  to  wait  and  see  what  the  summer  would  bring  forth— acting  on  their 
migratory  instincts— determined  early  in  the  spring  of  1843  to  go  to  California. 
It  was  said  of  some  of  those  that  they  never  remained  in  one  place  longer  than  to 
obtain  the  means  to  travel ;  and  of  one  family  in  particular,  that  they  had  prac 
tically  lived  in  the  wagon  for  more  than  twenty  years,  only  remaining  in  one 
locality  long  enough  to  make  a  crop,  which  they  had  done  in  every  State  and  Ter 
ritory  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Accordingly,  under  the  lead  of  L.  W.  Hastings, 
they  set  out  as  soon  as  the  weather  would  permit,  and,  after  encountering  some 
difficulty  with  the  Indians,  they  reached  Sacramento  Valley.  Among  this  party 
was  Hon.  Nathan  Coombs,  then  a  mere  boy,  who  afterwards  became  a  large  land 
owner  and  stock  raiser  in  Napa  Valley,  and  founder  of  the  city  of  that  name. 
Uncle  Tommy  Shadden,  who  is  here  to-day,  was  also  of  that  party.  In  the  spring 
of  1843  those  of  our  party  who  remained  in  the  country  generally  located  claims  in 
different  sections  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  and  laid  the  foundations  for  homes 
they  had  traveled  so  far  to  obtain.  These  claims  were  by  common  consent  recog 
nized  and  respected  without  other  protection  than  public  opinion  until  the  pro 
visional  government  was  established,  which  provided  that  non-residents  could  hold 
claims  by  having  them  recorded  and  paying  five  dollars  annually  into  the  terri 
torial  treasury. 

It  was  in  1842  that  the  first  regular  educational  institution  in 
Oregon  was  founded,  one  which  has  done  noble  work  for  the  youth 
of  the  coast,  and  which  still  nourishes  under  the  management  of  its 
founders,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On  the  seventeenth  of 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  251 

January,  1842,  at  the  call  of  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  the  people  assembled 
at  Cherneketa,  now  North  Salem,  to  consider  the  question  of  es 
tablishing  an  educational  institution  capable  of  meeting  the  wants  of 
the  growing  community.  A  committee  was  appointed  and  the  meet 
ing  adjourned  till  the  first  of  February,  when  it  convened  in  the  old 
mission  building  which  had  been  erected  in  1834.  The  Oregon 
Institute  was  then  founded  with  the  following  board  of  trustees: 
Rev.  Jason  Lee,  Rev.  David  Leslie,  Rev.  Gustavus  Hines,  Rev.  J. 
L.  Parrish,  Rev.  L.  H.  Judson,  Hon.  George  Abernethy,  Alanson 
Beers,  H.  Campbell  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Babcock.  A  location  on  French 
Prairie  was  first  selected,  but  that  place  being  deficient  in  pure 
water,  the  institute  was  finally  located  on  Wallace  Prairie,  two  and 
one-half  miles  below  the  present  City  of  Salem.  A  constitution 
was  adopted  on  the  fifteenth  of  March,  and  on  the  twenty-sixth  of 
October  the  school  was  formally  placed  under  the  charge  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  emigration  of  1842,  small  though  it  was  and  diminished  by 
the  migration  of  several  families  to  California,  served  to  materially 
strengthen  the  independent  American  element.  Those  who  were 
desirous  of  organizing  a  government  began  again  to  canvass  the 
subject,  the  leading  spirit  being  W.  H.  Gray,  who  had  left  his 
associates — Whitman,  Spalding,  Eells  and  Walker — and  settled  in 
the  Willamette  Valley.  He  gathered  a  few  of  the  trusty  ones  at 
his  house  to  consult  upon  the  best  means  of  getting  the  people 
together  so  as  to  get  a  spontaneous  action  from  them  before  oppos 
ing  influences  could  have  time  to  work  upon  them.  A  simple  but 
effective  plan  was  devised — one  which  worked  to  a  charm.  Many 
domestic  animals  had  been  destroyed  by  wild  beasts,  decimating 
the  small  herds  of  the  settlers,  and  how  to  prevent  such  ravages  had 
become  a  serious  question  with  every  settler.  It  was  decided  to 
call  a  meeting  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  devising  some  means 
for  the  protection  of  cattle  from  the  ravages  of  wild  beasts,  and 
notice  was  accordingly  sent  throughout  the  valley  for  every  settler 
to  attend  such  a  meeting  at  the  Oregon  Institute  on  the  second  day 
of  February,  1843.  The  attendance  was  very  large,  Dr.  Babcock 
occupying  the  chair.  The  presiding  officer  was  unaware  of  the 
secondary  object  of  the  meeting,  to  the  principle  of  which  he  was 
unfavorable.  A  committee  of  six  was  appointed  to  submit  a  plan 


252  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

of  operations  to  an  adjourned  meeting  to  be  held  on  the  first  Mon 
day  in  March,  at  the  cabin  of  Joseph  Gervais.  These  two  gather 
ings  are  generally  known  among  the  pioneers  as  "  Wolf  meetings." 
Prior  to  the  second  meeting  LeBreton  and  a  Mr.  Smith  quietly  can 
vassed  the  sentiment  of  the  people  on  the  subject  of  a  more  com 
plete  government,  finding  that  quite  a  diversity  of  opinions  prevailed. 
There  was  a  lyceum  which  met  occasionally  at  Willamette  Falls, 
before  which  this  question  was  introduced,  and  was  discussed  with 
great  animation.  The  decision  there  reached  was  that  a  government 
at  that  time  was  inexpedient.  A  government  was  advocated  by 
Dr.  McLoughlin — one  which  would  be  entirely  independent  of  the 
two  nations  claiming  Oregon.  L.  W.  Hastings,  as  attorney  for  the 
Doctor,  introduced  the  resolution,  "That  it  is  expedient  for  the 
settlers  of  the  coast  to  establish  an  Independent  Government,"  and 
this  was  the  basis  of  the  discussion.  The  negative  side  was  taken 
by  George  Abernethy  and  other  Americans,  the  former  introducing 
another  resolution  for  discussion  the  following  week.  This  was  as 
follows:  "Resolved,  That  if  the  United  States  extends  its  jurisdic 
tion  over  this  country  within  the  next  four  years,  it  will  not  be  ex 
pedient  to  form  an  Independent  Government."  After  much  earnest 
discussion  this  was  adopted,  and  the  question  was  placed  at  rest, 
apparently.  Dr.  White,  the  Indian  Agent,  advocated  a  government, 
provided  he  were  placed  at  its  head;  but  the  adoption  of  the  last 
resolution  did  not  seem  to  offer  him  a  certainty  of  such  a  happy 
consummation.  By  these  discussions  the  public  mind  was  some 
what  prepared  for  a  step  of  some  kind  to  be  taken  beyond  that  of 
mere  protection  from  wild  beasts,  and  the  consequence  was  that 
the  attendance  at  the  second  wolf  meeting  was  even  larger  than 
it  would  otherwise  have  been.  James  A.  O'Neil,  who  had  been 
quietly  notified  of  the  ulterior  purpose  of  the  meeting,  was  called 
to  the  chair,  and  he  carried  the  proceedings  as  rapidly  as  possible 
over  the  nominal  object  of  the  gathering,  full  provision  being  made 
for  the  protection  of  the  herds.  William  H.  Gray  then  arose  and 
made  the  assembled  settlers  a  little  speech.  He  said  that  no  one 
would  for  a  moment  question  the  propriety  and  judiciousness  of 
their  action.  It  was  just  and  natural  to  thus  seek  to  protect  their 
animals  from  the  ravages  of  wolves,  bears  and  panthers.  Contin 
uing,  he  said: — 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  258 

How  is  it,  fellow  citizens,  with  you  and  me,  and  our  wives  and  children  ?  Have 
we  any  organization  on  which  we  can  rely  for  mutual  protection?  Is  there  any 
power  or  influence  in  the  country  sufficient  to  protect  us  and  all  we  hold  dear  from 
the  worse  than  wild  beasts  that  threaten  and  occasionally  destroy  our  cattle?  Who 
in  our  rnidst  is  authorized  to  call  us  together  to  protect  our  own  and  the  lives  of  our 
families?  True,  the  alarm  may  be  given,  as  in  a  recent  case,  and  we  may  run  who 
feel  alarmed,  and  shoot  off  our  guns,  while  our  enemy  may  be  robbing  our  property, 
ravishing  our  wives,  and  burning  our  houses  over  our  defenseless  families.  Com 
mon  sense,  prudence  and  justice  to  ourselves  demand  that  we  act  consistent  with 
the  principles  that  we  have  commenced.  We  have  mutually  and  unitedly  agreed 
to  defend  and  protect  our  cattle  and  domestic  animals;  now,  fellow  citizens,  I  sub 
mit  and  move  the  adoption  of  the  two  following  resolutions,  that  we  may  have  pro 
tection  for  our  person  and  lives,  as  well  as  our  cattle  and  herds:  Resolved,  That  a 
committee  be  appointed  to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  taking  measures 
for  the  civil  and  military  protection  of  this  colony.  Resolved,  That  said  committee 
consist  of  twelve  persons. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted,  and  Dr.  Babcock, 
Dr.  White,  O'Neil,  Shortess,  Newell,  Lucier,  Gray,  Gervais,  Hub- 
bard,  M'Roy,  Smith  and  Gay,  were  appointed  to  serve  on  the  com 
mittee.  About  two  weeks  later  the  committee  assembled  at  the 
Falls,  many  other  gentlemen  being  present  and  participating  in 
their  deliberations.  Rev^Jason  Lee  and  George  Abernethy,  as  rep 
resentatives  of  the  Methodist  Mission  sentiment,  made  speeches  in 
opposition  to  the  proposed  action.  Unable  to  come  to  a  definite 
decision,  the  committee  called  a  general  meeting  to  be  held  at  Cham- 
poeg  on  the  second  of  May,  and  then  adjourned.  A  document  op 
posing  the  proposed  action,  and  styled  "An  address  of  the  Canadian 
citizens  of  Oregon  to  the  meeting  at  Champoeg,"  was  prepared  by 
the  anti- American  element,  and  circulated  among  the  Canadian 
French  population  for  signatures.  This  element  held  four  meet 
ings  to  organize  an  opposition  to  the  movement — one  at  Vancouver, 
one  at  the  Falls,  and  two  at  Champoeg.  The  Canadians  were  drilled 
to  vote  "No"  on  all  questions,  and  LeBreton,  whose  previous  affili 
ation  with  the  Catholic  element  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  learn 
of  these  plans,  advised  that  some  measure  be  introduced  upon  which 
they  should  properly  vote  "  Yes,"  to  thus  throw  them  into  confu 
sion  and  expose  their  tactics.  The  settlers  assembled  at  Champoeg 
in  force  on  the  second  day  of  May,  and  considerable  skirmishing 
was  indulged  in,  the  Canadians  invariably  voting  "No"  on  all 
questions  without  reference  to  the  bearing  they  had  upon  the  in 
terests  they  represented  and  becoming  much  demoralized  in  conse 
quence.  LeBreton,  who  had  made  a  careful  canvass  of  those  in 


254  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

attendance,  finally  exclaimed,  "We  can  risk  it,  let  us  divide  and 
count!'1  Gray  shouted,  "I  second  the  motion!"  Jo.  Meek  then 
stepped  quickly  out  of  the  crowd,  and  raising  his  voice  to  a  high 
pitch,  shouted,  "  Who's  for  a  divide  ?  All  for  the  report  of  the  com 
mittee  and  organization,  follow  me?"  The  Americans  quickly 
ranged  themselves  on  his  side,  and  a  count  developed  the  fact  that 
fifty -two  stood  in  line  with  him  and  only  fifty  on  the  opposing  side. 
"Three  cheers  for  our  side!"  exclaimed  Meek,  and  as  the  responsive 
cheers  rose  in  the  air,  the  defeated  Canadians  withdrew  and  grad 
ually  left  the  victors  to  conduct  the  remainder  of  the  proceedings  to 
suit  themselves. 

The  Committee  of  Twelve  then  reported  in  favor  of  the  selec 
tion  of  a  Legislative  Committee,  and  this  plan  was  adopted.  Messrs. 
Hill,  Shortess,  Newell,  Beers,  Hubbard,  Gray,  O'Neil,  Moore  and 
Dougherty,  were  selected  for  the  committee,  and  were  instructed  to 
report  a  plan  of  government  to  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Champoeg 
on  the  fifth  of  July.  Their  session  was  limited  to  six  days,  and 
their  per  diem  was  fixed  at  $1.25,  which  was  at  once  contributed 
to  the  Government  by  the  members.  Beers,  Parrish  and  Babcock 
volunteered  to  provide  gratuitously  for  the  board  of  the  committee, 
and  the  Mission  tendered  the  free  use  of  its  old  granary  for  a  council 
chamber.  The  committee  assembled  at  the  Falls  on  the  tenth  of 
May,  in  the  building  mentioned,  certainly  a  most  unpretentious 
structure  for  the  deliberations  of  a  legislature.  It  was  a  frame 
building,  16x30  feet,  and  one  and  one-half  stories  high,  the  upper 
portion  being  used  as  a  sleeping  apartment  and  storage  room.  The 
lower  story  was  divided  into  two  compartments,  one  of  them  doing 
duty  as  a  school  room  and  church,  and  the  other  as  a  warehouse  for 
the  ^storage  of  wheat.  Such  were  the  accommodations  enjoyed  by 
the  first  Legislature  of  Oregon.  It  was  a  plain,  serviceable  struc 
ture,  and  they  were  plain,  matter-of-fact  men  who  had  met  there  to 
deliberate  for  the  public  good.  The  Legislature  opened  its  session 
by  choosing  Robert  Moore  for  Chairman,  and  George  W.  LeBreton 
for  Secretary.  The  question  of  an  executive  head  for  the  govern 
ment  was  first  considered;  and  this  was  a  matter  of  considerable 
delicacy.  The  interests  represented  by  the  various  inhabitants  of 
Oregon,  as  has  been  shown,  were  quite  distinct,  and  in  some  re 
spects,  were  inclined  to  clash  with  each  other.  To  choose  an  exec- 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A   PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  255 

utive  from  any  one  of  these  was  calculated  to  array  the  others  in 
either  open  or  covert  hostility  to  the  Government.  It  was  finally 
decided  that  it  would,  under  the  circumstances,  be  judicious  to  re 
pose  that  authority  in  an  Executive  Committee  of  three  persons, 
who  should  represent  the  strongest  and  most  desirable  interests 
among  the  various  classes  to  be  included  in  their  jurisdiction.  The 
Legislature  adjourned  after  a  session  of  three  days. 

On  the  fifth  of  July  the  people  again  assembled  at  Champoeg 
to  hear  the  report  of  the  Legislative  Committee,  the  meeting  being 
presided  over  by  Rev.  Gustavus  Hines.  The  Canadian  citizens  who 
signed  the  address  spoken  of  above  were  present  in  force  at  the 
meeting  on  the  second  of  May  and  participated  in  the  proceedings, 
voting  against  organization,  as  has  been  related.  Their  address 
was  not  then  presented,  but  later  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  sub 
committee  of  three  to  whom  the  Legislative  Committee  had  dele 
gated  the  task  of  arranging  the  laws  passed  by  them  for  submission 
to  the  meeting  now  under  discussion.  After  examining  it  the  com 
mittee  returned  it  to  the  Secretary,  with  instructions  to  file  it  among 
the  public  documents,  as  a  record  of  the  interests  and  persons  op 
posed  to  the  organization  of  a  government.  At  the  meeting  now 
being  considered  many  of  them  were  present  and  took  part,  ex 
pressing  themselves  as  favorably  disposed  towards  the  object  sought 
to  be  obtained  by  the  Americans.  Others,  however,  declined  to 
attend,  and  asserted  that  they  would  not  submit  to  the  authority  of 
any  government  which  might  be  organized.  This  was  also  the  po 
sition  assumed  by  the  Catholic  Missionaries  and  the  representatives 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the  latter  even  addressing  a  com 
munication  to  the  leaders  of  the  organization  movement,  stating  that 
they  felt  abundantly  able  to  defend  both  themselves  and  their  po 
litical  rights.  This  was  the  status  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Hines  an 
nounced  the  meeting  as  prepared  to  hear  the  report  of  the  com 
mittee. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  presented  by  Chairman  Moore 
and  read  by  the  Secretary,  Mr.  LeBreton.  The  debate  which  fol 
lowed  was  exceedingly  animated,  Mr.  Hines  vigorously  opposing 
the  three-fold  executive  head  proposed  by  the  committee.  Dr.  Bab- 
cock  also  opposed  it  on  the  ground  that  it  looked  too  much  like  a 
permanent  form  of  government,  instead  of  the  temporary  makeshift 


256  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

which  he  supposed  was  the  object  of  the  gathering.  O'Neil  and 
Shortess  sustained  the  report,  and  Mr.  Gray  made  a  forcible,  and, 
as  it  appears,  a  convincing,  argument  in  its  favor,  using  the  follow 
ing  language:— 

MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  FELLOW  CITIZENS: — The  speech  which  we  have  just 
listened  to,  from  our  presiding  officer  (G.  H.  Hines)  is  in  the  main  correct.  It  is 
true  that  the  Legislative  Committee  were  not  instructed  to  bring  before  you  an 
executive  department  in  the  law  and  government  you  proposed  to  form,  when  you 
appointed  your  committee  to  prepare  these  laws.  It  is  also  true  that  when  that 
committee  met  they  found  that  they  could  not  advance  one  step  in  accomplishing 
the  work  you  instructed  them  to  perform,  with  out  some  supervising  influence  some 
where  ;  in  short,  without  a  head.  Their  instructions  being  against  a  governor, 
they  have  provided  an  Executive  Committee  in  place  of  a  single  man  for  governor. 
The  executive  head  is  to  act  in  place  of  a  senate  council  and  governor.  This  pro 
vision  is  before  you  for  your  approval  or  rejection.  With  the  Executive  Committee 
our  organization  is  complete;  without  it,  we  have  no  head;  no  one  to  see  that  our 
laws  are  executed,  and  no  one  to  grant  a  reprieve  or  pardon  in  case  the  law  should 
be  enforced  against  the  life  or  property  of  any  one  for  the  violation  of  any  law,  no 
matter  what  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  real  or  supposed  violation 

might  be. 

#  ,    •*  *  •*  *  -x- 

Now,  fellow  citizens,  let  us  look  calmly  at  our  true  situation.  We  are  two  thou 
sand  five  hundred  miles  from  any  point  from  which  we  can  receive  the  least  assist 
ance  by  land,  and  seventeen  thousand  miles  by  water.  A  portion  of  our  community 
are  organized  and  ready  to  protect  themselves,  and  to  defend  all  their  rights  and 
interests.  Another  organization  of  a  religious  character  is  in  our  midst — I  should 
say,  two.  They  each  have  a  head  or  executive.  How  is  it  with  us?  Who  is  our 
head  in  all  that  pertains  to  our  civil  liberty,  rights  and  property  ?  It  is  possible  the 
gentleman  may  wish  us  to  remain  as  unprotected,  as  helpless  and  exposed  to  all  the 
dangers  that  surround  us  on  every  hand  as  we  have  heretofore  been.  If  he  does, 
you,  fellow  citizens,  I  am  sure  do  not  wish  to  add  to  his  feebleness  by  destroying 
the  organization  you  have  commenced,  because  he  is  afraid  of  what  some  Csesar  did 
in  Rome.  We  are  acting  for  ourselves  and  those  immediately  dependent  upon  us 
for  protection.  In  union  there  is  strength.  I  believe  you  are  fully  satisfied  your 
committee  acted  honorably,  and,  as  they  thought,  for  the  good  of  all  they  repre 
sented.  If  such  is  the  case,  you  will  approve  of  their  acts,  and  our  organization 
will  be  complete  as  they  have  prepared  it  for  this  meeting. 

A  vote  was  then  taken,  which  resulted  in  an  almost  unanimous 
adoption  of  the  report.  The  next  thing  in  order  was  the  election 
of  the  necessary  officers.  Alanson  Beers,  David  Hill  and  Joseph 
Gale  were  chosen  for  the  Executive  Committee,  and  thus  the  first 
regular  government  in  Oregon  was  provided.  That  this  was  a 
movement  purely  American,  and  the  government  of  a  temporary 
character  only,  is  attested  by  the  preamble  to  the  laws  adopted, 
which  states  that:— 

We,  the  people  of  Oregon  Territory,  for  the  purpose  of  mutual  protection,  and 
to  secure  peace  and  prosperity  among  ourselves,  agree  to  adopt  the  following  laws 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  257 

and  regulations,  until  such  time  as  the  United  States  of  America  extend  their  ju 
risdiction  over  us. 

The  following  certificate  was  issued  to  the  Executive  Committee 
as  a  warrant  of  office:— 

This  certifies  that  David  Hill,  Alanson  Beers  and  Joseph  Gale,  were  chosen  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  by  the  people  of  said  Territory, 
and  have  taken  the  oath  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  their  offices, 
as  required  by  law. 

GEORGE  W.  LEBRETON,  Recorder. 

WALLAMET,  OKEGON  TERRITORY,  July  5,  1843. 

Says  Mr.  Thornton,  in  speaking  of  the  place  where  these  pro 
ceedings  were  taken:— 

It  may  not  be  quite  uninteresting  to  say  that  the  State  House  in  which  all  this 
was  done  was  in  several  respects  different  from  that  in  which  laws  are  made  at 
Washington  City.  The  Oregon  State  House  was  built  with  posts  set  upright,  one 
end  set  in  the  ground,  grooved  on  two  sides,  and  filled  in  with  poles  and  split  tim 
ber,  such  as  would  be  suitable  for  fence  rails,  with  plates  and  poles  across  the  top. 
Rafters  and  horizontal  poles,  instead  of  iron  ribs,  held  the  cedar  bark  which  was 
used  instead  of  thick  copper  for  roofing.  It  was  twenty  by  forty  feet,  and  did  not 
therefore  cover  three  acres  and  a  half.  At  one  end  some  puncheons  were  put  up  for 
a  platform  for  the  President ;  some  poles  and  slabs  were  placed  around  for  seats ; 
three  planks  about  one  foot  wide  and  twelve  feet  long,  placed  upon  a  sort  of  stake 
platform  for  a  table,  were  all  that  was  believed  to  be  necessary  for  the  use  of  the 
Legislative  Committee  and  the  clerks.  It  is  due  to  the  people  who  met  to  approve 
or  disapprove  of  the  acts  of  that  committee,  to  say  that  perfect  order  and  decorum 
characterized  all  the  proceedings  of  July  5th,  1843. 

The  following  officers,  chosen  at  the  meeting  on  the  second  of 
May,  were  continued  in  office  until  the  election  of  their  successors 
on  the  second  Tuesday  in  May,  1844,  at  which  time,  also,  a  Legis 
lative  Committee  of  nine  was  to  be  chosen:  A.  E.  Wilson,  Supreme 
Judge;  G.  W.  LeBreton,  Clerk  and  Recorder;  J.  L.  Meek,  Sheriff; 
W.  H.  Willson,  Treasurer;  A.  B.  Smith,  -  -  Compo,  L.  H.  Jud- 
son  and  Hugh  Burns,  Magistrates;  Squire  Ebbetts,  F.  X.  Matthieu 
and  Reuben  Lewis,  Constables;  John  Howard,  Major;  S.  Smith, 
C.  McRoy  and  William  McCarty,  Captains. 

Having  thus  related  the  steps  taken  for  the  organization  of  a 
government,  it  is  in  order  to  consider  the  great  immigration  of 
1843,  which  arrived  a  few  weeks  later,  and  created  such  a  pre 
ponderance  of  American  sentiment  that  the  stability  of  the  Pro 
visional  Government  was  assured.  There  were,  however,  a  few  in 
cidents  which  occurred  prior  to  that  great  era  in  Oregon  history, 
whose  effect  upon  the  subsequent  events  was  extremely  marked,  and 
thus  renders  them  of  comparative  importance.  These  relate  to  in- 


258  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cidents  growing  out  of  the  intense  competition  of  the  opposing  mis 
sionaries  for  spiritual  control  of  the  natives.  In  1841  the  Catholics 
made  proselytes  of  the  Cascades  Indians,  who  had  formerly  been 
under  the  influence  of  the  Methodist  Mission  at  The  Dalles,  com 
pletely  winning  them  away  from  Mr.  Waller.  This  greatly  in 
tensified  the  existing  bitterness  between  the  religious  factions.  The 
Catholics  were  rapidly  growing  in  power  and  influence,  the  Method 
ists  were  as  rapidly  declining,  and  the  missions  of  the  American 
Board  were  making  but  feeble  progress.  Aside  from  the  ascen 
dency  gradually  being  acquired  by  the  Catholics,  there  was  one 
peculiar  reason  why  the  Protestant  missionaries  lost  favor  with  the 
Indians;  and  this  was  their  affiliation  with  the  American  settlers, 
who  were  regarded  by  the  natives  as  intruders.  They  did  not  want 
white  people  to  settle  here  and  take  possession  of  the  land  over  which 
they  and  their  fathers  had  ruled  for  years.  This  feeling  led  the 
Nez  Perce  chief  Ellis,  in  1840,  to  forbid  A.  B.  Smith  to  cultivate  a 
patch  of  ground  on  the  Alpowa.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  en 
couraged  the  idea  among  the  Indians  that  the  missions  were  but 
stepping-stones  to  American  occupation,  and  this  idea  was  supported 
by  the  conduct  of  those  in  charge  of  the  Methodist  mission  in  the 
Willamette,  which  had  become  the  general  headquarters  for  Amer 
ican  settlers,  as  well  as  the  energetic  and  prominent  part  taken  by 
Dr.  Whitman  in  bringing  immigrants  into  Oregon.  The  fur  com 
pany  had  been  here  for  years,  and  had  not  only  not  taken  their 
lands,  but  had  supplied  them  with  a  market  for  their  furs  and 
horses;  yet  the  Americans,  who  were  but  newcomers,  were  already 
taking  away  their  lands,  and  more  arrived  yearly.  The  outgrowth 
of  this  was  a  feeling  of  bitterness  against  the  Americans  and  the 
Protestant  missionaries,  in  which  neither  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany  nor  the  Catholics  were  included;  and  this  feeling  intensified 
from  year  to  year.  It  was  manifested  in  1841  b}T  insulting  and 
threatening  conduct  towards  the  missionaries  both  at  Waiilatpu  and 
Lapwai,  and  in  1842  this  became  so  threatening  that  an  effort  was 
made  to  check  it.  Dr.  Elijah  White,  whose  arrival  that  fall  with 
authority  as  an  Indian  Agent  has  been  noted,  paid  a  visit  to  the 
Nez  Perces  in  November,  accompanied  by  Thomas  McKay  and  Mr. 
Archibald  McKinlay,  agent  at  Fort  Walla  Walla.  A  treaty  was 
concluded,  and  the  tribe  adopted  a  system  of  laws,  in  which  the 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  259 

general  principles  of  right  and  justice  were  embodied  in  a  form  suit 
able  to  their  customs  and  condition.  The  same  laws  were  adopted 
by  the  Wascopums,  at  The  Dalles,  but  nothing  was  accomplished 
with  the  Cayuses.  The  next  year  Baptiste  Dorion,  a  half-breed  in 
terpreter  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  upon  his  own  responsibil 
ity,  circulated  the  story  that  the  Americans  were  coming  up  in  the 
summer  to  take  their  lands.  This  created  great  excitement  among  the 
tribes  along  the  base  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  the  young  braves 
wanted  to  go  to  the  Willamette  at  once  and  exterminate  the  settlers. 
They  w^ere  held  in  check  by  the  older  ones,  while  Peo-peo-mux- 
mux,  the  great  Walla  Walla  chief,  went  to  Vancouver  to  investi 
gate.  He  was  informed  by  Dr.  McLoughlin  that  he  did  not  believe 
the  Americans  entertained  such  an  idea,  and  his  report  to  the  tribes 
allayed  the  excitement  to  a  certain  extent.  Dr.  White  went  up  in 
April  to  hold  a  council  with  the  Cayuses,  and  they  adopted  the 
Nez  Perce  laws,  electing  Five  Crows,  who  lived  on  the  Uniatilla 
not  far  from  the  site  of  Pendleton,  as  head  chief.  The  result  of 
this  was  to  restore  the  feeling  of  security  for  a  time.  Several  French 
Canadians  were  to  have  accompanied  Dr.  White,  but  were  advised 
to  remain  at  home  by  Dr.  McLoughlin.  This  action  of  the  Chief 
Factor  has  been  severely  censured  and  has  served  as  an  argument 
to  prove  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  stirring  up  the 
Indians  to  drive  the  Americans  from  the  country.  The  Amer 
ican  settlers  had  but  a  few  days  before  unanimously  signed  a 
memorial  to  Congress,  in  which  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  severely  cen 
sured.  About  this  time,  also,  Father  Demers  arrived  from  the  in 
terior  and  informed  him  that  the  Indians  were  only  incensed  against 
the  Boston  people,  and  had  nothing  against  the  French  and  King 
George  people;  but  they  were  determined  the  Bostons  should  not 
have  their  lands  and  take  away  their  liberties.  Learning  that  his 
people  were  in  no  danger,  and  smarting  under  the  undeserved 
charges  in  the  memorial,  it  is  not  at  all  unnatural  that  he  should 
say:  uLet  the  Americans  take  care  of  themselves."  It  was  thus 
matters  stood  when  the  great  immigration  of  1843  arrived,  demon 
strating  to  the  Indians  that  their  fears  were  far  from  groundless. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  1843. 

What  Induced  the  Emigration  of  181$ — Steps  Taken  to  Organize  the 
Movement — Dr.  Whitman's  Character — His  anxiety  to  Americanize 
Oregon — The  AsJiburton  Treaty  and  the  Cod  Fishery — Whitman's 
Decision  to  Visit  Washington — The  Waiilaptu  Meeting — The  Un 
fortunate  Controversy  over  the  Services  of  Dr.  Whitman — Gray's 
Walla  Walla  Romance — Its  Absurdity  Pointed  Out — The  Facts — 
Whitman  and'  Lovejoy's  Journey — Extent  of  Whitman's  Influence 
in  Inducing  Emigration — His  Visit  to  Washington  and  Boston — 
Organization  and  Journey  of  the  Emigrants — List  of  Emigrants 
and  Population  of  Oregon  in  1843 — Fremont's  Exploring  Party. 

IN  nearly  all  previous  writings  upon  this  subject  the  emigra 
tion  of  1843  has  been  considered  from  the  wrong  end — from 
the  Oregon  end — the  destination  of  the  emigrants,  instead  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  their  starting  point.  It  should  be  viewed  from 
the  place  where  the  movement  had  its  inception,  to  obtain  a  correct 
and  adequate  understanding  of  the  subject.  The  great  emigra 
tion  to  Oregon  that  year  was  the  result  of  causes  which  had  been 
at  work  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  not  a  hasty  and  ill-consid 
ered  action  of  people  suddenly  aroused  by  the  voice  of  one  man,  as 
it  has  too  often  been  represented. 

With  the  diplomatic  negotiations  which  terminated  in  a  treaty 
of  joint  occupation ;  with  the  efforts  of  Hall  J.  Kelley  and  others  to 
induce  emigration  to  Oregon,  and  with  the  struggle  made  by  Bon- 
neville,  Wyeth  and  others  to  enjoy  practically  the  theoretical  bene 
fits  of  the  compromise  treaty,  the  previous  pages  have  dealt  at 
length.  All  these  had  a  tendency  to  turn  the  attention  of  the  peo 
ple  towards  this  far-off  land,  and  especially  of  those  hardy,  self-re 
liant  and  adventuresome  men  who  were  then  building  up  those 


DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         261 

powerful  States  which  lie  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  They 
received  better,  more  direct  and  more  reliable  information  of  the 
character  and  accessibility  of  Oregon  than  did  the  residents  of  the 
Atlantic  slope,  whose  ideas  of  this  region  were  largely  formed  from 
the  depreciatory  writings  of  English  authors.  As  has  before  been 
said,  Irving's  "Astoria17  and  "  Bonneville,"  Dr.  Parker's  book,  the 
letter  written  in  1839  by  Robert  Shortess,  Congressional  reports 
and  debates,  and  other  brief  publications  had  given  those  who 
cared  to  read  them  pretty  correct  ideas  of  Oregon.  The  trappers 
who  had  in  person  visited  this  region  in  some  of  their  numerous 
journeys  through  the  mountainous  West,  or  had  learned  them  from 
the  lips  of  such  of  their  companions  as  had  done  so,  sang  the 
praises  of  Oregon's  mild  climate  and  the  beautiful  Valley  of  the 
Willamette,  along  the  whole  frontier.  Oregon  became  a  familiar 
word  in  St.  Louis  and  throughout  the  region  bordering  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  tributary  to  that  great  center  of  the  fur  trade.  The 
" Oregon  Bills*'  introduced  into  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1-842  by 
Senator  Linn,  of  Missouri,  have  been  referred  to,  as  well  as  their 
consignment  to  temporary  oblivion  by  his  death  the  following  year. 
These  attracted  much  attention  along  the  frontier,  and  hundreds 
who  had  previously  been  deterred  from  following  their  inclination 
to  emigrate  to  this  land  of  dispute,  becoming  convinced  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  Government  to  assert  in  earnest  its  claim  to 
this  region,  and  that  the  bill  donating  to  each  emigrant  one  section 
of  land  would  be  passed,  resolved  to  make  the  hazardous  journey. 
Said  one  of  these,  Gen.  E.  L.  Applegate,  in  a  recent  speech:— 

This  proposition  deeply  touched  the  heart  of  the  western  pioneer.  He  had 
probably  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge  or  the  Cumberland  Mountains  when  a  boy,  and 
was  now  in  his  prime.  Rugged,  hardy  and  powerful  of  frame,  he  was  full  to  over 
flowing  with  the  love  of  adventure,  and  animated  by  a  brave  soul  that  scorned  the 
very  idea  of  fear.  All  had  heard  of  the  perpetually  green  hills  and  plains  of  West 
ern  Oregon,  and  how  that  the  warm  breath  of  the  vast  Pacific  tempered  the  air  to 
the  genial  degree  and  drove  winter  far  back  towards  the  north.  Many  of  them 
contrasted  in  the  imagination  the  open  stretch  of  a  mile  square  of  rich,  green  and 
grassy  land,  where  the  strawberry  plant  bloomed  through  every  winter  month, 
with  their  circumscribed  clearings  in  the  Missouri  Bottom.  Of  long  winter  evenings 
neighbors  visited  each  other,  and  before  the  big  shell-bark  hickory  fire,  the  seasoned 
walnut  fire,  the  dry  black  jack  fire,  or  the  roaring  dead  elm  fire,  they  talked  these 
things  over;  and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  under  these  favorable  circumstances, 
the  spirit  of  emigration  warmed  up  ;  and  the  "Oregon  fever"  became  as  a  house 
hold  expression.  Thus  originated  the  vast  cavalcade,  or  emigrant  train,  stretch 
ing  its  serpentine  length  for  miles,  enveloped  in  the  vast  pillars  of  dust,  patiently 


262  HISTvOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

\ 

wending  its  toilsome  way  across  the  American  Continent.  How  familiar  these 
scenes  and  experiences  with  the  old  pioneers !  The  vast  plains ;  the  uncountable 
herds  of  buffalo ;  the  swift-footed  antelope;  the  bands  of  mounted,  painted  warriors; 
the  rugged  snow-capped  mountain  ranges ;  the  deep,  swift  and  dangerous  rivers ; 
the  lonesome  howl  of  the  wild  wolf;  the  midnighVye-ll  of  th«  assaulting  savage; 
the  awful  panic  and  stampede;  the  solemn  and  silent  funeral  at  tbe  dead  hour 
of  night,  and  the  lonely  and  hidden  graves  of  departed  friends — what  memories 
are  associated  with  the  "plains  across  ! " 

The  first  united  effort  was  a  meeting  held  in  Alton,  111.,  on  the 
eighth  of  November,  1842,  at  which  were  passed  resolutions  urging 
the  importance  of  a  speedy  occupation  of  Oregon.  These  resolu 
tions  were  introduced  by  General  Semple,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
that  State  who  had  taken  great  interest  in  this  region,  and  were 
supported  by  him  in  an  eloquent  speech.  Another  meeting  was 
held  at  Springfield,  the  State  Capital,  on  the  fifth  of  the  following 
February,  which  was  participated  in  by  many  distinguished  men 
of  Illinois,  and  similar  resolutions  were  passed.  One  of  those 
present  was  the  gifted  and  eloquent  Col.  E.  D.  Baker,  who  after 
wards  became  a  United  States  Senator  from  Oregon,  and,  strange 
to  say,  he  was  one  of  two  gentlemen  who  spoke  in  opposition  to  the 
resolutions.  The  following  July,  several  weeks  after  the,  emigra 
tion  had  taken  up  its  toilsome  march,  "  a  Convention  of  Delegates 
from  the  States  and  Territories  of  the  West  and  Southwest"  as 
sembled  in  Cincinnati,  and  passed  resolutions  urging  Congress  to 
assert  the  claim  of  the  United  States  as  far  north  as  u  fifty-four  - 
forty  "  immediately.  How  this  became  a  political  question  the  fol 
lowing  year,  will  be  made  clear  in  the  next  chapter. 

In  these  various  ways  quite  an  interest  was  stirred  up  in  the 
Mississippi  States,  during  the  winter,  and  it  became  generally  un 
derstood,  and  was  so  announced  by  the  few  papers  printed  along 
the  border,  that  a  large  emigration  would  start  for  Oregon  the  fol 
lowing  spring,  rendezvousing  at  Independence,  Missouri. 

It  is  now  that  Dr.  Whitman  appears  upon  the  scene,  and  to  ex 
plain  his  sudden  entre  it  is  necessary  to  relate  incidents  occurring  in 
Oregon  the  summer  and  fall  previous.  Although,  for  geographical 
reasons,  he  did  not  participate  in  the  various  efforts  of  the  settlers 
in  the  Willamette  Valley  to  form  a  Provisional  Government,  his 
heart  was  in  the  movement.  He  was  the  most  keenly  alive  to  the 
necessities  of  the  hour,  and  more  watchful  of  the  true  interests  of 
the  Americans  than  even  the  most  prominent  actors  in  the  govern- 


DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         263 

mental  agitation.  He  was  a  true  American,  jealous  of  his  country's 
honor  and  zealous  to  promote  her  interests.  His  faith  in  the  future 
—the  American  future — of  Oregon  was  unbounded,  and  his  mind 
penetrated  the  misty  veil  with  prophetic  power.  As  early  as 
1838  an  incident  occurred  which  revealed  his  abiding  faith  in  the 
destiny  of  Oregon.  Dr.  William  C.  McKay  relates  an  anecdote 
which  is  of  importance  to  show  Whitman's  ideas  on  this  subject  at 
that  early  day.  His  father,  Thomas  McKay,  decided  to  send  him 
to  Scotland  to  be  educated,  and  with  this  end  in  view  they  started 
up  the  Columbia.  Whitman  and  McKay  being  warm  friends,  they 
decided  to  spend  a  few  days  at  Waiilatpu,  where  they  were  to 
separate,  William  to  accompany  the  annual  Montreal  express  by 
the  Manitoba  route,  and  his  father  to  proceed  to  Fort  Hall,  where 
he  was  the  company's  agent.  Dr.  Whitman  urged  McKay  to  send 
his  son  to  the  United  States  to  be  educated.  "  Make  an  American 
of  him,"  said  he,  "for  this  country  will  surely  belong  to  the  Ameri 
cans."  McKay  was  convinced,  and  William's  route  was  changed 
from  Manitoba  to  the  Fcrt  Hall  trail.  He  went  to  F airfield,  N. 
Y.,  and  entered  the  same  school  at  which  Dr.  Whitman  was  edu 
cated,  returning  to  Oregon  a  few  years  later  as  a  medical  practi 
tioner.  Several  other  incidents,  the  details  of  which  it  is  needless 
to  relate,  confirm  the  statement  that  the  Doctor  was  a  true,  zealous, 
watchful  and  energetic  guardian  of  American  interests  in  Oregon. 
When  Governor  Simpson  visited  this  region  in  the  fall  of  1841, 
followed  a  few  days  later  by  the  immigrants  from  Red  River,  whose 
arrival  has  been  previously  noted,  Dr.  Whitman,  with  his  acute  per 
ceptive  qualities,  in  a  measure  defined  the  intentions  of  the  company. 
He  realized  with  the  convincing  force  of  a  revelation,  that  nothing 
but  a  great  and  unexpected  influx  of  American  immigrants  could 
thwart  the  deep-laid  plans  of  the  great  corporation.  He  became 
restless  and  anxious.  It  seemed  to  him  that  it  was  nec'essary  for 
some  one  to  return  to  the  States  and  arouse  the  people  and  the 
Government  to  the  exigencies  of  the  hour.  Procrastination  was 
dangerous  and  supine  inaction  was  fatal;  yet  his  missionary  work 
was  a  charge  upon  his  mind  which  could  not  be  lightly  shaken  off. 
When  the  immigration  of  1842  arrived,  as  has  been  related,  many 
of  them  camped  for  a  time  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission.  Among 
these  was  A.  Lawrence  Lovejoy,  with  whom  Whitman  frequently 


264  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

^ 

and  earnestly  conversed  on  the  subject  of  Oregon  and  events  and 
opinions  in  the  East  affecting  it.  He  learned  that  Lord  Ashburton, 
an  einbassador  of  Great  Britain,  was  even  then  in  Washington  ne 
gotiating  for  a  settlement  of  the  boundary  line  between  Canada  and 
the  United  States;  and  naturally  supposing  that  in  this  the  Oregon 
Question  was  involved,  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
proceed  to  Washington  with  all  dispatch  possible,  and  enlighten  the 
Government  upon  the  subject,  knowing  full  well  that  the  value  of 
this  magnificent  region  was  not  in  the  least  realized  by  the  author 
ities  or  the  people  generally.  It  has  been  frequently  stated  that  the 
Government  was  considering  a  proposition  made  by  Lord  Ashbur 
ton  to  abandon  all  claim  to  Oregon,  in  consideration  of  certain  fish 
ing  privileges  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  British  America,  and  that  this 
intelligence  was  conveyed  to  Whitman  by  Lovejoy.  How  this  took 
its  rise  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  as  all  efforts  to  trace  it  to  a  source 
have  been  futile.  Lovejoy  does  not  say  so  in  his  account  of  these 
events;  no  one  has  testified  that  Whitman  ever  made  such  an  asser 
tion,  and  it  seems  utterly  without  foundation.  The  records  of  the 
State  Department  do  not  disclose  any  such  negotiations;  they  were 
publically  and  emphatically  denied  by  Daniel  Webster,  through 
whom,  as  Secretary  of  State,  the  negotiations  were  conducted,  and, 
finally,  the  Oregon  Question  was  not  included  in  the  negotiations 
at  all,  which  had  sole  reference  to  the  unsettled  boundary  line 
further  east.  To  be  sure  it  is  now  claimed — and  it  was  not  so  at 
first — that  this  portion  of  the  negotiations  was  secret  and  confiden 
tial;  but  if  such  was  the  case  it  becomes  still  more  incumbent  upon 
those  who  make  the  assertion  to  produce  some  kind  of  evidence 
which  will  weigh  against  the  positive  denial  of  one  of  the  principal 
actors.  No  such  evidence  has  ever  been  produced,  and  it  rests  solely 
upon  unsupported  assertion.  It  is  evident  that  the  cod  fishery 
episode,  with  all  the  changes  that  have  been  rung  upon  it  by  dra 
matically  disposed  writers  and  enthusiastic  speakers,  is  utterly  with 
out  foundation. 

As  it  was,  however,  Whitman  decided  that  his  duty  to  his 
country  was  paramount* to  his  duty  to  the  American  Board,  and  he 
determined  to  return  East.  About  this  time,  probably  at  the  hands 
of  the  emigrants,  Whitman  received  notice  from  the  Board  that  it 
had  decided  to  discontinue  the  missions,  which  were  very  expensive 


DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         265 

and  were  making  unsatisfactory  progress,  and  though  this,  proba 
bly,  had  something  to  do  with  his  determination  to  go  East,  his 
conduct  while  there  shows  this  consideration  to  have  been  a  second 
ary  one.  He  summoned  his  associates  from  the  Lapwai  and  Tshim- 
akain  missions,  to  consult  in  regard  to  the  matter.  Spalding,  Gray, 
Eells  and  Walker  promptly  responded  to  the  call,  and  when  the 
Doctor  laid  before  them  the  plan  he  had  formed,  they  opposed  it 
unanimously.  To  their  objection  that  politics  should  not  be  per 
mitted  to  interfere  writh  missionary  work,  he  replied  that  his  first 
duty  was  to  his  country,  and  if  necessary  to  choose  between  the  two 
he  would  resign  his  mission.  Knowing  his  inflexible  character  and 
deep  convictions  of  duty,  they  dared  no  longer  oppose  him  for  fear 
of  losing  the  master  spirit  of  their  mission.  Says  Mr.  Eells:  "We 
yielded  only  when  it  became  evident  that  he  would  go,  even  if  he 
had  to  become  disconnected  with  the  mission  in  order  to  do  so." 
Whitman  was  accordingly  officially  delegated  to  proceed  to  Boston 
to  transact  business  pertaining  to  the  missions,  and  the  various  mis 
sionaries  departed  to  their  several  stations  to  prepare  reports  and 
letters  for  him  to  take,  the  date  of  his  departure  being  fixed  at  the 
fifth  of  October.  This  was  done  in  order  to  conceal  the  real  object 
of  such  an  unprecedented  undertaking — a  winter  journey  across  the 
mountains.  An  official  record  of  this  meeting  was  kept,  upon  the 
face  of  which  appeared  only  the  proceedings  which  had  reference  to 
missionary  work.  This  was  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the  Whitman 
Massacre,  but  its  loss  is  immaterial,  except  that  it  would  determine 
the  date  of  the  meeting.  As  to  the  nature  of  the  proceedings,  there 
is  sufficient  reliable  oral  testimony  to  settle  that  beyond  dispute. 
Mr.  Eells,  whose  word  no  one  who  knew  him  would  ever  question, 
says  the  meeting  was  held  in  September.  He  adds:  "After  an 
extended  discussion,  it  was  voted  unanimously  that  Dr.  Whitman 
have  the  approval  of  the  mission  to  attempt  to  make  the  journey  as 
hereinbefore  indicated.  The  controlling  object  was  to  make  a  des 
perate  attempt  to  save  the  country  to  the  United  States.  It  was 
also  expected  that  the  opportunity  would  be  improved  for*  the 
transaction  of  business  relating  to  the  mission.  The  fifth  of  the 
the  following  October  was  set  as  the  day  on  which  Dr.  Whitman 
would  start.  Letters  were  to  be  prepared  and  forwarded  accord- 


266  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ingly.    Probably  events  transpiring  in  the  intervening  time  hastened 
his  departure,  so  that  he  left  on  the  third  of  October." 

This  feature  of  Oregon  history  has  been  the  subject  of  much  lit 
erary  controversy.  No  one  can  have  read  the  preceding  pages  with 
out  having  become  convinced  of  the  sterling  integrity,  firmness  of 
purpose  and  energy  of  action  of  Dr.  Whitman.  His  character  and 
services  to  the  American  cause  entitle  him  to  the  first  place  among 
those  whose  memory  the  citizens  of  Oregon  should  ever  revere,  and 
whom  all  true  Americans  should  honor;  yet  zealous  friends  have  in 
their  eagerness  to  place  laurels  on  his  brow,  claimed  for  him  more 
than  he  ever  would  have  sanctioned  or  permitted  had  he  not  fallen 
before  the  treacherous  blows  of  ungrateful  savages.  In  their  zeal 
they  have  allowed  their  imaginations  to  take  too  lofty  flights  and 
have  wandered  too  far  into  the  realms  of  romance.  That  most  of 
these  have  been  absolutely  sincere,  their  sympathies,  perhaps,  being 
somewhat  too  deeply  stirred  by  denominational  influences,  is  beyond 
question;  yet  so  much  can  not  be  said  of  the  author  of  the  ques 
tionable  story  upon  which  has  been  laid  the  foundation  of  their 
claims,  who,  apparently,  was  actuated  by  the  desire  to  shine  in 
the  reflected  light  which  would  naturally  fall  upon  him  as  an  asso 
ciate  with  the  martyred  missionary  in  his  early  labors  among  the 
Indians.  In  this  he  overshot  the  mark,  and  drew  down  upon  him 
self  the  vigorous  criticism  of  those  who,  wishing  not  to  in  the  least 
detract  from  the  just  merits  of  Dr.  Whitman,  earnestly  desired  that 
the  actual  facts  only  should  find  a  place  in  recorded  history.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  certain  writers  have  been  led  by  their  disbelief 
in  this  romance  to  take  the  negative  throughout,  and  not  only  deny 
Dr.  Whitman  any  honor  whatever,  but  even  accuse  him  of  deceit 
ful,  treacherous  and  selfish  conduct.  Such  writers  are  open  to  the 
same  charge  of  prejudice  and  unfairness  which  they  lay  at  the  door 
of  the  author  of  this  unfortunate  controversy.  Well  might  Dr. 
Whitman  exclaim — with  others  whose  reputation  has  been  jeopard 
ized  by  mistaken  zeal — "Save  me  from  my  friends!"  The  contro 
versy  has  not  been  without  its  benefits.  It  has  settled  beyond  dispute 
in  tie  minds  of  those  who  have  given  the  subject  a  just  and  careful 
consideration,  the  permanent  and  exalted  position  Dr.  Whitman 
must  ever  occupy  in  the  annals  of  Oregon.  To  establish  this  the 
romance  was  unnecessary,  yet  as  it  has  been  widely  circulated,  and 


DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         267 

finds  a  place  in  a  number  of  historical  sketches  and  ostensible 
histories  of  Oregon,  it  becomes  necessary  to  relate  it,  together 
with  the  few  simple,  undeniable  facts  which  refute  it.  This  ro 
mance  was  not  the  production  of  Mr.  Eells.  That  gentleman 
never  unchained  his  fancy  when  relating  facts.  He  would  not  un 
dertake  the  hazardous  feat  of  reproducing  the  exact  language  used 
by  several  people  in  a  conversation  occurring  thirty  years  before, 
at  which  he  was  not  present,  and  with  the  bare  substance  of  which 
he  could  alone  be  acquainted.  That  such  was  attempted  indicates 
how  little  the  necessity  of  adhering  to  the  exact  facts  weighed  upon 
the  mind  of  the  author  of  the  romance.  It  was  first  given  to  the 
world  in  Gray's  "  History  of  Oregon,"  published  a  number  of  years 
ago  by  William  H.  Gray,  whose  intense  Americanism  and  bitter 
antagonism  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  led  him  to  take  the 
prominent  and  leading  part  we  have  just  seen  he  acted  in  the  or 
ganization  of  the  Provisional  Government,  and  which,  becoming  in 
tensified  and  more  firmly  settled  as  the  years  rolled  by,  rendered 
him  incompetent  to  form  an  unprejudiced  opinion  or  do  justice 
to  those  to  whom  he  was  instinctively  opposed.  The  work  referred 
to  contains  the  following  paragraph: — 

In  September,  1842,  Dr.  Whitman  was  called  to  visit  a  patient  at  old  Fort  Walla 
Walla.  While  there  a  number  of  boats  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with  sev 
eral  chief  traders  and  Jesuit  priests,  on  their  way  to  the  interior  of  the  country, 
arrived.  While  at  dinner,  the  overland  express  from  Canada  arrived,  bringing  news 
that  the  emigration  from  the  Red  River  settlement  was  at  Colville.  This  news 
excited  universal  joy  among  the  guests.  One  of  them,  a  young  priest,  sang  out: 
"Hurrah  for  Oregon,  America  is  too  late;  we  have  got  the  country  !"  "Now  the 
Americans  may  whistle;  the  country  is  ours!''  said  another.  Whitman  learned 
that  the  company  had  arranged  for  these  Red  River  English  settlers  to  come  on  to 
settle  in  Oregon,  and  at  the  same  time  Governor  Simpson  was  to  go  to  Washington 
and  secure  the  settlement  of  the  question  as  to  the  boundaries,  on  the  ground  of  the 
most  numerous  and  permanent  settlement  in  the  country.  The  Doctor  was  taunted 
with  the  idea  that  no  power  could  prevent  this  result,  as  no  information  could 
reach  Washington  in  time  to  prevent  it.  "  It  shall  be  prevented,"  said  the  Doctor, 
"ty  I  have  to  go  to  Washington  myself."  "  But  you  can  not  go  there  to  do  it,"  was 
the  taunting  reply  of  the  Briton.  ^  I  will  see,"  was  the  Doctor's  reply.  The  reader 
is  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  history  of  this  man's  toil  and  labor  in  bringing 
his  first  wagon  through  to  Fort  Boise,  to  understand  what  he  meant  when  he  said, 
"IwiU  see."  Two  hours  after  this  conversation  at,  the  fort,  he  dismounted  from  his 
horse  at  his  door  at  Waiilatpu.  I  saw  in  a  moment  that  he  was  fixed  on  some  im 
portant  object  or  errand.  He  soon  explained  that  a  special  effort  must  be  made  to 
save  the  country  from  becoming  British  territory.  Everything  was  in  the  best  of 
order  about  the  station,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  important  reason  why  he  should 
not  go.  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  Esq.,  had  a  few  days  before  arrived  with  the  immigration. 


268  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

It  was  proposed  that  he  should  accompany  the  Doctor,  which  he  consented  to  do, 
and  in  twenty-four  hours'  time  they  were  well  mounted  and  on  their  way  to  the 
States. 

Though  its  melodramatic  style  at  once  stamps  it  as  a  piece  of 
fiction,  it  is  as  well  to  point  out  the  certain  evidences  of  its  inac 
curacy.  First — The  Red  River  emigration  came  in  the  year  be 
fore,  as  has  already  been  related,  and  there  were  no  emigrants  from 
that  region  in  1842.  Second — Archibald  McKinlay,  the  gentleman 
in  charge  of  Fort  Walla  Walla  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Dr. 
Whitman,  not  only  indignantly  denies  the  imputation  that  he  would 
permit  him  to  be  thus  insulted  while  his  guest,  but  states  that  there 
was  no  one  at  the  fort  at  the  time  of  the  visit  referred  to  except  the 
half  dozen  regular  attaches,  and  that  the  Montreal  express  did  not 
arrive  until  two  weeks  after  Whitman's  departure  for  the  East, 
during  which  time  Mrs.  Whitman  was  a  guest  at  the  fort,  proceed 
ing  to  Vancouver  under  the  protection  of  the  express  brigade. 
Third — Whitman's  resolution  to  go  East,  as  has  been  amply  shown 
above,  was  not  a  suddenly  conceived  one,  as  Gray  asserts,  but  was 
the  result  of  long  consideration  and  deliberate  decision,  the  exact 
day  having  been  fixed  for  his  departure  prior  to  this  visit  to  Walla 
Walla,  as  Gray  must  have  known,  since  he  had  participated  in  the 
meeting  at  Waiilaptu.  No  news  had  come  overland  from  the  East 
except  such  as  the  American  emigrants  had  brought,  and  of  this 
Whitman  was  thoroughly  informed  before  he  went  to  Walla  Walla. 
To  meet  this  objection  the  adherents  to  Gray's  version  have  of  late 
dropped  the  Canada  express,  and  put  the  intelligence  which  created 
such  a  scene  of  joy  in  the  mouths  of  the  brigade  referred  to  as  going 
up  the  river;  but  they  omit  to  state  from  what  source  this  party 
derived  its  gratifying  information.  Some  of  them  are  also  equally 
as  reckless  as  the  author  of  the  fiction  in  the  line  of  attempting  to 
relate  the  exact  language  employed  by  Whitman  and  the  euthusi- 
siastic  Briton.  It  is  needless  to  remark  that  they  all  succeed  in 
placing  different  words  in  the  mouths  of  the  principal  actors  in  the 
scene  portrayed.  Let  us  return  to  the  domain  of  facts.  Whitman 
did  pay  a  visit  to  Forfc  Walla  Walla,  his  object  in  doing  so  being 
variously  stated  by  persons  then  at  Waiilatpu.  Some  say  that  he 
went  as  a  physician  to  render  professional  service  to  a  sick  person; 
but  Dr.  Geiger,  who,  at  the  request  of  Whitman,  had  consented  to 


DR.  WHITMAN   AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         269 

remain  in  charge  of  the  mission  during  the  Doctor's  absence  in  the 
East,  states  that  it  was  to  interview  his  friend  McKinlay  in  regard 
to  the  situation.     Nothing  remarkable  occurred,  but  the  visit  whet 
ted  Whitman's  anxiety  to  depart,  and  as  the  papers  from  Lapwai 
and  Tshimikain  had  been  received,  he  decided  to  start  at  once  and 
not  wait  until  the  day  previously  decided  upon,  thus  saving  two 
days  at  the  beginning  of  his  journey.     On  the  third  of  October, 
1842,  Whitman  and  Lovejoy  turned  their  backs  upon  Oregon  and 
entered  boldly  upon  a  journey  they  knew  would  be  attended  with 
hardships  and  suffering  such  as  they  had  never  before  experienced. 
The  only  records  of  this  memorable  journey  are  a  letter  by  Mr.  Love- 
joy  detailing  the  incidents  of  the  trip  across  the  mountains,  and  de 
tached  and  fragmentary  statements  by  several  gentlemen  who  claim 
to  have  conversed  with  Whitman  on  the  subject,  by  emigrants  who 
saw  him  in  the  train  in  1843,  and  by  several  parties  who  saw  him 
in  the  East,  at  St.  Louis,  Washington  and  Boston.     From  the  noble 
martyr  himself  there  comes  no  word,  save  a  letter  written  while  at 
St.  Louis  the  following  spring,  which  incontestably  establishes  the 
fact  that  he  was  doing  his  utmost  to  promote  a  large  emigration 
and  to  be  of  personal  assistance  to  the  emigrants.     From  these  are 
gleaned  the  following  facts,  ones  which  no  reasonable  person  will 
dispute.     Of  that  memorable  journey  Lovejoy's  letter  says  I— 
We  left  Waiilatpu  October  3,  1842,  traveled  rapidly,  reached  Fort  Hall  in  eleven 
days,  remained  two  days  to  recruit  and  make  a  few  purchases.     The  Doctor  engaged 
a  guide  and  we  left  for  Fort  Wintee.     We  changed  from  a  direct  route  to  one  more 
southern,  through  the  Spanish  country  via  Salt  Lake,  Taos  and  Santa  Fe.     On  our 
way  from  Fort  Hall  to  Fort  Wintee  we  had  terribly  severe  weather.    The  snows 
retarded  our  progress  and  blinded  the  trail  so  we  lost  much  time.     After  arriving  at 
Fort  Wintee  and  making  some  purchases  for  our  trip,  we  took  a  new  guide  and 
started  for  Fort  Uncumpagra,  situated  on  the  waters  of  Grand  River,  in  the  Spanish 
country.     Here  our  stay  was  very  short.    We  took  a  new  guide  and  started  for  Taos. 
After  being  out  some  four  or  five  days  we  encountered  a  terrific  snow  storm,  which 
forced  us  to  take  shelter  in  a  deep  ravine,  where  we  remained  snowed  in  for  four 
days,  at  which  time  the  storm  had  somewhat  abated,  and  we  attempted  to  make 
our  way  out  upon  high  lands,  but  the  snow  was  so  deep  and  the  winds  so  piercing 
and  cold  we  were  compelled  to  return  to  camp  and  wait  a  few  days  for  a  change  of 
weather.     Our  next  effort  to  reach  the  high  lands  was  more  successful ;  but  after 
spending  several  days  wandering  around  in  the  snow  without  making  much  head 
way,  our  guide  told  us  that  the  deep  snow  had  so  changed  the  face  of  the  country 
that  he  was  completely  lost  and  could  take  us  no  further.     This  was  a  terrible  blow 
to  the  Doctor,  but  he  was  determined  not  to  give  it  up  without  another  effort.    We 
at  once  agreed  that  the  Doctor  should  take  the  guide  and  return  to  Fort  Uncumpagra 
and  get  a  new  guide,  and  1  remain  in  camp  with  the  animals  until  he  could  return  ; 
which  he  did  in  seven  days  with  our  new  guide,  and  we  were  now  on  our  route 


270  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

again.  Nothing  of  much  import  occurred  but;  hard  and  slow  traveling  through 
deep  snow  until  we  reached  Grand  River,  which  was  frozen  on  either  side  about 
one-third  across.  Although  so  intensely  cold,  the  current  was  so  very  rapid  about 
one-third  of  the  river  in  the  center  was  not  frozen.  Our  guide  thought  it  would  be 
dangorous  to  attempt  to  cross  the  river  in  its  present  condition,  but  the  Doctor, 
nothing  daunted,  was  the  first  to  take  the  water.  He  mounted  his  horse ;  the  guide 
and  myself  shoved  the  Doctor  and  his  horse  off  the  ice  into  the  foaming  stream. 
Away  he  went,  completely  under  water,  horse  and  all,  but  directly  came  up,  and 
after  buffeting  the  rapid,  foaming  current,  he  reached  the  ice  on  the  opposite  shore, 
a  long  way  down  the  stream.  He  leaped  from  his  horse  upon  the  ice  and  soon  had 
his  noble  animal  by  his  side.  The  guide  and  myself  forced  in  the  pack  animals 
and  followed  the  Doctor's  example,  and  were  soon  on  the  opposite  shore  drying 
our  frozen  clothes  by  a  comfortable  fire.  We  reached  Taos  in  about  thirty  days, 
suffering  greatly  from  cold  and  scarcity  of  provisions.  We  were  compelled  to  use  mule 
meat,  dogs,  and  such  other  animals  as  came  in  our  reach.  We  remained  at  Taos  a  few 
days  only,  and  started  for  Bent's  and  Savery's  Fort,  on  the  head  waters  of  the 
Arkansas  River.  When  we  had  been  out  some  fifteen  or  twenty  days,  we  met 
George  Bent,  a  brother  of  Governor  Bent,  on  his  way  to  Taos.  He  told  us  that  a 
party  of  mountain  men  would  leave  Bent's  Fort  in  a  few  days  for  St.  Louis,  but 
said  we  would  not  reach  the  fort  with  our  pack  animals  in  time  to  join  the  party. 
The  Doctor  being  very  anxious  to  join  the  party  so  he  could  push  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible  to  Washington,  concluded  to  leave  myself  and  the  guide  with  the  animals, 
and  he  himself  taking  the  best  animal  with  some  bedding  and  a  small  allowance 
of  provisions,  started  alone,  hoping  by  rapid  traveling  to  reach  the  fort  in  time  to 
join  the  St.  Louis  party,  but  to  do  so  he  would  have  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath,  some 
thing  he  had  not  done  before.  Myself  and  the  guide  traveled  on  slowly,  and  reached 
the  fort  in  four  days,  but  imagine  our  astonishment  when  on  making  inquiry  about 
the  Doctor  we  were  told  that  he  had  not  arrived  nor  had  he  been  heard  of.  I 
learned  that  the  party  for  St.  Louis  was  camped  at  the  Big  Cottonwood,  forty  miles 
from  the  fort,  and  at  my  request  Mr.  Savery  sent  an  express,  telling  the  party  not 
to  proceed  any  further  until  we  learned  something  of  Dr.  Whitman's  whereabouts, 
as  he  wished  to  accompany  them  to  St.  Louis.  Being  furnished  by  the  gentlemen 
of  the  fort  with  a  suitable  guide,  I  started  in  search  of  the  Doctor,  and  traveled 
up  the  river  about  one  hundred  miles.  I  learned  from  the  Indians  that  a  man  had 
been  there  who  was  lost  and  was  trying  to  find  Bent's  Fort.  They  said  they  had 
directed  him  to  go  down  the  river  and  how  to  find  the  fort.  I  knew  from  their 
description  it  was  the  Doctor.  I  returned  to  the  fort  as  rapidly  as  possible,  but  the 
Doctor  had  not  arrived.  We  had  all  become  very  anxious  about  him.  Late  in  the 
afternoon  he  came  in  very  much  fatigued  and  desponding;  said  that  he  knew  that 
God  had  bewildered  him  to  punish  him  for  traveling  on  the  Sabbath.  During  the 
whole  trip  he  was  very  regular  in  his  morning  and  evening  devotions,  and  that 
was  the  only  time  I  ever  knew  him  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath. 

Whitman  at  once  pushed  on  with  the  mountaineers,  leaving 
Lovejoy  at  Bent's  Fort,  and  reached  St.  Louis  in  February.  There 
he  inquired  eagerly  about  the  status  of  negotiations  on  the  Oregon 
Question,  and  learned  that  the  Ash  burton- Webster  treaty  had  been 
signed  on  the  ninth  of  the  preceding  August,  been  ratified  by  the 
Senate,  and  had  been  proclaimed  by  the  President  on  the  tenth  of 
November.  He  was  too  late  by  more  than  three  months  to  have 
prevented  the  treaty;  but  his  journey  was  not  in  vain,  for  the 


DE.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF   FORTY-THREE.         271 

Oregon  boundary  had  not  been  included  in  the  treaty,  had  not  even 
been  discussed,  in  fact,  as  appears  from  Mr.  Webster's  speeches  and 
correspondence.  This  intelligence  brought  relief  to  the  Doctor's 
overwrought  feelings.  There  was  still  an  opportunity  for  him  to 
accomplish  his  purpose.  He  found  great  preparations  being  made  all 
along  the  frontier  to  emigrate  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  as  has  been 
previously  shown,  notwithstanding  the  prevailing  opinion  that 
wagons  could  not  proceed  beyond  Fort  Hall.  He  immediately 
wrote  a  small  pamphlet  describing  Oregon  and  the  nature  of  the 
route  thither,  urging  the  people  to  emigrate  and  assuring  them  that 
wagons  could  go  through,  and  that  he  would  join  them  and  be  their 
pilot.  This  pamphlet  and  his  earnest  personal  appeals  were  effica 
cious  in  adding  somewhat  to  the  number  of  emigrants,  though  it  is 
a  fact  that  probably  the  greater  portion  of  those  who  started  from 
the  border  of  Missouri  in  May  never  heard  of  Dr.  Whitman  until 
he  joined  them  on  the  route.  That  Whitman's  efforts  added  some 
what  to  the  number  of  emigrants  is  true,  but  that  he  initiated  the 
movement,  or  even  contributed  largely  to  it,  does  not  appear.  He 
was  too  late  for  that;  the  movement  was  well  under  way  before  his 
arrival. 

After  writing  his  pamphlet  his  next  anxiety  was  to  reach  Wash 
ington  before  Congress  adjourned,  so  that  he  might  have  an  oppor 
tunity  to  meet  Congressmen  and  urge  upon  them  the  claims  of 
Oregon.  He  did  not  undertake  to  change  his  apparel,  which  is 
thus  described  by  Dr.  William  Barrows,  who  met  him  in  St.  Louis : 
"  The  Doctor  was  in  coarse  fur  garments  and  vesting,  and  buckskin 
breeches.  He  wore  a  buffalo  coat,  with  a  head-hood  for  emergen 
cies  in  taking  a  storm  or  a  bivouac  nap.  What  with  heavy  fur 
leggins  and  boot  moccasins,  his  legs  filled  up  well  his  Mexican  stir 
rups.  With  all  this  warmth  and  almost  burden  of  skin  and  fur 
clothing,  he  bore  the  marks  of  the  irresistible  cold  and  merciless 
storms  of  his  journey.  His  fingers,  ears,  nose  and  feet  had  been 
frost-bitten,  and  were  giving  him  much  trouble." 

Such  was  Whitman  in  St.  Louis,  and  such  was  he  on  the  third 
of  March  when  he  appeared  in  Washington,  having  previously 
visited  Ithica,  New  York,  to  obtain  the  co-operation  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Parker,  his  first  missionary  associate,  and  still  later  in  Boston,  where 
he  treated  the  rebukes  of  the  officials  of  the  American  Board  with 


272  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  quiet  contempt  that  astonished  them.  He  found  the  ideas  of 
Oregon  prevailing  at  Washington  to  be  far  different  from  those  ex 
isting  on  the  frontier.  Public  men  possessed  but  a  faint  idea  of  the 
extent  and  nature  of  the  vast  area  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
deeming  it  a  region  of  sterile  soil  and  inhospitable  climate.  Since 
Lewis  and  Clarke  had  subsisted  upon  dog  meat,  and  Hunt's  party 
had  endured  such  terrible  privations  in  passing  through  it,  the 
country  lying  between  the  Cascades  and  Rocky  Mountains  had  been 
known  as  the  "  Great  American  Desert,"  and  deemed  fit  only  for 
the  abode  of  migratory  trappers  and  famine -afflicted  savages.  A 
year  later,  during  a  discussion  of  the  Oregon  Question  in  Congress, 
a  speaker  advanced  this  idea  in  the  following  language:  uWith 
the  exception  of  the  land  along  the  Willamette  and  along  a  few  of 
the  water  courses,  the  whole  country  is  among  the  most  irreclaima 
ble,  barren  wastes  of  which  we  have  read,  except  the  desert  of  Sa 
hara.  Nor  is  this  the  worst  of  it — the  climate  is  so  unfriendly  to 
human  life  that  the  native  population  has  dwindled  away  under 
the  ravages  of  its  malaria  to  a  degree  which  defies  all  history  to 
furnish  a  parallel  in  so  wide  a  range  of  country."  To  demonstrate 
the  error  of  this  idea,  and  that  Oregon  could  be  populated  by  emi 
gration  from  the  East,  was  Whitman's  task.  He  had  numerous  in 
terviews  with  public  men,  including  President  Tyler  and  Secretary 
Webster,  in  which  he  urged  upon  them  the  importance  of  securing 
as  much  of  that  indefinite  region  known  as  "  Oregon  "  as  possible, 
declaring  that,  so  far  was  it  from  being  a  sterile  waste,  its  agricul 
tural  and  timber  resources  were  unbounded.  He  called  their  atten 
tion  to  the  large  emigration  already  preparing,  and  confidently  de 
clared  that  he  was  able  to,  and  would,  guide  them  through  by  a 
route  over  which  wagons  could  travel  to  the  Willamette.  His 
earnest  protestations  made  a  deep  impression  upon  many,  especially 
President  Tyler,  and  he  was  assured  that  if  he  could  thus  demon 
strate  the  practicability  of  colonizing  Oregon  by  emigration  across 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  it  would  have  a  powerful  effect  upon  the 
solution  of  the  vexed  Oregon  Question.  The  same  writers,  whose 
tendency  toward  romancing  has  been  pointed  out  above,  have 
allowed  their  imaginations  too  much  liberty  in  their  relation  of  the 
incidents  connected  with  Whitman's  visit  to  Washington.  Nothing 
more  is  known  of  what  occurred  there  than  the  crude  facts  just  re- 


DR.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY-THREE.         273 

lated ;  and  yet  these  writers  undertake  to  state  the  exact  language 
employed  by  Dr.  Whitman,  President  Tyler,  Secretary  Webster, 
and  others.  Those  words  were  never  recorded,  nor  do  these  writers 
lay  claim  to  direct  information  from  the  men  who  uttered  them,  and 
common  regard  for  the  purity  of  historical  statements  should  cause 
them  to  refrain  from  any  such  clairvoyant  efforts. 

When  Whitman  had  accomplished  the  main  object  of  his  journey 
at  Washington,  he  proceeded  to  Boston  to  attend  to  the  official 
business  which  had  been  the  ostensible  cause  of  his  visit.  This  was 
so  unimportant  that  the  officers  of  the  Board  rebuked  him  for  leav 
ing  his  mission  upon  such  a  trivial  pretext;  but  he  shamed  them 
into  silence  by  treating  their  officious  chiclings  with  lofty  contempt. 
He  then  proceeded  to  his  home,  and,  after  spending  a  few  days 
there,  hastened  to  the  frontier  to  join  the  emigrants,  some  of  whom 
had  already  started  and  whom  he  did  not  overtake  until  they  had 
reached  the  Platte,  his  appearance  among  them  at  that  time  being 
the  first  knowledge  a  majority  of  them  had  that  such  a  man  as  Dr. 
Whitman  was  in  existence.  The  circumstances  attending  the  final 
starting  of  the  emigrants,  are  thus  related  by  Gen.  J.  W.  Nesmith:— 

Without  orders  from  any  quarter,  and  without  preconcert,  promptly  as  the  grass 
began  to  start,  the  emigrants  began  to  assemble  near  Independence,  at  a  place 
called  Fitzhugh's  Mill.  On  the  seventeenth  day  of  May,  1843,  notices  were  circulated 
through  the  different  encampments  that  on  the  succeeding  day,  those  who  contem 
plated  emigrating  to  Oregon,  would  meet  at  a  designated  point  to  organize. 
Promptly  at  the  appointed  hour  the  motley  groups  assembled.  They  consisted  of  peo 
ple  from  all  the  States  and  Territories,  and  nearly  all  nationalities  ;  the  most,  how 
ever,  from  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Iowa,  and  all  strangers  to  one  another, 
but  impressed  with  some  crude  idea  that  there  existed  an  imperative  necessity  for 
some  kind  of  an  organization  for  mutual  protection  against  the  hostile  Indians 
inhabiting  the  great  unknown  wilderness  stretching  away  to  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  and  which  they  were  about  to  traverse  with  their  wives  and  children, 
household  goods,  and  all  their  earthly  possessions. 

Many  of  the  emigrants  were  from  the  western  tier  of  counties  of  Missouri, 
known  as  the  Platte  Purchase,  and  among  them  was  Peter  H.  Burnett,  a  former 
merchant,  who  had  abandoned  the  yard-stick  and  become  a  lawyer  of  some  celeb 
rity  for  his  ability  as  a  smooth-tongued  advocate.  He  subsequently  emigrated  to 
California,  and  was  elected  the  first  Governor  of  the  Golden  State,  was  afterward 
Chief  Justice,  and  still  an  honored  resident  of  that  State.  Mr.  Burnett,  or  as  he 
was  familiarly  designated,  "  Pete,"  was  called  upon  for  a  speech.  Mounting  a  log, 
the  glib-tongued  orator  delivered  a  glowing,  florid  address.  He  commenced  by 
showing  his  audience  that  the  then  western  tier  of  States  and  Territories  was  over 
crowded  with  a  redundant  population,  who  had  not  sufficient  elbow  room  for  the 
expansion  of  their  enterprise  and  genius,  and  it  was  a  duty  they  owed  to  them 
selves  and  posterity  to  strike  out  in  search  of  a  more  expanded  field  and  more 
genial  climate,  where  the  soil  yielded  the  richest  return  for  the  slightest  amount  of 


274  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cultivation,  where  the  trees  were  loaded  with  perennial  fruit,  and  where  a  good  sub 
stitute  for  bread,  called  La  Camash,  grew  in  the  ground,  salmon  and  other  fish 
crowded  the  streams,  and  where  the  principal  labor  of  the  settler  would  be  confined 
to  keeping  their  gardens  free  from  the  inroads  of  buffalo,  elk,  deer  and  wild  turkeys. 
He  appealed  to  our  patriotism  by  picturing  forth  the  glorious  empire  we  would 
establish  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  How,  with  our  trusty  rifles,  we  would  drive 
out  the  British  usurpers  who  claimed  the  soil,  and  defend  the  country  from  the 
avarice  and  pretensions  of  the  British  lion,  and  how  posterity  would  honor  us  for 
placing  the  fairest  portion  of  our  land  under  the  dominion  of  the  stars  and  stripes. 
He  concluded  with  a  slight  allusion  to  the  trials  and  hardships  incident  to  the  trip, 
and  dangers  to  be  encountered  from  hostile  Indians  on  the  route,  and  those  inhabit 
ing  the  country  whither  we  were  bound.  He  furthermore  intimated  a  desire  to 
look  upon  the  tribe  of  noble  "red  men"  that  the  valiant  and  well-armed  crowd 
around  him  could  not  vanquish  in  a  single  encounter. 

Other  speeches  were  made,  full  of  glowing  descriptions  of  the  fair  land  of  prom 
ise,  the  far-away  Oregon,  which  no  one  in  the  assemblage  had  ever  seen,  and  of 
which  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  had  ever  read  any  account.  After  the  election  of 
Mr.  Burnett  as  captain,  and  other  necessary  officers,  the  meeting,  as  motley  and 
primitive  a  one  as  ever  assembled,  adjourned,  with  "three  cheers"  for  Captain 
Burnett  and  Oregon.  On  the  29th  day  of  May,  1843,  after  a  pretty  thorough  mili 
tary  organization,  we  took  up  our  line  of  march,  with  Captain  John  Gantt,  an  old 
army  officer,  who  combined  the  character  of  trapper  and  mountaineer,  as  our  guide. 
Gantt  had  in  his  wanderings  been  as  far  as  Green  River,  and  assured  us  of  the 
practicability  of  a  wagon  road  thus  far.  Green  River,  the  extent  of  our  guide's 
knowledge  in  that  direction,  was  riot  half-way  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  the  then 
only  inhabited  portion  of  Oregon.  Beyond  that  we  had  not  the  slightest  conject 
ure  of  the  condition  of  the  country.  We  went  forth  trusting  to  the  future,  and 
would  doubtless  have  encountered  more  difficulties  than  we  experienced  had  not 
Dr.  Whitman  overtaken  us  before  we  reached  the  terminus  of  our  guide's  knowl 
edge.  He  was  familiar  with  the  whole  route  and  was  confident  that  wagons  could 
pass  through  the  canyons  and  gorges  of  Snake  River  and  over  the  Blue  Mountains, 
which  the  mountaineers  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Hall  declared  to  be  a  physical 
impossibility. 

Captain  Grant,  then  in  charge  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  at  Fort  Hall, 
endeavored  to  dissuade  us  from  proceeding  further  with  our  wagons,  and  showed 
us  the  wagons  that  the  emigrants  of  the  preceding  year  had  abandoned,  as  an  evi 
dence  of  the  impracticability  of  our  determination.  Dr.  Whitman  was  persistent 
in  his  assertions  that  wagons  could  proceed  as  far  as  the  Grand  Dalles  of  the  Colum 
bia  River,  from  which  point  he  asserted  they  could  be  taken  down  by  rafts  or 
batteaux  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  while  our  stock  could  be  driven  by  an  Indian 
trail  over  the  Cascade  Mountains,  near  Mount  Hood.  Happily  Whitman's  ad 
vice  prevailed,  and  a  large  number  of  the  wagons  with  a  portion  of  the  stock, 
did  reach  Walla  Walla  and  The  Dalles,  from  which  points  they  were  taken  to  the 
Willamette  the  following  year.  Had  we  followed  Grant's  advice  and  abandoned 
the  cattle  and  wagons  at  Fort  Hall,  much  suffering  must  have  ensued,  as  a  sufficient 
number  of  horses  to  carry  the  women  and  children  of  the  party  could  not  have 
been  obtained,  besides  wagons  and  cattle  were  indispensable  to  men  expecting  to 
live  by  farming  in  a  country  destitute  of  such  articles. 

At  Fort  Hall  we  fell  in  with  some  Cayuse  and  Nez  Perce  Indians  returning 
from  the  buffalo  country,  and  as  it  was  necessary  for  Dr.  Whitman  to  precede  us  to 
Walla  Walla,  he  recommended  to  us  a  guide  in  the  person  of  an  old  Cayuse  Indian 
called  "  Sticcus."  He  was  a  faithful  old  fellow,  perfectly  familiar  with  all  the  trails 
and  topography  of  the  country  from  Fort  Hall  to  The  Dalles,  and  although  not 


DE.  WHITMAN  AND  THE  EMIGRATION  OF  FORTY -THREE. 


275 


speaking  a  word  of  English,  and  no  one  in  our  party  a  word  of  Cayuse,  he  suc 
ceeded  by  pantomime  in  taking  us  over  the  roughest  wagon  route  I  ever  saw. 

This  is  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  energy,  determination  and  patri 
otic  zeal  of  the  one  man  to  whom  is  due  the  honor  of  clearly  demon 
strating  to  the  world  the  of  ten -denied  fact  that  there  was  a  practicable 
route  into  Oregon  for  the  white -topped  wagon  of  the  emigrant.  A 
score  of  other  intelligent  gentlemen  have  testified  to  the  same  effect, 
but  it  is  obviously  unnecessary  to  give  more  than  a  bare  mention 
of  the  fact. 

The  following  list  contains  the  names  of  every  male  member  of 
that  great  train  over  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  It  was  prepared  by 
J.  W.  Nesmith  when  the  train  was  organized,  and  was  preserved 
among  his  papers  for  a  third  of  a  century  before  given  for  publica 
tion.  All  reached  the  Willamette  Valley,  except  a  few,  the  excep 
tions  being  designated  by  marks  and  foot  notes:— 

Applegate,  Jesse        Boardman, *        Dorm,  Jacob  Fowler,  Henry 

Applegate,  Charles    Baldridge,  Wm. 
Applegate,  Lindsay  Cason,  F.  C. 


Athey,  James 
Athey,  William 
Atkinson,  John* 
Arthur,  Wm. 
Arthur.  Robert 
Arthur,  David 
Butler,  Amon 
Brooke,  George 
Burnett,  Peter  H. 
Bird,  David 


Cason,  James 
Chapman,  Wm. 
Cox,  John 
Champ,  Jacob 
Cooper,  L.  C. 
Cone,  James 
Childers,  Moses 
Carey,  Miles 
Coehran,  Thomas 
Clymour,  L. 


Davis,  Thomas  Fairly,  Stephen 

Delany,  Daniel  Fendall,  Charles 

Delany,  Daniel,  Jr.    Gantt,  John* 


Brown,  Thomas  A.    Copenhaver,  John 
Blevins,  Alexander  Caton,  J.  H. 


Brooks,  John  P. 
Brown,  Martin 
Brown,  Oris 
Black,  J.  P. 
Bane,  Lay  ton 
Baker,  Andrew 
Baker,  John  G. 
Beagle,  William 
Boyd,  Levy 
Baker,  William 
Biddle,  Nicholas} 
Beale,  George 
Braidy,  James 
Beadle,  George 


Delany,  William 
Doke,  William 
Davis,  J.  H. 
Davis,  Burrell 
Dailey,  George 
Doherty,  John 

Dawson, * 

Eaton,  Charles 
Eaton,  Nathan 
Etch  ell,  James 
Emerick,  Solomon 
Eaker,  John  W. 
Edson,  E.  G. 
Eyres,  Milesf 
East,  John  W. 


Chappel,  Alfred 

Cronin,  Daniel 

Cozine,  Samuel 

Costable,  Benedict 

Childs,  Joseph* 

Clark,  Ransom 

Campbell,  John  G.    Ford,  Ephriam 

Chapman, 

Chase,  James 
Dodd,  Solomon 
Dement,  Wm.  C. 
Dougherty,  W.  P. 
Day,  Williamf 
Duncan,  James 


Gray,  Chiley  B. 
Garrison,  Enoch 
Garrison,  J.  W. 
Garrison,  W.  J. 
Gardner,  Samuel 
Gardner,  Wm. 
Gilmore,  Mat, 
Goodman,  Richard 
Gilpin,  Major 

Gray, 

Haggard,  B. 
Hide,  H.  H. 
Holmes,  Wm. 
Holmes,  Riley  A. 


Hobson,  John 

Everman,  Niniwon  Hobson,  Wm. 
Ford,  Nineveh  Hembree,  Andrew 

Hembree,  J.  J. 

Ford,  Nimrod  Hembree,  James 

Ford,  John  Hembree,  A.  J. 

Francis,  Alexander}  Hall,  Samuel  B. 
Frazier,  Abner  Houk,  James 

Frazier,  Wm.  Hughes,  Wm.  P. 

Fowler,  Wm.  Hendrick,  Abijah 

Fowler,  Wm.  J.         Hays,  James 


*  Turned  off  at  Fort  Hall  and  went  to  California. 

t  Died  on  the  route. 

1  Turned  back  at  the  Platte. 


276 


IIISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Hensley,  Thomas  J.*Lauderdale,  John 

Otie,  M.  B. 

Stevenson,  

Holley,  B. 

McGee,  * 

O'Neil,  Bennett 

Story,  James 

Hunt,  Henry 

Martin,  Wm.  J.* 

Olinger,  A. 

Swift,  

Holderness,  S.  M. 

Martin,  James 

Parker,  Jesse 

Shively,  John  M. 

Hutchins,  Isaac 

Martin,  Julius* 

Parker,  William 

Shirly,  Samuel 

Husted,  A. 

McClelland,  * 

Pennington,  J.  B. 

Stoughton.  Alex. 

Hess,  Joseph 

McClelland,  F.* 

Poe,  R.  H. 

Spencer,  Chancey 

Haun,  Jacob 

Mills.  John  B. 

Paynter,  Samuel 

Strait,  Hiram 

Howell,  John 

Mills.  Isaac 

Patterson,  J.  R. 

Summers,  George 

Howell,  Wm. 

Mills,  Wm.  A. 

Pickett,  Charles  E. 

Stringer,  Cornelius 

Howell,  Wesley 

Mills.  Owen 

Pri'-rg,  Frederick 

Stringer,  C.  W.f 

Howell,  G.  W. 

McGarey,  G.  W. 

Paine,  Claybornf 

Tharp,  Lindsey 

Howell,  Thomas  E. 

Mondon,  Gilbert 

Reading,  P.  B.* 

Thompson,  John 

Hill,  Henry 

Matheny,  Daniel 

Rodders,  S.  P. 

Trainor,  D. 

Hill,  William 

Matheny,  Adam 

Rodgers,  G.  W. 

Teller,  Jeremiah 

Hill,  Almoran 

Matheny,  J.  N. 

Russell,  William 

Tarbox,  Stephen 

Hewett  Henry 

Matheny,  Josiah 

Roberts,  James 

Umnicker,  John 

Hargrove,  Wm. 

Matheny,  Henry 

Rice,  G.  W. 

Vance,  Samuel 

Hoyt,  A. 

Mastire,  A.  J. 

Richardson,  John 

Vaughn,  William 

Holman,  John 

McHaley,  John 

Richardson,  Danielf 

Vernon,  George 

Holman,  Daniel 

Myers,  Jacob 

Ruby,  Philip 

Wilmont,  James 

Harrigas,  B. 

Manning,  John 

Ricord,  John 

Wilson,  Wm.  H. 

James,  Calvin 

Manning,  James 

Reid.  Jacob 

Wair,  J.  W. 

Jackson,  John  B. 

McCarver,  M.  M. 

Roe,  John 

Winkle,  Archibald 

Jones,  John 

McCorcle,  George 

Roberts,  Solomon 

Williams,  Edward 

Johnson,  Overton 

Mays.  William 

Roberts,  Emseley 

Wheeler,  H. 

Keyser,  Thomas 

Millican.  'Elijah 

Rossi  n,  Joseph 

Wagoner,  John 

Keyser,  J.  B. 

McDaniel,  William 

Rivers,  Thomas 

Williams,  Benjamin 

Keyser,  Plasant 

McKissic,  D. 

Smith,  Thomas  H. 

Williams,  David 

Kelley,  

Malone,  Madison- 

Smith,  Thomas 

Wilson,  Wm. 

Kelsey,  

McClane,  John  B. 

Smith,  Isaac  W. 

Williams,  John* 

Lovejoy,  A.  L. 

Mauzee,  William 

Smith,  Anderson 

Williams,  James* 

Lenox,  Edward 

Mclntire,  John* 

Smith,  Ahi 

Williams,  Squire* 

Lenox,  E. 

Moore,  JacksonJ 

Smith,  Robert 

Williams,  Isaac* 

Layson,  Aaron 

Matney,  W.  J. 

Smith,  Eli 

Ward,  T.  B. 

Looney,  Jesse 

Nesmith,  J.  W. 

Sheldon,  William 

White,  James 

Long,  John  E. 

Newby,  W.  T. 

Stewart,  P.  G. 

Watson,  Jno.  (Betty) 

Lee.  H.  A.  G. 

Newman.  Noah 

Sutton,  Dr.  Nathan  '1  Waters,  James 

Lugur,  F.J 

Naylor,  Thomas 

Stimmerman,  C. 

Winter,  Wm. 

Linebarger,  Lew 

Osborn,  Neil 

Sharp,  C. 

Waldo,  Daniel 

Linebarger,  John 

O'Brien,  Hugh  D. 

Summers,  W.  C. 

Waldo,  David 

Laswell,  Isaac 

O'Brien,  Humphrey 

Sewell,  Henry 

Waldo,  William 

Loughborough,  J.J 

Owen,  Thomas  A. 

Stout,  Henry 

Zachary,  Alexander 

Little,  Milton* 

Owen,  Thomas 

Sterling,  George 

Zachary,  John 

Luther,  

Otie,  E.  W. 

Stout,  

There  were  in  Oregon  at  the  time  the  train  arrived,  the  follow 
ing  individuals,  a  few  names,  possibly,  having  been  omitted  from 
the  list: — 


*  Turned  off  at  Fort  Hall  and  went  to  California. 

t  Died  on  the  route. 

J  Turned  back  at  tfce  Platte. 


AMERICANS  ORGANIZE  A  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 


277 


Armstrong,  Pleasant  Ebbetts,  Squire 


Burns,  Hugh 

Brown, 

Brown,  William 

Brown, 

Black,  J.  M. 

Baldro, 

Balis,  James 
Bailey,  Dr. 
Brainard, 


Edwards  John 
Foster,  Philip 
Force,  John 
Force,  James 
Fletcher,  Francis 
Gay,  George 
Gale  Joseph 

Girtman, 

Hathaway,  Felix 


Crawford,  Medorem  Hatch,  Peter  H. 


Carter,  David 
Campbell,  Samuel 
Campbell,  Jack 
Craig,  Wm. 
Cook,  Amos 
Cook,  Aaron 

Connor, 

Cannon,  William 
Davy,  Allen 
Doty,  William 
Eakin,  Richard 


Hubbard,  Thomas  J 
Hewitt,  Adam 
Horegon,  Jeremiah 
Holman,  Joseph 
Hall,  David 
Hoxhurst,  Weberly 

Hutch  inson, 

Johnson,  William 

King, 

Kelsey, 

Lewis,  Reuben 


LeBreton,  G,  W. 
Larrison,  Jack 
Meek,  Joseph  L. 
Matthieu,  F.  X. 
McClure,  John 
Moss,  S.  W. 
Moore,  Robert 

McFadden, 

McCarty,  William 
McKay,  Charles 
McKay,  Thomas 
McKay,  William  C, 

Morrison, 

Mack,  J.  W. 

Newbanks, 

Newell,  Robert 
O'Neil,  James  A. 
Pettygrove,  F.  W. 
Pomeroy,  D wight 
Pomeroy,  Walter 

Perry, 

Rimmick, 


Russell,  Osborn 
Robb,  J.  R. 
Shortess,  Robert 
Smith,  Sidney 

Smith, 

Smith,  Andrew 
Smith,  Andrew,  Jr. 
Smith,  Darling 

Spence, 

Sailor,  Jack 
Turnham,  Joel 
Turner,  John 
Taylor,  Hiram 
Tibbetts,  Calvin 
Trask,  - 
Walker,  C.  M. 
Warner,  Jack 
Wilson,  A.  E. 
Winslow,  David 
WTilkins,  Caleb 
Wood,  Henry 
Williams.  B. 


In  addition  to  the  above  were  the  following  gentlemen   con 
nected  with  the  various  Protestant  missions: — 


Leslie,  David 
Parrish,  J.  L. 
Perkins,  H.  K.  W. 
Raymond,  H.  W. 
bpalding,  W.  H. 


Waller,  A.  F. 
Walker,  E. 
Whitman,  Dr.  M. 
White,  Dr.  Elijah 
Willson,  Wm.  H. 


Abernethy,  George    Eells,  C. 
Babeock,  Dr.  J.  L.     Gray,  W.  H. 
Beers,  Alanson  Hines,  Gustavus 

Brewer,  —  Judson,  L.  H. 

Campbell,  Hamilton  Lee,  Jas<-n 
Clark,  Harvey 

In  addition  to  these  were  some  fifty  former  employees  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  nearly  all  of  whom  had  settled  on  French 
Prairie,  and  a  number  of  priests  connected  with  the  Catholic 
mission,  making  a  total  male  population  at  the  close  of  the  year 
1843  of  about  four  hundred  and  thirty,  exclusive  of  the  officers  and 
actual  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

Following  in  the  wake  of  the  emigrants  came  the  party  of  Lieu 
tenant  John  C.  Fremont,  who  had  explored  the  Rocky  Mountains 
the  year  before,  and  who  had  been  this  season  dispatched  by  the 
Government  upon  an  official  tour  of  exploration  to  the  Pacific. 
After  spending  a  few  days  at  Vancouver,  he  passed  south,  crossed 
the  Cascades  to  Eastern  Oregon,  continu  d  south  into  Nevada,  and 
in  January,  1844,  crossed  the  snowy  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas 
to  Sutter's  Fort  in  Sacramento  Valley.  The  title  of  u  Pathfinder" 
was  bestowed  upon  him,  though  he  was  guided  nearly  everywhere 


278  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

by  mountain  men  who  were  familiar  with  the  country,  and  found 
the  route  to  Oregon  plainly  marked  by  the  emigrants'  wagon 
wheels.  On  this  subject  Mr.  Nesrnith  says:— 

In  the  Eastern  States,  I  have  often  been  asked  how  long  it  was  after  Fremont 
discovered  Oregon  that  I  emigrated  there.  It  is  true  that  in  the  year  1843,  Fre 
mont,  then  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Engineer  Corps,  did  cross  the  plains,  and  brought 
his  party  to  The  Dalles,  and  visited  Vancouver  to  procure  supplies.  I  saw  him  on 
the  plains,  though  he  reached  The  Dalles  in  the  rear  of  our  emigration.  His  outfit 
contained  all  of  the  conveniences  and  luxuries  that  a  Government  appropriation 
could  procure,  while  he  "roughed  it"  in  a  covered  carriage,  surrounded  by  servants 
paid  from  the  public  purse.  He  returned  to  the  States  and  was  afterward  rewarded 
with  a  Presidential  nomination  as  the  "  Pathfinder."  The  path  he  found  was  made 
by  the  hardy  frontiersmen  who  preceded  him  to  the  Pacific,  and  who  stood  by  their 
rifles  here  and  held  the  country  against  hostile  Indians  and  British  threats,  without 
Government  aid  or  recognition  until  1849,  when  the  first  Government  troops  came 
to  our  relief.  Yet  Fremont,  with  many  people,  has  the  credit  of  "  finding  "  every 
thing  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  I  suppose  his  pretensions  will  be  recog 
nized  by  the  future  historian,  while  the  deserving  men  who  made  the  path,  unaided 
by  Government,  will  be  forgotten.  "  And  such  is  history." 

Thus  close  the  events  of  1843,  leaving  Oregon  with  a  Provisional 
Government  and  a  population  of  intelligent,  earnest,  hardy  Ameri 
can  pioneers  sufficiently  great  to  determine  its  future  as  a  party  of 
the  great  Republic  whose  institutions  they  had  thus  planted  in  these 
remote  regions. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


1844  TO  1849. 

Indian  Difficulty  at  Oregon  City — First  Military  Company — Methodist 
Missions  Abandoned — Increase  of  the  Catholic   Workers — Election 
of  1844 — Abstract  of  Votes — Proceedings  of  the  Legislative   Com 
mittee — Emigration  of  1844 — List  of  Emigrants — Election  of  184.5 
— George  Abernethy  Chosen  First  Governor  of  Oregon — Abstract  of 
Votes — Oath  of  Office — Dr.  White  and  the  Memorial  to  Congress — 
Wheat   a   Legal    Tender — Census  of  IS 45 — Emigration  of  1845— 
Meek  Takes  the  Emigrants  by  a  New  Route  and  Loses  Them  in  the 
Mountains — The  Eventful  Year  of  1846 — Mr.  Blainds  Account  of 
the  Settlement  of  the  Oregon  Question — Election  of  1846 — Emigra 
tion  of  1846 — The  Applegate  Trail — Flags  of  the  Schooner  "Shark  " 
—Emigration  of  18 '47 — The  Traveling  Nursery — Elections  of  1841 
and  1848 — Emigration  of  1848. 

FT1HERE  was  trouble  in  the  Willamette  Valley  in  1844,  which 
JL  served  to  still  more  embitter  the  Indians  against  the  Americans. 
There  was  a  sub-chief  of  the  Molallas  named  "  Cockstock,"  a  man 
of  independent  nature  and  belligerent  disposition.  He  had  a  few 
followers  who  partook  somewhat  of  his  spirit,  and  they  were  gen 
erally  the  prime  movers  in  such  small  hostile  acts  as  the  natives  of 
the  Willamette  indulged  in.  He  was  rebellious  of  restraint,  and 
not  friendly  to  the  encroachment  of  the  white  settlers.  A  relative 
of  his  having  mistreated  Mr.  Perkins  at  The  Dalles  Mission,  was 
sentenced  by  the  Wasco  tribe  to  be  punished  according  to  Dr. 
White's  laws.  The  sub -chief  was  enraged  at  the  whipping  his 
kinsman  had  received,  and  set  out  to  revenge  the  insult  upon  the 


280  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Indian  Agent.  Reaching  the  Agent's  Willamette  home  during  his 
absence,  he  proceeded  to  break  every  window-pane  in  the  house. 
He  was  pursued,  but  not  caught,  and  became  an  object  of  terror  to 
the  Doctor.  All  depredations  committed  in  the  country  were 
charged  to  this  chief,  and  it  finally  resulted  in  the  offer  by  Dr. 
White  of  one  hundred  dollars'  reward  for  the  arrest  of  the  formid 
able  Indian.  Learning  that  he  was  being  accused  of  acts  commit 
ted  by  others,  the  chief  visited  Oregon  City  March  4,  accompanied 
by  four  of  his  band,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  having  a  talk  with 
the  whites  for  the  purpose  of  exculpating  himself.  He  entered  the 
town,  staid  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  crossed  the  river  to  visit  an 
Indian  village  to  procure  an  Indian  interpreter.  He  then  re-crossed 
the  Willamette,  when  several  men  undertook  to  arrest  him,  and  a 
desperate  fight  ensued.  Cockstock  was  killed,  and  his  followers, 
after  fighting  valiantly  until  the  odds  became  too  great,  made  good 
their  escape.  On  the  other  side  George  W.  LeBreton  was  killed 
by  Cockstock,  and  Mr.  Rogers,  who  was  working  quietly  near  by, 
was  wounded  in  the  arm  by  a  poisoned  arrow,  which  caused  his 
death.  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  Molalla  chief  attacked  the 
town,  but  it  requires  too  much  credulity  to  believe  that  five  Indians 
would  in  broad  daylight  attack  a  town  containing  ten  times  their 
number.  The  whole  affair  is  chargeable  to  the  rash  conduct  of  a 
few  men  who  were  too  eager  to  gain  the  paltry  reward  offered  by 
Dr.  White,  one  of  whom  paid  for  his  cupidity  with  his  life.  Fear 
ing  that  trouble  might  follow,  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Provisional  Government  issued  a  proclamation  for  the  organization 
of  a  military  company.  A  company  was  organized  on  the  tenth 
of  March  by  citizens  who  assembled  at  Charnpoeg.  Nineteen 
names  were  enrolled ;  T.  D.  Keizer  being  elected  Captain,  and  J. 
L.  Morrison  and  Mr.  F.  C.  (or  James)  Cason,  Lieutenants.  Their 
services  were  not  required. 

In  May,  1844,  Rev.  George  Gary  arrived  by  sea  to  supersede 
Jason  Lee  in  charge  of  the  Methodist  missions,  the  latter  being 
already  on  his  way  East.  The  mission  property  was  immediately 
sold  and  the  missionary  work,  which  had  amounted  to  little  for 
several  years,  so  far  as  accomplishments  were  concerned,  was  dis 
continued,  except  at  The  Dalles.  While  the  Methodists  were  thus 
withdrawing  from  the  field,  the  Catholics  were  largely  increasing 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  281 

their  force.  Among  other  arrivals  for  that  purpose  were  six  sisters 
of  the  order  of  Notre  Dame,  who  came  to  found  a  convent  in  the 
Willamette.  Father  P.  J.  DeSmet,  who  had  previously  founded  a 
mission  among  the  Flatheads,  brought  the  sisters  to  Oregon  by  sea, 
being  also  accompanied  by  four  priests  and  several  laymen.  Three 
other  priests  came  overland  from  St.  Louis.  As  Father  Blanchet 
expresses  it :  u  The  schemes  of  the  Protestant  ministers  had  been 
fought  and  nearly  annihilated,  especially  at  Nesqually,  Vancouver, 
Cascades,  Clackamas  and  Willamette  Falls,  so  that  a  visitor  came 
in  1844  and  disbanded  the  whole  Methodist  Mission,  and  sold  its 
property." 

On  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1844,  an  election  was  held  for  officers 
of  the  Provisional  Government,  at  which  some  two  hundred  votes 
were  cast.  P.  G.  Stewart,  Osborn  Russell  and  W.  J.  Bailey  were 
chosen  Executive  Committee  ;  Dr.  J.  L.  Babcock,  Supreme  Judge  ; 
Dr.  John  E.  Long,  Clerk  and  Recorder  ;  Philip  Foster,  Treasurer  ; 
Joseph  L.  Meek,  Sheriff.  The  Territory  had  been  partitioned  into 
three  Legislative  Districts.  Tualatin  District  included  what  is  now 
Washington,  Multnomah,  Columbia,  Clatsop,  Tillamook,  Yamhill 
and  Polk  Counties.  Champoeg  District  has  since  been  divided  into 
Linn,  Marion,  Lane,  Josephine,  Coos,  Curry,  Benton,  Douglas  and 
Jackson  Counties.  In  the  Clackamas  District  were  Clackamas 
County  and  the  eastern  part  of  Oregon,  a  portion  of  Montana,  and 
all  of  Idaho  and  Washington  Territories.  On  the  following  page 
are  the  tabulated  returns  of  this  first  popular  election  held  in 
Oregon :— 


282 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 
ELECTION  OF  MAY  14,  1844. 


IDISTIE 

MOTS. 

G.A.IISriDI^-A.'i'Jij'tJ. 

CLACKAMAS. 

TUALATIN. 

CIAMPOEG. 

TOTALS. 

Executive  Committee. 
P  G  Stewart*                                 - 

41 

15 

84 

140 

Osborn  Russell*                            --  - 

40 

22 

182 

244 

Alanson  Beers                               -  -     -  

21 

10 

18 

49 

Jesse  Applegate                    ____      

11 

11 

Peter  H    Burnett                    -       

10 

10 

Hugh  Burns  -               --      

6 

6 

David  Hill 

6 

6 

W  J   Bailey* 

3 

67 

70 

"\Villiarn  Dougherty 

3 

23 

26 

A   Lawrence  Loveioy 

2 

2 

Robert  Newell 

2 

10 

12 

A  J   Hernbree 

I 

1 

William  Gei^er 

7 

7 

7 

7 

Territorial  Recorder  or  Clerk. 
Dr  John  E   Long* 

33 

26 

14 

73 

O  Johnson               *                                  - 

24 

24 

C  M.  Walker 

8 

8 

J.  G.  Campbell                                            

1 

1 

A.  E.  Wilson 

2 

2 

F.  X.  Matthieu 

65 

65 

Supreme  Court  Judge. 
James  L.  Babcock  f  * 

88 

88 

J.  W.  Nesmith                                —       __  __ 

39 

39 

Peter  H.  Burnett                                     

16 

16 

P.  G.  Stewart 

2 

2 

Osborn  Russell  - 

4 

1 

5 

O.  Johnson  _          _ 

2 

2 

Territorial  Treasurer. 
Phil.  Foster*---    __      

40 

8 

48 

Nineveh  Ford  _-  _     _ 

4 

6 

10 

P.  H.  Hatch.      

4 

4 

A.E.Wilson  _    . 

2 

2 

John  E.  Long  _        _     _     _     _                  

1 

1 

W.  C.  Remick 

1 

1 

Territorial  Sheriff. 
Joseph  L.  Meek*  ___  

64 

79 

143 

B.  Harragus 

2 

2 

William  Holmes 

1 

1 

Legislative  Committee. 
M.  Gilmore* 

27 

27 

Peter  H.  Burnett* 

32 

32 

David  Hill* 

24 

24 

M.  M.  McCarver* 

20 

20 

W.  T.  Perry  

8 

8 

T.  D.  Reiser*    

67 

67 

Daniel  Waldo*  

75 

75 

Robert  Newell*. 

75 

75 

W.  H.  Grav  - 

20 

20 

W.  J.  Bailey  _ 

11 

11 

F.  C.  Cason  

18 

18 

A.  Lawrence  LovejoyJ 

*  Elected. 

+  Resigned  November  11, 1814. 

t  Elected  from.  Clackamas  District. 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  283 

The  Legislative  Committee  elected  met  at  Willamette  Falls, 
in  the  house  of  Felix  Hathaway,  June  18,  1844,  and  chose  M.  M. 
McCarver  Speaker.  A  nine  days'  session  followed,  when  they  ad 
journed  until  December  of  the  same  year.  On  the  sixteenth  of 
December  the  Legislative  Committee  met  again,  this  time  at  the 
house  of  J.  E.  Long,  in  Oregon  City,  when  a  message  was  submitted 
to  them  from  the  Executive  Committee,  in  which  an  amendment  of 
the  organic  law  was  recommended.  A  seven  days7  session  followed, 
during  which  an  act  was  passed  calling  for  a  committee  to  frame 
a  constitution.  Several  acts  were  framed  requiring  submission  to  a 
popular  vote  to  render  them  valid,  among  which  was  a  change  from 
the  triumvirate  to  gubernatorial  executive,  and  from  a  Legislative 
Committee  to  a  Legislature,  which  was  adopted  by  the  people-. 

The  emigration  of  1844  was  nearly  as  great  as  that  of  the  pre 
vious  year,  adding  some  eight  hundred  to  the  American  population, 
two  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  them  able-bodied  men.  "  They  were," 
says  Hon.  John  Minto,  "self-reliant,  determined  men;  devoted, 
loyal,  bravely -enduring  women.  They  started  from  different  points 
under  different  leaders,  and  never  united,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
divided  up  still  more  as  they  traveled,  a  single  man  sometimes 
separating  himself  from  an  entire  company,  under  the  settled  con 
viction  that  they  were  all  too  contrary  for  him  to  keep  company 
with  any  longer."  The  main  companies  had  three  starting  points 
—one  from  Independence,  one  from  near  the  mouth  of  the  Platte, 
and  one  from  Capler:s  Landing,  twelve  miles  above  St.  Joseph. 
The  last  was  commanded  by  Cornelius  Gilliam,  the  first  by  Nathan 
iel  Ford,  and  the  other  by  Major  Thorp.  The  following  nearly 
correct  list  was  made  in  later  years  by  Joseph  Watt,  Willarcl  H. 
Kees,  William  M.  Case  and  J.  Henry  Brown,  and  read  by  John 
Minto  in  his  address  before  the  Pioneer  Association  in  1877:— 

Alderman, Bowman,  Win.,  Jr.  Bayard,  Nathan  Crisman,  Gabriel 

Bird, Bowman,  Ira  Brown,  Adam  Crisman,  Wm. 

Buzzard,  Nathan  Bunton,  Elijah  Bonnin,  Peter  Chamberlain,  Aaron 

Burch,  Charles  Bunton,  Joseph  Crawford,  David  Conner,  Patrick 

Boyd,  Robert  Bunton,  Wm.  Crawford,  Lewis  Crockett,  Samuel  B' 

Black,  William  Buich,  Charles  Clark,  Daniel  Case,  Wm.  M. 

Blakely,  —  Bennett,  Capt.  C.  Clark,  Dennis  Clemens,  Wm. 

Bush,  George  W.  Bordran,  Francis  Clemens, Dougherty, 

Boggs,  Thomas  Bartrough,  Joseph  Cave,  James  Doty, 

Bowman,  Wm.,  Sr.  Bray,  Wm.  Crisman,  Joel  Davenport,  James 


284 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Dagon,  Dr. 
Durbin,  Daniel 
Dupuis.  Edward 
Emery,  C. 
Edes,  Moses 
Everman,  C. 
Eades,  John 
P^ades,  Abr. 
Eades,  Henry 
Eades,  Clark 
Eades,  Solomon 
Evans,  David 
Evans,  N,  D. 
Eddy,  Robert 
Ellick,  John 
Fleming,  John 
Ford,  Nathaniel 
Ford,  Mark 
Fruit,  James 
Fruit,  "Doc." 
Fuller,  Jenny 
Gilbert,  I.  N. 
GofF,  David 
Golf,  Samuel 
Goff,  Marion 
Grant,  David 
Giiliam,  Mitchell 
Gilliam,  Cornelius 
Giiliam  Smith 
Gilliam,  William 
Gilliam,  Porter 
Gage,  William 
Gage,  Jesse 
Goodwin,  \V.  H. 
Gillespie,  - 
Gerrish,  James 
Gerrish,  John 
Gillahan,  Martin 
Gillahan,  William 
Gilmore,  Charles 
Hinman,  Alanson 
Hedges,  A.  F. 
Hutton,  Jacob 
Hill,  Fleming 
Hawley,  J.  C. 
Hoover,  Jacob 
Holt,  T. 
Harper,  James 
Holman,  Joseph 


Howard,  John 
Hunt,  James 
Humphrey,  Norris 
Hammer,  Jacob 
Higgins,  Herman 
Hiurgins  Williams 
Hibler,  George 
Inyard,  John 
Inyard,  Abr. 
Inyard,  Peter 
Johnson,  William 
Johnson,  James 
Johnson,  David 
Johnson,  Daniel 
Johnson,  James 
Jackson,  John 
Jenkins,  David 
Jenkins,  William 
Jenkins,  Henry 
Kindred,  David 
Kindred,  Bart 
Kindred,  John 
Kinney,  Daniel 
Lee,  Barton 
Lousenaute,  John 
Lewis,  Charles 
Morgan,  William 
McGruder,  Theo. 
McGruder.  Ed. 
Min to,  John 
MrDaniei.  Joshua 
McDaniel  Elisha 
Me  Daniel,  Mrs. 

McMahan, 

Maytin,  Nehemiah 
McSwain,  Samuel 
McAllister,  James 
Morrison,  R.  W. 
Moore,  Michael 


Neal,  Calvin 

Smith,  William 

Neal,  Robert 

Smith,  Noyes 

Neal,  Alex. 

Smith,  Texas 

Neal,  Peter 

Saffron,  Henry 

Nelson,  George 

Sis,  Big 

Nelson,  Cyrus 

Stewart,  James 

Nichols,  John 

Saunders,  William 

Nichols,  Frank 

Shaw,  Joshua 

Nichols,  Benjamin 

Shaw,A.C.R.(Sheep) 

Owless,  Ruel 

Shaw,  Wash. 

Owens,  Henry 

Shaw,  Thomas 

Owens,  James 

Shaw,  B.  F. 

Owens,  John 

Shaw,  Capt.  Wm. 

Owens,  John 

Stephens,  James 

Perkins,  Joel,  Sr. 

Sager,  ,  died  on 

Perkins,  Joel,  Jr. 

the  way  at  Green 

Perkins,  John 

River. 

Parker,  David 

Saxton,  Charles 

Priest,  - 

Snelling,  Vincent 

Parrot,  Joseph 

Snelling,  Benjamin 

Pack  wood,  S. 

Snooks,  

Packwood,  T. 

Teller,  Jerry 

Payne,  R.  K. 

Thornton,  Sebrin 

Prather,  William 

Thomas,  O.  S. 

Prather,  Theodore 

Thorp,  John 

Pettie,  Eaben 

Thorp,  Alvin 

Pettie,  Arnab 

Thorp,  Theodore 

Rowland,  J. 

Thorp,  Mortimer 

ty.) 

Robinson.  Bin 
Rt'es,  Willard  H. 
Rice,  Parton 
Rice,  Mac 
Rice,  (Old  Man.) 

Ramsey, 

Ramsdell,  

Marshall,  James,  the  Sears,  Franklin 
discoverer  of  gold  Shelton,  Jackson 
at  Slitter's  Mill.      Sebring,  William 
Moreland,  Lafe          Scott,  John 
Mulky,  Westley         Scott,  Levi 
Mulkey,  Luke  Simmons,  M.  T. 

Murray, Springer, 

Mudgett, Smith,  J.  S. 

Neal,  George  Smith,  Charles 

Neal,  Attey  Smith,  Peter 


Robinson  E.(Moun-  Thorp.  Milton 
tain.)  Trues,  Cooper  Y. 

Robinson, T.G.  (Fat-  Tucker,  Benjamin 
Tucker,  Long 
Vance,  Thos.,   died 

on  the  Platte. 
Waunch,  George 
WTilliams,  Poe 

Williams, 

Wright,  Harrison 
Woodcock,  Richard 
Welsh,  James 
Walker,  James,  Sr. 
Walker,  James,  Jr. 
Walker,  Robert 
Williamson,  Henry 


Watt,  Joseph 

Warrnbough, 

Werner,  Thomas 


The  following  turned  off  and  went  to  California  : — 

Calvin, Foster,  Joseph  Greenwood,  G.  Hitchcock,   —  and 

Flomboy,  John         Greenwood,  John      Greenwood,  Britain     son. 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE. 


285 


Jackson, Montgomery,  Allen  Schallenberger,  M.     Townsend,  Dr. 

Martin,  Patrick  Montgomery,  James  Stephens,  Captain     Scott  and   Bobbin, 

Martin,  Dennis  Murphy, Martin, and  Sullivan,  John,  and      colored  men  with 

Martin,  William  five  sons.                     brother.                        Col.  Ford. 
Miller,  James 

Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Case  furnishes  the  following  list  of  ladies  who 
came  in  Major  Thorp's  company  :— 

Case,  Mrs.  Wm.  M.   Higgins,  Mrs.   Her-  Snelling,  Mrs.  Vin-  Horace  Holden  and 
Eliza,  a  mulatto  girl     man  cent  May,  his  wife,  ar- 

H.mimer,  Mrs.  Jac'b  Johnson,  Mrs.  D.       Tucker,  Mrs.  Benj.        rived  in  April  of 
Hannah,  Aunt,  a  ne- Shaw,  Mrs.  Joshua    Thorp, Miss  Amanda     this  year  from  the 
gress  Snelling,  Miss  Eliza  Sandwich  Islands. 

Of  this  emigration  Michael  T.  Simmons  and  a  few  others  located 
on  Puget  Sound,  making  the  first  American  settlement  north  of 
the  Columbia. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  JUNE  3,  1845. 

The  first  annual' election  was  held  on  the  third  of  June,  1845.     The  following 
tabular  statement  will  prove  interesting  and  of  historical  value:  — 


DISTI 

LICTS 

CA-lTDIID^TES. 

Clackamas. 

Tualatin. 

Champoeg. 

1 
JS 

Yamhill. 

i 

I 

Governor. 
George  Abernethy*                                  

46 

58 

51 

22 

51 

228 

Osborn  Kussell                    -     

22 

54 

47 

7 

13) 

William  J.  Bailey                       -     

2 

6 

60 

7 

75 

A.  Lawrence  Lovejoy  -      

44 

5 

9 

1 

12 

71 

Total  vote  cast-        - 

114 

123 

167 

23 

77 

504 

Secretary. 
John  E  Long  1* 

65 

70 

117 

6 

25 

283 

Noyes  Smith 

48 

47 

53 

12 

35 

195 

Treasurer. 
Phil  Foster 

62 

49 

47 

1 

38 

197 

Francis  Ermatin^er  2* 

51 

50 

118 

12 

2U 

251 

Judge. 
J.  W.  Nesmith  3*           -     

111 

115 

166 

17 

64 

473 

District-  A  ttorney. 
Marcus  Ford  4*          .......  

100 

78 

168 

10 

53 

409 

Assessor. 
&   W   Moss* 

53 

39 

119 

5 

216 

Jacob  Reed 

52 

48 

48 

56 

204 

Sheriff. 
Joseph  L  Meek  5* 

59 

77 

111 

5 

15 

267 

A.  J.  Hembree  ...   .  

42 

43 

54 

15 

61 

215 

*  Officers  elected. 

1.  Deceased.    Frederick  Prierg  appointed  to  fill  vacancy  June  26, 1846. 

2.  Resigned.    John  H.  Couch  appointed  to  vacancy  March  4, 1846. 

3.  Succeeded  by  Alonzo  A.  Skinner. 

4.  Resigned  February  4,  1846,   W.  G.  T' Vault  appointed  to  vacancy;  he  resigned  March  10, 

1816,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  L.  Lovejoy. 

5.  Resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  H.  M.  Knighton. 


286  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  JUNE  3,  1855— Continued. 


3 

DISTI 

2/ICTS 

O-A-IsTIDIID^TIES- 

Clackamas. 

Tualatin. 

Champoeg. 

| 

8 

A 

0 

Yamhill. 

o 

JRepresentatives* 

HA     T    T,PP* 

99 

99 

82 

82 

WTT    frrav* 

54 

54 

C  E   Pickett 

50 

50 

N    Ford 

23 

23 

M  M  McCarver* 

51 

51 

D   Lenox 

39 

39 

D   Hill* 

53 

53 

C    Satton  * 

29 

28 

V  \V   Dawson                                     -  -  - 

22 

22 

Joseph  Grclle                                                     -         - 

43 

43 

J  W   Smith*                    -     -- 

51 

51 

C   M  Walker 

47 

47 

J   1VI   Garrison*                  

128 

128 

MG   Foirv* 

131 

131 

Joseph  Gervais                       

68 

68 

Barton  Lee* 

90 

90 

W   H   WilNon 

49 

49 

Robert  Newell* 

79 

79 

A   Chamberlain 

74 

74 

F  X   Mathieu 

14 

14 

John  IVIfClure* 

11 

11 

George  Simmons 

10 

10 

Jesse  Api  >le(rate* 

38 

38 

A  H  end  rick* 

34 

34 

S   Smith 

31 

31 

J   Richardson 

29 

29 

R  Clark 

10 

10 

Convention  (to  frame  constitution) 

190 

No  Convention  (to  frame  constitution') 

283 

*    Officers  elected. 

NOTE— Theophilus  McGruder  was  appointed  Recorder  December  8,  1846.  Wm.  G.  T'Vault 
was  appointed  Postmaster-General  of  Oregon  in  December,  1816.  G.  W.  Bell  was  ap 
pointed  Auditor. 

Two  new  districts — Yamhill  and  Clatsop — had  been  formed  out 
of  Tualatin,  making  five  in  all.  In  most  of  these  were  held  nomi 
nating  conventions,  where,  also,  were  chosen  delegates  to  a  general 
convention  at  Champoeg.  A.  L.  Lovejoy  was  the  successful  aspi 
rant  for  the  gubernatorial  nomination,  defeating  Dr.  William  J. 
Bailey,  Osborn  Russell  and  George  Abernethy.  The  convention 
was  not  satisfactory,  and  all  these  gentlemen  appeared  before  the 
people  as  candidates.  By  a  combination  of  the  friends  of  Russell 
and  Abernethy,  the  latter,  who  was  then  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
was  elected. 


EIGHTEEN  FOETY-FOUE  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  287 

The  Legislature  chosen  assembled  at  Oregon  City,  June  24th, 
elected  M.  M.  McCarver  Speaker,  and  remained  in  session  two 
weeks.  The  following  oath  of  office  was  proposed  by  Jesse  Apple- 
gate,  in  view  of  the  character  of  the  people  and  their  divided  alle 
giance,  and  was  administered  to  the  members:— 

OATH  OF  OFFICE— I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  support  the  organic  laws  of 
the  Provisional  Government  of  Oregon,  so  far  as  the  said  organic  laws-  are  consist 
ent  with  my  duties  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  a  subject  of  Great  Britain, 
and  faithfully  demean  myself  in  office.  So  help  me  God. 

The  most  important  business  transacted  was  the  drafting  of  a 
memorial  to  Congress,  asking  for  a  territorial  government,  and  the 
framing  of  a  new  organic  law.  On  the  twenty-eighth  of  June  the 
memorial  was  signed  by  Russell  and  Stewart,  of  the  Executive  Com 
mittee  (Abernethy  not  having  yet  returned),  Judge  Nesmith,  and 
members  of  the  Legislature.  Dr.  Elijah  White  was  delegated  all  the 
to  convey  the  memorial  to  Washington.  The  Legislature  then  ad 
journed  to  await  the  result  of  the  constitutional  election,  which  was 
held  on  the  twenty -fifth  of  July.  This  resulted  in  two  hundred 
and  fifty -five  votes  for  the  new  law  and  only  fifty -two  for  the  old. 
The  Legislature  again  assembled,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the 
new  law,  on  the  fifth  of  August.  It  was  then  that  the  memorial 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  White  for  transmission  to  Congress. 
After  he  had  departed  they  became  dissatisfied  with  their  messenger, 
deeming  that  he  intended  using  it  for  his  personal  advancement  at 
Washington,  and  they  sent  a  courier  to  overtake  him  and  demand 
its  return.  The  Doctor  received  the  demand  coolly  and  refused  to 
comply.  His  answer,  which  showed  how  correct  was  their  opinion 
that  he  proposed  making  the  memorial  serve  his  personal  ends,  was 

as  follows:— 

AUGUST  17,  1845. 
To  THE  HON.,  ETC.: 

Gentlemen — Being  on  my  way,  and  having  but  a  moment  to  reflect,  I  have  been 
at  much  of  a  loss  which  of  your  two  resolutions  most  to  respect,  or  which  to  obey; 
but  at  length  have  become  satisfied  that  the  first  was  taken  most  soberly,  and  as  it 
answers  my  purpose  best,  I  pledge  myself  to  adhere  strictly  to  that.  Sincerely 
wishing  you  good  luck  in  legislating, 

I  am,  dear  sirs,  very  respectfully  yours, 

E.  WHITE. 

This  letter,  with  a  statement  of  the  circumstances  surrounding 
it,  was  sent  by  another  messenger  to  Washington,  and  arrived  just 
in  time  to  foil  the  scheming  Doctor's  chances  for  an  important 


288 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


appointment  which  he  was  about  to  receive.  Among  other  acts 
the  Legislature  passed  a  law  making  wheat  a  legal  tender  at  market 
price,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  a  circulating  medium.  The  body 
adjourned  sine  die  on  the  twentieth  of  August.  On  the  second  of 
December,  the  day  set  for  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature  by  the 
new  law,  and  no  election  having  been  held,  the  same  gentlemen 
again  assembled,  and  organized  by  electing  Robert  Newell  Speaker. 
A  session  of  seventeen  days  was  then  held,  during  which  Polk  and 
Lewis  counties  were  created,  the  latter  embracing  all  of  Washing 
ton  Territory  west  of  the  Cascades.  This  had  been  designated 
"Vancouver  District"  the  year  before,  but  had  not  sent  a  repre 
sentative  to  the  Legislature.  Sheriff  Meek,  in  pursuance  of  an  act 
of  the  Legislature,  took  a  census  of  the  population.  This  did  not 
include  those  living  north  of  the  Columbia  or  east  of  the  mount 
ains,  consequently,  except  the  ninety-one  reported  for  Clatsop, 
represents  only  the  population  of  the  Willamette  Valley.  The 
table,  which  does  not  include  the  immigration  of  1845,  is  as 
follows : — 

CENSUS  RETURNS  OF  OREGON  IN  1845. 


COUNTIES. 

Number  of 
Housekeepers. 

No.  Heads 
of  Families. 

Under 
12  years 
of  age. 

12  and 
under  18 
years. 

18  and 
under  45 
years. 

45  and     Whole 
over.     Number 

Total 
Population.  | 

Males. 

Females. 

1 

13 
,g 

Females. 

00 

jg 

"3 

X 

Females. 

OD 

^ 

"08 
§ 

Females. 

jj 
"3 
% 

Females. 

Clackamas  ._  

18 
24 
17 
14 
16 

57 

85 
29 
127 
109 

69 
142 
14 
115 

79 

419 

54 

136 
18 
109 
65 

382 

12 
45 

1 
28 
31 

117 

15 

37 
3 
24 

24 

103 

136 
171 
42 
142 
124 

53 
114 
8 
90 
57 

15 

42 
4 

26 
23 

110 

7 

18 
1 
6 
9 

41 

234 
4iiO 
61 
309 
2-37 

1259 

129   361 
305   705 
30     91 
229   538 
158   415 

Champoeg    __  _     _ 

Clatsop 

Tualatin  

Yamhill  

Total  __ 

89     405 

615 

322 

851  2110 

The  immigration  of  1845  consisted  of  some  three  thousand  souls, 
about  one-third  of  whom,  under  William  B.  Ide,  of  Bear  Flag 
notoriety,  and  guided  by  Greenwood,  the  trapper,  turned  off  at 
Fort  Hall  and  went  to  California.  There  has  never  been  prepared 
a  register  of  the  half  dozen  trains  into  which  it  was  divided,  and  it 
is  impossible  to  give  a  list  of  the  pioneers  of  1845.  A  few  might 
be  mentioned — names  familiar  in  Oregon  annals — such  as  Col.  W. 
G.  T'Vault,  J.  C.  Avery,  John  Waymire,  Frederick  Waymire,  John 
Flemmiug,  Captain  English,  James  B.  Riggs,  Rufus  A.  Riggs, 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  289 

Stephen  Staats,  John  Durbin,  William  J.  Herren,  General  Joel 
Palmer,  Simeon  Smith,  David  Carson,  John  M.  Forrest,  Dr.  Ralph 
Wileox,  Solomon  Fetherous,  James  Allen.  They  brought  the 
cheering  intelligence  that  James  K.  Polk  had  been  elected  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States  on  the  party  cry  of  "  Fifty -four-forty,  or 
fight,"  and  had  been  duly  inaugurated,  and  that  the  prospects  for 
an  immediate  favorable  settlement  of  the  mooted  Oregon  Question 
were  favorable.  Their  numbers,  too,  added  so  materially  to  the 
strength  of  the  American  element  that  they  then  outnumbered  the 
representatives  of  Great  Britain  ten  to  one. 

When  the  emigrants  reached  Fort  Boise,  Stephen  H.  Meek, 
the  same  man  who  had  served  as  guide  in  1842,  offered  to  show  a 
shorter  and  easier  route  across  the  Blue  and  Cascade  mountains 
—one  to  the  south  of  the  old  trail.  A  great  many  of  them  followed 
him,  while  others  refused  to  depart  from  the  regular  route.  Meek 
had  never  passed  through  the  country  he  was  now  entering,  but 
had  heard  of  it  from  others  when  he  had,  as  a  free  American 
trapper,  been  for  a  time  in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany.  The  route  had  never  been  used,  but  it  was  known  that  the 
country  through  what  is  now  Southeastern  Oregon,  was  less  mount 
ainous  than  that  further  north,  and  Meek  naturally  expected  to  find 
a  passable  route  and  a  good  pass  through  the  Cascades.  In  this  he 
failed,  and  as  soon  as  the  emigrants  became  satisfied  that  he  was 
traveling  by  guess,  they  became  so  indignant  that  he  only  saved 
his  neck  by  using  his  feet.  They  then  undertook  to  pass  down 
John  Day  River,  and  finally  reached  the  Columbia  after  almost 
superhuman  exertion.  Had  they  trusted  to  Meek  it  is  possible, 
and  even  probable,  that  he  would,  by  taking  them  further  south, 
have  found  them  a  comparatively  easy  route.  This  episode  is  thus 
described  by  Hon.  Stephen  Staats,  one  of  the  immigrants  of  that 
year:— 

When  nearing  Fort  Boise,  much  discussion  was  had  relative  to  the  route  to  be 
followed  after  leaving  that  point.  Stephen  Meek  had  met  the  emigrants  and  pro 
posed  to  pilot  them  over  a  new  route  by  which  to  bring  them  into  the  valley,  assert 
ing  that  it  was  much  shorter  and  better  than  the  route  to  The  Dalles.  I  recollect 
one  old  gentleman,  John  M.  Forrest  by  name,  who,  when  the  subject  was  warmly 
discussed,  declared  he  would  follow  the  old  route,  even  if  he  had  to  travel  alone. 
Says  he:  "When  I  left  the  States,  after  reading  the  letters  of  Burnett  and  others 
from  Oregon,  I  determined  I  would  not  be  led  off  on  any  new  route  claimed  to  have 
been  discovered  by  any  adventurer,  but  would  travel  where  others  had  traveled, 


290  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  thus  be  sure  of  arriving  at  the  desired  point  to  which  we  are  all  looking."  But 
now  the  time  had  come  for  action.  One  morning,  after  a  night  spent  in  spirited 
discussion,  Mr.  Forrest  broke  camp  and  started  on  the  old  trail;  others,  with  much 
warmth,  attempted  to  restrain  him,  but  he  persisted,  and  about  twenty-five  other 
wagons  followed  his;  others,  under  the  leadership  of  Meek,  struck  off  on  the  route 
declared  by  him  the  best  and  shortest ;  but  well  would  it  have  been  for  all  those  so 
doing,  had  they  persevered  in  following  the  old  route,  for  experience  proved  to  them 
that  had  they  so  done,  much  suffering,  in  almost  every  conceivable  form,  would 
have  been  avoided,  and  that  they  would  have  arrived  at  their  destination  much 
sooner  and  their  condition  more  hopeful  as  to  future  resources  to  provide  for  their 
wants  during  the  approaching  winter. 

It  was  but  a  few  days  after  Meek  left  Fort  Boise,  that  he  became  hopelessly  lost, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  good  judgment  and  determined  energy  of  some  of  the 
emigrants,  and  their  hiring  an  Indian  to  pilot  them  through  to  The  Dalles,  many 
would  have  perished  and  suffered  a  most  torturing  death,  that  now  survive  and 
to-day  can  recount  the  many  sad  incidents  and  afflictive  events  of  their  wearisome 
travel  to  that  point.  It  has  been  positively  asserted  that  while  Meek  was  thus  lost, 
he  suffered  to  such  an  extent  for  the  want  of  water  to  satisfy  his  thirst,  that  he 
opened  a  vein  in  the  neck  of  his  mule,  and  thus,  in  all  probability,  secured  his  own 
life  by  quaffing  the  life  blood  of  that  most  noble  and  docile  quadruped.  But  be 
that  as  it  may,  whether  true  or  not,  there  were  moments  when  the  sufferings  of 
husband,  wife  and  children,  became  so  unbearable,  and  so  intensely  torturing  to 
the  mental  vision  of  those  having  others  depending  upon  them  for  support  and  pro. 
tection,  that  had  he  who  counseled  them  to  take  an  unknown  and  trackless  route 
when  almost  out  of  provisions,  and  energies  already  nearly  exhausted,  made  his 
appearance  among  them,  he  might  have  been  made  a  sacrifice  to  appease  the  angry 
passions  with  which  they  were  inflamed. 

The  anti-Hudson's  Bay  Company  fanatics  absurdly  charge  that 
Meek  was  employed  by  the  company  to  lead  this  train  of  emigrants 
to  their  destruction  in  the  mountains,  the  only  evidence  being  the 
fact  that  Meek — as  did  also  a  number  of  Americans  who  were  known 
as  "  free  trappers,"  men  who  were  somewhat  independent  of  the 
fur  traders — had  engaged  himself  for  two  or  three  seasons  to  the 
company.  The  charge  is  too  ridiculous  to  be  considered. 

The  year  1846  was  a  momentous  one  for  the  United  Sta,tes.  It 
saw  the  settling  of  the  Oregon  Question,  which  confirmed  to  the 
United  States  all  that  portion  of  Montana  lying  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  Idaho,  Oregon  and  Washington.  It  saw,  also,  the 
beginning  of  the  Mexican  War,  which  gave  us  Texas,  and  the 
wresting  of  California  from  Mexican  rule  by  Lieutenant  Fremont 
and  Commodores  Sloat  and  Stockton.  It  was  an  exciting  period, 
and  the  country  was  held  in  suspense  for  months  over  the  contro 
versy  with  England,  during  which  war  with  that  great  powrer 
seemed  almost  unavoidable.  The  incidents  attending  the  settlement 
of  this  great  question  are  clearly  and  graphically  described  by 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUB  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  291 

James  G.  Elaine  in  his  "  Twenty  Years  of  Congress,"  in  which  he 
displays  a  profundity  of  knowledge  of  the  political  intricacies  of 
that  period  which  carries  the  weight  of  authority  with  his  language. 
To  improve  upon  it  would  be  impossible,  and  to  epitomize  it  would 
destroy  its  force  and  perspicuity  ;  nothing  but  a  complete  and 
liberal  quotation  will  suffice.  Mr.  Elaine  says:— 

The  convention  which  nominated  Mr.  Polk  took  bold  ground  lor  the  immediate 
re-annexation  of  Texas  and  re-occupation  of  Oregon.  This  peculiar  form  of  ex 
pression  was  used  to  indicate  that  Texas  had  already  belonged  to  us  under  the 
Louisiana  purchase,  and  that  Oregon  had  been  wholly  ours  prior  to  the  treaty  of 
joint  occupancy  with  Great  Britain.  It  further  declared,  that  our  title  to  the  whole 
of  Oregon,  up  to  54°  40'  north  latitude,  was  "clear  and  indisputable";  thus  carry 
ing  our  claim  to  the  borders  of  the  Russian  possessions,  and  utterly  denying  and 
defying  the  pretension  of  Great  Britain  to  the  ownership  of  any  territory  bordering 

on  the  Pacific. 

****** 

The  election  of  Mr.  Polk  was  an  unquestionable  verdict  from  the  people  in  favor 
of  the  annexation  of  Texas.  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Van  Buren  had  been  able  to  defeat 
the  treaty  negotiated  by  Mr.  Calhoun ;  but  the  popular  vote  overruled  them,  and 
pronounced  in  favor  of  the  Democratic  position  after  full  and  fair  hearing.  Mr. 
Tyler  was  anxious  that  the  scheme  so  energetically  initiated  by  him  should  be 
fully  accomplished  during  his  term.  The  short  method  of  joint  resolution  was 
therefore  devised  by  the  ever  fertile  brain  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  its  passage  through 
Congress  intrusted  to  the  skillful  management  of  Robert  J.  Walker,  then  a  senator 
from  Mississippi,  and  already  indicated  for  the  portfolio  of  the  Treasury  in  the  new 
administration.  Mr.  Polk  was  in  consultation  with  Mr.  Tyler  during  the  closing 
weeks  of  the  latter's  administration,  and  the  annexation  by  joint  resolution  had  his 
full  concurrence.  It  was  passed  in  season  to  receive  the  approval  of  President  Tyler 
on  the  first  day  of  March,  three  days  before  the  eventful  administration  of  Mr.  Polk 
was  installed  in  power.  Its  terms  were  promptly  accepted  by  Texas,  and  at  the 
next  session  of  Congress,  beginning  December,  1845,  the  constitution  of  the  new 
State  was  approved.  Historic  interest  attached  to  the  appearance  of  Sam  Houston 
and  Thomas  J.  Rusk  as  the  first  senators  from  the  great  State  which  they  had  torn 
from  Mexico  and  added  to  the  Union. 

**•***>•){ 

The  policy  of  maintaining  an  equality  of  slave  States  with  free  States  was  to  be 
pursued,  as  it  had  already  been  from  the  foundation  of  the  government,  with  un 
ceasing  vigilance  and  untiring  energy.  The  balancing  of  forces  between  new  States 
added  to  the  Union  had  been  so  skillfully  arranged,  that  for  a  long  period  two  States 
were  admitted  at  nearly  the  same  time— one  from  the  South,  and  one  from  the 
North.  Thus  Kentucky  and  Vermont,  Tennessee  and  Ohio,  Mississippi  and 
Indiana,  Alabama  and  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Maine,  Arkansas  and  Michigan, 
Florida  and  Iowa,  came  into  the  Union  in  pairs,  not  indeed  at  precisely  the  same 
moment  in  every  case,  but  always  with  reference  each  to  the  other  in  the  order 
named.  On  the  admission  of  Florida  and  Iowa,  Colonel  Benton  remarked  that 
"it  seemed  strange  that  two  territories  so  different  in  age,  so  distant  from  each 
other,  so  antagonistic  in  natural  features  and  political  institutions,  should  ripen 
into  States  at  the  same  time,  and  come  into  the  Union  by  a  single  Act;  but  these 
very  antagonisms — that  is,  the  antagonistic  provisions  on  the  subject  of  slavery — 
made  the  conjunction,  and  gave  to  the  two  young  States  an  inseparable  admission." 


292  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

During  the  entire  period  from  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Government  to  the 
inauguration  of  Mr.  Polk,  the  only  variation  from  this  twin  birth  of  States— the 
one  free,  the  other  slave — was  in  the  case  of  Louisiana,  which  was  admitted  in  1812, 
with  no  corresponding  State  from  the  North.  Of  the  original  Thirteen  States, 
seven  had  become  free,  and  six  maintained  slavery.  Of  the  fifteen  that  were  added 
to  the  Union,  prior  to  the  annexation  of  Texas,  eight  were  slave,  and  seven  were 
free;  so  that  when  Mr.  Polk  took  the  oath  of  office,  the  Union  consisted  of  twenty- 
eight  States,  equally  divided  between  slave-holding  and  free.  So  nice  an  adjust 
ment  had  certainly  required  constant  watchfulness  and  the  closest  calculation  of 
political  forces.  It  was  in  pursuit  of  this  adjustment  that  the  admission  of  Louisiana 
was  secured,  as  an  evident  compensation  for  the  loss  which  had  accrued  to  the 
slave-holding  interests  in  the  unequal  though  voluntary  partition  of  the  Old  Thir 
teen  between  North  and  South. 

****** 

Looking  into  the  future,  the  Southern  men  took  alarm  lest  the  equality  of  their 
section  should  be  lost  in  the  Senate,  and  their  long  control  of  the  Federal  Govern 
ment  ended.  Even  with  Texas  added  to  the  Union,  this  equality  was  barely  main 
tained,  for  Wisconsin  was  already  seeking  admission  ;  and  the  clause  in  the  articles 
of  annexation  providing  that  four  new  States  might  be  carved  out  of  the  territory 
of  Texas  whenever  she  asked  it,  gave  no  promise  of  speedy  help  to  the  South.  Its 
operation  would,  in  any  event,  be  distant,  and  subject  to  contingencies  which  could 
not  be  accurately  measured.  There  was  not  another  foot  of  territory  south  of  36°  30', 
save  that  which  was  devoted  to  the  Indians  by  solemn  compact,  from  which  another 
slave  State  could  be  formed.  North  of  36°  30'  the  Missouri  Compromise  had  dedi 
cated  the  entire  country  to  freedom.  In  extent  it  was,  to  the  Southern  view,  alarm 
ingly  great,  including  at  least  a  million  square  miles  of  territory.  Except  along  its 
river  boundaries  it  was  little  known.  Its  value  was  underrated,  and  a  large  portion 
was  designated  upon  our  maps  as  the  Great  American  Desert.  At  the  time  Texas 
was  annexed,  and  for  several  years  afterwards,  not  a  single  foot  of  that  vast  area 
was  organized  under  any  form  of  civil  government.  Had  the  Southern  statesmen 
foreseen  the  immense  wealth,  population,  and  value  of  this  imperial  domain  in  the 
five  great  States  and  four  territories  into  which  it  is  to-day  divided,  they  would 
have  abandoned  the  struggle  for  equality.  But  the  most  that  was  hoped,  even  in 
the  North,  within  any  near  period,  was  one  State  north  of  Iowa,  one  west  of  Mis 
souri,  and  one  from  the  Oregon  country.  The  remainder,  in  the  popular  judgment, 
was  divided  among  mountain  gorges,  the  arid  plains  of  the  middle,  and  the  unin 
viting  region  in  the  north,  which  the  French  voyageurs  had  classed  under  the  com 
prehensive  and  significant  title  of  mauvaises  terres.  With  only  three  States 
anticipated  from  the  great  area  in  the  north-west,  it  was  the  evident  expectation  of 
the  Southern  men  who  then  had  control  of  the  government,  that,  if  war  with 
Mexico  should  ensue,  the  result  would  inevitably  be  the  acquisition  of  sufficient 
territory  to  form  slave  States  south  of  the  line  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  as  rap 
idly  as  free  States  could  be  formed  north  of  it ;  and  that  in  this  way  the  ancient 
equality  between  North  and  South  could  be  maintained. 

****** 

The  Oregon  Question,  which  now  became  associated,  if  not  complicated,  with 
the  Texas  Question,  originated  many  years  before.  By  our  treaty  with  Spain  in 
1819,  the  southern  boundary  of  our  possessions  on  the  Pacific  had  been  accurately 
defined.  Our  northern  boundary  was  still  unadjusted,  and  had  been  matter  of  dis 
pute  with  Great  Britain  ever  since  we  acquired  the  country.  By  the  treaty  of  Octo 
ber  20,  1818,  the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  north  latitude  was  established  as  the  bound 
ary  between  the  United  States  and  British  America,  from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods 
to  the  Stony  Mountains,  as  the  Rocky  Mountains  were  then  termed.  In  the  same 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  293 

treaty  it  was  agreed  that  any  country  claimed  by  either  the  United  States  or  Great 
Britain  westward  of  the  Stony  Mountains  should,  with  its  harbors,  bays,  and  rivers, 
be  open  for  the  term  of  ten  years  to  the  vessels,  citizens,  and  subjects  of  either 
power.  This  agreement  was  entered  into  solely  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
disputes  pending  final  settlement,  and  was  not  to  be  construed  to  the  prejudice  of 
either  party.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  joint  occupancy  of  the  Oregon  country, 
England  having  with  prompt  and  characteristic  enterprise  forced  her  way  across 
the  continent  after  she  had  acquired  Canada  in  1763.  Stimulated  by  certain  alleged 
discoveries  of  her  navigators  on  the  north-west  coast,  Great  Britain  urged  and  main 
tained  her  title  to  a  frontage  on  the  Pacific,  and  made  a  bold  claim  to  sovereignty 
as  far  south  as  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River,  nearly,  indeed,  to  the  northern 
border  of  California. 

Nothing  had  been  done  towards  an  adjustment  during  the  ten  years  of  joint 
occupancy,  and  when  the  term  was  about  to  expire,  the  arrangement  was  renewed 
by  special  convention  in  1827,  for  an  indefinite  period — each  power  reserving  the 
right  to  terminate  the  convention  by  giving  twelve-months'  notice  to  the  other. 
The  President,  John  Quincy  Adams,  made  the  briefest  possible  reference  to  the 
subject  in  his  message  to  Congress,  December,  1827 ;  speaking  of  it  as  a  temporary 
compromise  of  the  respective  rights  and  claims  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  to  territory  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  For  many  years  thereafter, 
the  subject,  though  languidly  pursued  in  our  diplomatic  correspondence,  was  not 
alluded  to  in  a  President's  message,  or  discussed  in  Congress.  The  contracting 
parties  rested  content  with  the  power  to  join  issue  and  try  titles  at  any  time  by 
simply  giving  the  required  notice.  The  subject  was  also  overshadowed  by  more 
urgent  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  especially  that  relat 
ing  to  the  North-eastern  boundary,  and  that  touching  the  suppression  of  the  African 
slave-trade.  The  latter  involved  the  old  question  of  the  right  of  search.  The  two 
governments  came  to  an  agreement  on  these  differences  in  1842  by  the  negotiation 
of  the  convention  known  as  the  Ashburton  Treaty.  In  transmitting  the  treaty  to 
Congress,  President  Tyler  made,  for  the  first  time  since  the  agreement  for  a  joint 
occupancy  was  renewed  in  1827,  a  specific  reference  to  the  Oregon  Question.  He 
informed  Congress,  that  the  territory  of  the  United  States  commonly  called  the 
Oregon  country  was  beginning  to  attract  the  attention  of  our  fellow-citizens,  and 
that  "  the  tide  of  our  population,  having  reclaimed  from  the  wilderness  the  more 
contiguous  regions,  was  preparing  to  flow  over  those  vast  districts  which  stretch 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  Ocean;"  that  Great  Britain  "laid  claim 
to  a  portion  of  the  country  and  that  the  question  could  not  be  \vell  included  in  the 
recent  treaty  without  postponing  other  more  pressing  matters."  He  significantly 
added,  that  though  the  difficulty  might  not  for  several  years  involve  the  peace  of 
the  two  countries,  yet  he  should  urge  upon  Great  Britain  the  importance  of  its  early 
settlement. 

As  this  paragraph  was  undoubtedly  suggested  and  probably  written  by  Mr. 
Webster,  it  attracted  wide  attention  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic ;  and  from  that 
moment,  in  varying  degrees  of  interest  and  urgency,  the  Oregon  Question  became 
an  active  political  issue.  Before  the  next  annual  meeting  of  Congress,  Mr.  Upshur 
had  succeeded  Mr.  Webster  in  the  State  Department ;  and  the  message  of  the  Presi 
dent  took  still  more  advanced  ground  respecting  Oregon.  For  political  reasons, 
there  was  an  obvious  desire  to  keep  the  action  of  the  government  on  this  issue  well 
abreast  of  its  aggressive  movements  in  the  matter  of  acquiring  Texas.  Emboldened 
by  Mr.  Webster's  position  of  the  preceding  year,  Mr.  Upshur,  with  younger  blood, 
and  with  more  reason  for  a  demonstrative  course,  was  evidently  disposed  to  force 
the  discussion  of  the  question  with  British  Government.  Under  his  influence  and 
advice,  President  Tyler  declared,  in  his  message  of  December,  1843,  that  "after  the 


294  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

most  rigid,  and,  as  far  as  practicable,  unbiased,  examination  of  the  subject,  the 
United  States  have  always  contended  that  their  rights  appertain  to  the  entire  region 
of  country  lying  on  the  Pacific,  and  embraced  between  latitude  42°  and  54°  40V 
Mr.  Edward  Everett,  at  that  time  our  minister  in  London,  was  instructed  to  present 
these  views  to  the  British  Government. 

Before  the  President  could  send  another  annual  message  to  Congress,  Mr.  Cal- 
houn  had  been  for  several  months  at  the  head  of  the  State  Department,  engaged  in 
promoting,  with  singular  skill  and  ability,  his  scheme  for  the  annexation  of  Texas. 
With  his  quick  perception,  he  discerned  that  if  the  policy  apparently  indicated  by 
Mr.  Webster  and  aggressively  proclaimed  by  Mr.  Upshur,  on  the  Oregon  Question? 
should  be  followed,  and  that  issue  sharply  pressed  upon  Great  Britain,  complications 
of  a  most  embarrassing  nature  might  arise,  involving  in  their  sweep  the  plans, 
already  well  matured,  for  acquiring  Texas.  In  order  to  avert  all  danger  of  that 
kind,  Mr.  Calhoun  opened  a  negotiation  with  the  British  minister  in  Washington, 
conducting  it  himself,  for  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon  Question  ;  and  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  Democratic  National  Convention  which  nominated  Mr.  Polk 
was  declaring  our  title  to  the  whole  of  Oregon  as  far  as  54°  40X  to  be  "clear  and  un 
questionable,"  the  Democratic  Secretary  of  State  was  proposing  to  Her  Majesty's 
representative  to  settle  the  entire  controversy  by  the  adoption  of  the  forty-ninth 
parallel  as  the  boundary  ! 

The  negotiation  was  very  nearly  completed,  and  was  suspended  only  by  some 
dispute  in  regard  to  the  right  of  navigating  the  Columbia  River.  It  is  not  improb 
able  that  Mr.  Calhoun,  after  disclosing  to  the  British  Government  his  willingness  to 
accept  the  forty-ninth  parallel  as  our  northern  boundary,  was  anxious  to  have  the 
negotiation  temporarily  postponed.  If  the  treaty  had  been  concluded  at  that  time, 
it  would  have  seriously  interfered  with  the  success  of  Mr.  Folk's  candidacy  by 
destroying  the  prestige  of  the  "  Fifty-four  forties,"  as  Colonel  Benton  termed  them. 
In  Mr.  Polk's  election,  Mr.  Calhoun  was  deeply  and  indeed  doubly  interested:  first, 
because  of  his  earnest  desire  to  defeat  Mr.  Clay,  with  whom  he  was  at  swords' 
points  on  all  public  issues ;  and  again,  because  having  assumed  the  responsibility  of 
defeating  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  he  was  naturally  desirous  that  his 
judgment  should  be  vindicated  by  the  election  of  the  candidate  whom  his  Southern 
friends  had  put  forward.  Urgently  solicitous  for  the  annexation  of  Texas,  those 
friends.were  indifferent  to  the  fate  of  the  Oregon  Question,  though  willing  that  it 
should  be  made  a  leading  issue  in  the  North,  where  it  was  presented  with  popular 
effect.  The  patriotic  spirit  of  the  country  was  appealed  to,  and  to  a  considerable 
extent  aroused  and  inflamed  by  the  ardent  and  energetic  declaration  of  our  title  to 
the  whole  of  Oregon.  "  Fifty-four  forty  or  fight "  became  a  Democratic  watchword ; 
and  the  Whigs  who  attempted  to  argue  against  the  extravagance  or  inexpediency  of 
the  claim  continually  lost  ground,  and  were  branded  as  cowards  who  were  awed 
into  silence  by  the  fear  of  British  power.  All  the  prejudice  against  the  British 
Government  which  had  descended  from  the  Revolution  and  from  the  war  of  1812 
was  successfully  evoked  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  they  gained  immeasurably 
by  keeping  a  measure  before  the  people  which  many  of  their  leaders  knew  would 
be  abandoned  when  the  pressure  of  actual  negotiation  should  be  felt  by  our  gov 
ernment. 

Mr.  Polk,  however,  in  his  Inaugural  address,  carefully  re-affirmed  the  position 
respecting  Oregon  which  his  party  had  taken  in  the  national  canvass,  and  quoted 
part  of  the  phrase  used  in  the  platform  put  forth  by  the  convention  which  nomi 
nated  him.  The  issue  had  been  made  so  broadly,  that  it  must  be  squarely  met,  and 
finally  adjusted.  The  Democrats  in  their  eagerness  had  left  no  road  for  honorable 
retreat,  and  had  cut  themselves  off  from  the  resources  and  convenient  postpone 
ments  of  diplomacy.  Dangerous  as  it  was  to  the  new  administration  to  confront 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  295 

the  issue,  it  would  have  been  still  more  dangerous  to  attempt  to  avoid  it.  The 
decisive  step,  in  the  policy  to  which  the  administration  was  committed,  was  to  give 
formal  notice  to  Great  Britain  that  the  joint  occupation  of  the  Oregon  country 
under  the  treaty  of  1827  must  cease.  A  certain  degree  of  moral  strength  was  unex 
pectedly  imparted  to  the  Democratic  position  by  the  fact  that  the  venerable  John 
Quincy  Adams  was  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  notice,  and  ably  supported,  in  a  unique 
and  powerful  speech  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  our  title  to  the  country  up  to 
54°  40'.  The  first  convention  for  joint  occupancy  had  been  negotiated  while  Mr. 
Adams  was  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  second  while  he  was  President ;  so  that,  in 
addition  to  the  weight  of  authority  with  which  he  always  spoke,  his  words  seemed 
entitled  to  special  confidence  on  a  question  with  which  he  was  necessarily  so  famil 
iar.  His  great  influence  brought  many  Whigs  to  the  support  of  the  resolution  ;  and 
on  the  9th  of  February,  1846,  the  House,  by  the  large  vote  of  163  to  54,  declared  in 
favor  of  giving  the  treaty  notice  to  Great  Britain. 

The  country  at  once  became  alarmed  by  the  growing  rumors  that  the  resolution 
of  the  House  was  a  direct  challenge  to  Great  Britain  for  a  trial  of  strength  as  to  the 
superior  title  to  the  Oregon  country,  and  it  was  soon  apparent  that  the  Senate  would 
proceed  with  more  circumspection  and  conservatism.  Events  were  rapidly  tending 
towards  hostilities  with  Mexico,  and  the  aggrandizement  of  territory  likely  to  result 
from  a  war  with  that  country  was  not  viewed  with  a  friendly  eye,  either  by  Great 
Britain  or  France.  Indeed,  the  annexation  of  Texas,  which  had  been  accomplished 
the  preceding  year,  was  known  to  be  distasteful  to  those  governments.  They  de 
sired  that  Texas  might  remain  an  independent  republic,  under  more  liberal  trade 
relations  than  could  be  secured  from  the  United  States  with  its  steady  policy  of 
fostering  and  advancing  its  own  manufacturing  interests.  The  directors  of  the 
administration  saw  therefore  more  and  more  clearly  that,  if  a  war  with  Mexico 
were  impending,  it  would  be  sheer  madness  to  open  a  quarrel  with  Great  Britain, 
and  force  her  into  an  alliance  against  us.  Mr.  Adams  and  those  who  voted  with 
him  did  not  believe  that  the  notice  to  the  British  Government  would  provoke  a 
war,  but  that  firmness  on  our  part,  in  the  negotiation  which  should  ensue,  would 
induce  England  to  yield  her  pretensions  to  any  part  of  Oregon ;  to  which  Mr. 
Adams  maintained,  with  elaboration  of  argument  and  demonstration,  she  had  no 
shadow  of  right. 

Mr.  Adams  was  opposed  to  war  with  Mexico,  and  therefore  did  not  draw  his 
conclusions  from  the  premises  laid  down  by  those  who  were  charged  with  the  policy 
of  the  administration.  They  naturally  argued  that  a  war  with  Great  Britain  might 
end  in  our  losing  the  whole  of  Oregon,  without  acquiring  any  territory  on  our 
south-western  border.  The  bare  possibility  of  such  a  result  would  defeat  the  policy 
which  they  were  seeking  to  uphold,  and  would  at  the  same  time  destroy  their  party. 
In  short,  it  became  apparent  that  what  might  be  termed  the  Texas  policy  of  the 
administration,  and  what  might  be  termed  its  Oregon  policy,  could  not  both  be 
carried  out.  It  required  no  prophet  to  foresee  which  would  be  maintained  and 
which  would  be  abandoned.  "Fifty-four  forty  or  fight,"  had  been  a  good  cry  for 
the  political  campaign;  but,  when  the  fight  was  to  be  with  Great  Britain,  the  issue 
became  too  serious  to  be  settled  by  such  international  law  as  is  dispensed  on  the 
stump. 

A  very  bitter  controversy  over  the  question  began  in  the  Senate  as  soon  as  the 
House  resolution  was  received.  But  from  the  outset  it  was  apparent  that  those  who 
adhered  to  the  54°  40'  policy,  on  which  Mr.  Polk  had  been  elected,  were  in  a  small 
minority.  That  minority  was  led  by  General  Cass;  but  its  most  brilliant  advocate 
in  debate  was  Edward  A.  Hannegan,  Democatic  Senator  from  Indiana,  who 
angrily  reproached  his  party  for  playing  false  to  the  pledges  on  which  it  had  won  a 
victory  over  the  greatest  political  leader  of  the  country.  He  measured  the  situation 


296  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

accurately,  read  with  discrimination  the  motives  which  underlay  the  change  of 
policy  on  the  part  of  the  administration  and  its  Southern  supporters,  and  stated  the 
whole  case  in  a  quick  and  curt  reply  to  an  interruption  from  a  pro-slavery  Senator, 
— "If  Oregon  were  good  for  the  production  of  sugar  and  cotton,  it  would  not  have 
encountered  this  opposition.  Its  possession  would  have  been  at  once  secured."  The 
change  in  the  Democratic  position  was  greatly  aided  by  the  attitude  of  the  Whig 
senators,  who  almost  unanimously  opposed  the  resolution  of  notice  to  Great  Britain 
as  passed  by  the  House.  Mr.  Webster,  for  the  first  if  not  the  only  time  in  his  sena 
torial  career,  read  a  carefully  prepared  speech,  in  which  he  did  not  argue  the  ques 
tion  of  rightful  boundary,  but  urged  that  a  settlement  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
would  be  honorable  to  both  countries,  would  avert  hostile  feeling,  and  restore  amity 
and  harmony.  Mr.  Berrien  of  Georgia  made  an  exhaustive  speech,  inquiring  into 
the  rightfulness  of  title,  and  urged  the  line  of  49°.  Mr.  Crittenden  followed  in  the 
same  vein,  and  in  a  reply  to  Senator  William  Allen  of  Ohio,  chairman  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  made  a  speech  abounding  in  sarcasm  and  ridicule.  The  Whigs  having  in 
the  campaign  taken  no  part  in  the  boastful  demand  for  54°  40',  were  not  subjected 
to  the  humiliation  of  retracing  imprudent  steps  and  retracting  unwise  declarations. 

Under  the  influences  at  work  in  the  Senate,  events  developed  rapidly.  The 
House  resolution  of  notice  was  defeated ;  and  the  Senate  passed  a  substitute  of  a 
less  aggressive  type,  in  which  the  House,  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  confer 
ence  committee,  substantially  concurred.  The  resolution  as  finally  adopted  author 
ized  the  President  "at  his  discretion"  to  give  the  notice  for  the  termination  of  the 
treaty  to  Great  Britain.  The  preamble  further  softened  the  action  of  Congress  by 
declaring  that  the  notice  was  given  in  order  that  "the  attention  of  the  governments 
of  both  countries  may  be  the  more  earnestly  directed  to  the  adoption  of  all  proper 
measures  for  a  speedy  and  amicable  adjustment  of  the  differences  arid  disputes  in 
regard  to  said  territory." 

The  Southern  Democrats  in  the  House  receded  from  their  action,  and  the  modi 
fied  resolution  was  carried  by  nearly  as  large  a  vote  as  had  been  the  previous  one 
for  decided  and  peremptory  notice.  In  short,  the  great  mass  of  the  Southern  Demo 
crats  in  both  Houses  precipitately  threw  the  Oregon  issue  aside.  They  had  not 
failed  to  perceive  that  the  hesitation  in  the  administration  in  forcing  an  issue  with 
Mexico  was  due  to  the  apprehension  of  trouble  with  Great  Britain,  and  they  made 
haste  to  promote  schemes  of  territorial  acquisition  in  the  South-West  by  withdraw 
ing  the  pretensions  so  imprudently  put  forth  in  regard  to  our  claims  in  the  North- 
West.  Only  forty-six  votes  were  given  in  the  House  against  w7hat  was  termed  a 
disgraceful  surrender.  These  were  almost  entirely  from  Northern  Democrats, 
though  a  few  Southern  Democrats  refused  to  recede.  Among  those  who  thus 
remained  firm  were  Andrew  Johnson,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Howell  Cobb,  Preston 
King,  and  Allen  G.  Thurman. 

The  passage  of  the  modified  and  friendly  resolution  of  notice  dispelled  all 
danger  of  trouble  with  Great  Britain,  and  restored  a  sense  of  security  in  the  United 
States.  Immediately  after  its  adoption,  Mr.  Buchanan,  Secretary  of  State,  under 
direction  of  the  President,  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  British  minister  on  the 
basis  discussed  by  Mr.  Calhoun  two  years  before.  The  forty-ninth  parallel  was 
agreed  upon  as  the  boundary  between  the  two  countries,  with  certain  concessions 
for  a  defined  period,  touching  the  rights  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  the 
navigation  of  the  Columbia  River  by  the  British.  This  treaty  wras  promptly  con 
firmed  by  the  Senate,  and  the  long  controversy  over  the  Oregon  Question  was  at 
rest.  It  had  created  a  deep  and  wyide-spread  excitement  in  the  country,  and  came 
very  near  precipitating  hostilities  with  Great  Britain.  There  is  no  doubt  whatever 
that  the  English  Government  would  have  gone  to  war  rather  than  surrender  the 
territory  north  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel.  This  fact  had  made  the  winter  and  early 


EIGHTEEN  FOKTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FOETY-NINE.  297 

spring  of  1846  one  of  profound  anxiety  to  all  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and 
more  especially  those  who  were  interested  in  the  large  mercantile  marine  which 
sailed  under  the  American  flag. 

In  simple  truth,  the  country  was  not  prepared  to  go  to  war  with  Great  Britain 
in  support  of  "our  clear  and  unquestionable  title"  to  the  whole  of  Oregon.  With 
her  strong  naval  force  on  the  Pacific,  and  her  military  force  in  Australasia,  Great 
Britain  could  more  readily  and  more  easily  take  possession  of  the  country  in  dispute 
than  could  the  United  States.  We  had  no  way  of  reaching  Oregon  except  by 
doubling  Cape  Horn,  and  making  a  dangerous  sea-voyage  of  many  thousand  miles. 
We  could  communicate  across  the  continent  only  by  the  emigrant  trail  over  rugged 
mountains  and  almost  trackless  plains.  Our  railway  system  was  in  its  infancy  in 
1846.  New  York  City  did  not  have  a  continuous  road  to  Buffalo.  Philadelphia 
was  not  connected  with  Pittsburg.  Baltimore's  projected  line  to  the  Ohio  had  only 
reached  Cumberland,  among  the  eastern  foot-hills  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  entire 
Union  had  but  five  thousand  miles  of  railway.  There  was  scarcely  a  spot  on  the 
globe,  outside  of  the  United  Kingdom,  where  we  could  not  have  fought  England 
with  greater  advantage  than  on  the  north-west  coast  of  America  at  that  time.  The 
war-cry  of  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1844  was,  therefore,  in  any  event,  absurd  ; 
and  it  proved  to  be  mischievous.  It  is  not  improbable,  that,  if  the  Oregon  Question 
had  been  allowed  to  rest  for  the  time  under  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  1827, 
the  whole  country  would  ultimately  have  fallen  into  our  hands,  and  the  American 
flag  might  to-day  be  waving  over  British  Columbia.  The  course  of  events  and  the 
lapse  of  time  were  working  steadily  to  our  advantage.  In  1826  Great  Britain  de 
clined  to  accept  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  but  demanded  the  Columbia  River  as  the 
boundary.  Twenty  years  afterwards  she  accepted  the  line  previously  rejected. 
American  settlers  had  forced  her  back.  With  the  sweep  of  our  emigration  and 
civilization  to  the  Pacific  Coast  two  years  after  the  the  treaty  of  1846,  when  gold 
was  discovered  in  California,  the  tendency  would  have  been  still  more  strongly  in 
our  favor.  Time,  as  Mr.  Calhoun  said,  "  would  have  effected  every  thing  for  us" 
if  we  could  only  have  been  patient  and  peaceful. 

Taking  the  question,  however,  as  it  stood  in  1846,  the  settlement  must,  upon 
full  consideration  and  review,  be  adjudged  honorable  to  both  countries.  Wise 
statesmen  of  that  day  felt,  as  wise  statesmen  of  subsequent  years  have  more  and 
more  realized,  that  a  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  would  not 
only  be  a  terrible  calamity  to  both  nations,  but  that  it  would  stay  the  progress  of 
civilization  throughout  the  world.  Future  generations  would  hold  the  governing 
power  in  both  countries  guilty  of  a  crime  if  war  should  ever  be  permitted  except 
upon  the  failure  of  every  other  arbitrament.  The  harmless  laugh  of  one  political 
party  at  the  expense  of  another  forty  years  ago,  the  somewhat  awkward  receding 
from  pretensions  which  could  not  be  maintained  by  the  Executive  of  the  nation, 
have  passed  into  oblivion.  But  a  striking  and  useful  lesson  would  be  lost  if  it 
should  be  forgotten  that  the  country  was  brought  to  the  verge  of  war  by  the 
proclamation  of  a  policy  which  could  not  be,  and  was  not  intended  to  be,  enforced. 
It  wras  originated  as  a  cry  to  catch  votes;  and  except  with  the  ignorant,  and  the 
few  whose  judgment  was  carried  away  by  enthusiasm,  it  was  from  the  first 
thoroughly  insincere.  If  the  punishment  could  have  fallen  only  upon  those  who 
raised  the  cry,  perfect  justice  wrould  have  been  done.  But  the  entire  country  suf 
fered,  and  probably  endured  a  serious  and  permanent  loss,  from  the  false  step  taken 
by  men  who  claimed  what  they  could  not  defend  and  what  they  did  not  mean  to 
defend. 

The  emigration  of  1846  consisted  of  some  two  thousand  souls, 
bringing  with  them  four  hundred  and  seventy  wagons,  and  one 


298  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

', 

thousand  and  fifty  cattle.  At  Fort  Hall  about  one-half  turned  off 
and  followed  the  Humboldt  River  route  to  California,  among  whom 
were  the  Donner  Party,  whose  dreadful  sufferings  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  form  one  of  the  saddest  pages  of  Pacific  Coast 
history.  The  emigration  was  divided  into  a  number  of  independ 
ent  trains,  each  having  its  own  leader  and  guide.  Of  those  whose 
destination  was  the  Willamette  Valley,  the  greater  portion  pursued 
the  old  route  down  Snake  River,  and  reached  Oregon  City  without 
any  unusual  incident.  Not  so  with  all  of  them,  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  people,  with  forty -two  wagons,  were  induced  at  Fort  Hall- 
to  attempt  a  new  route.  At  Fort  Hall,  Fort  Boise  and  Fort  Walla 
Walla,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  doing  a  thriving  trade 
with  the  immigrants,  selling  them  supplies  and  buying  for  a  song 
their  worn-out  cattle,  or  giving  in  exchange  for  them  an  order  on 
the  Chief  Factor  at  Vancouver  for  a  like  number  of  the  wild  cattle 
belonging  to  the  company.  The  general  feeling  against  the  com 
pany  was  very  bitter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1846  a  number  of  men 
who  had  settled  in  the  extreme  southern  end  of  the  valley,  decided  to 
explore  for  a  new  route  that  would  miss  the  company's  posts  and 
present  less  obstacles  to  the  passage  of  wagons  than  the  old  one 
down  Snake  River.  They  b^ieved  that  further  south  it  was  less 
mountainous,  and  that  Meek's  idea  of  the  year  before  was  correct, 
his  error  consisting  in  not  keeping  far  enough  to  the  south.  If  this 
new  route  could  be  found  they  would  accomplish  the  two-fold 
object  of  drawing  the  immigrants  away  from  the  trading  posts  and 
bringing  them  first  into  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  where,  prob 
ably,  the  majority  of  them  would  settle — a  result  earnestly  desired 
by  the  few  who  had  already  made  their  homes  in  that  region. 
These  men  have  been  charged  with  having  the  latter  result  as  their 
sole  object,  and  that  to  accomplish  it  they  deceived  the  immigrants 
as  to  the  character  of  the  route;  but  the  allegation  requires  to  sus 
tain  it  far  more  proof  than  has  yet  been  adduced,  especially  when 
made  against  such  men  as  the  Applegates. 

The  road  party  was  composed  of  Captain  Levi  Scott,  Jesse  and 
Lindsay  Applegate,  John  Jones,  John  Owens,  Henry  Boggus,  Wil 
liam  Sportsman,  Samuel  Goodhue,  Robert  Smith,  Moses  Harris, 
John  Scott,  William  G.  Parker,  David  Goff,  and  Benjamin  F. 
Burch.  They  passed  through  Umpqua  Valley  and  Rogue  River 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  299 

Valley,  crossed  the  Cascades  to  Klamath,  Tule  and  Goose  lakes, 
and  thence  over  the  arid  hills  and  valleys  of  Nevada  to  Fort  Hall. 
They  found  the  route  to  present  far  less  obstacles  to  the  passage  of 
wagons  than  the  old  one,  and  were  of  the  opinion  that  water  and 
grass  existed  at  sufficiently  short  intervals  to  render  it  a  practicable 
one  for  emigrant  trains.  In  this  latter  opinion  they  were  not  cor 
rect,  though  a  few  years  later,  the  route  having  been  remodeled  and 
new  watering  places  found,  it  was  quite  extensively  used  by  emi 
grants  to  Northern  California  and  Southern  Oregon.  The  trouble 
lay  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  they  were  mounted,  and  traveled  much 
more  rapidly  than  the  slow- moving  emigrant  wagon,  and  were  thus 
easily  led  into  a  mistake  in  judgment.  The  consequence  was,  that 
those  who  were  led  by  their  representations  at  Fort  Hall  to  try  the 
new  route,  found  it  almost  devoid  of  water  and  grass  until  Goose 
Lake  was  reached.  They  suffered  severely,  and  their  cattle  became 
so  feeble  that  they  could  scarcely  pull  the  wagons  along,  many  of 
them  lying  down  in  the  endless  sea  of  sage  brush  to  die.  From 
Goose  Lake  to  Umpqua  Canyon  water  and  grass  were  plentiful, 
but  the  work  kept  the  cattle  from  recuperating  fully,  so  that  they 
reached  the  canyon  in  very  poor  condition.  Here  was  reached  the 
climax.  The  feeble  cattle,  such  of  them  as  remained  alive,  were 
unequal  to  the  task  of  pulling  the  wagons  through.  Added  to  this 
their  great  loss  of  time  had  caused  the  exhaustion  of  their  supplies, 
which  they  had  not  the  opportunity  to  replenish  offered  by  the 
trading  posts  along  the  old  route.  Their  hardships  were  great ; 
and  many  of  them,  abandoning  everything  in  the  canyon,  reached 
the  valley  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Among  these  were  Hon.  J. 
Quinn  Thornton  and  wife,  who  experienced  exceptionally  severe 
hardships.  The  impression  then  received  by  Mr.  Thornton,  that  those 
who  had  induced  him  to  depart  from  the  old  route  had  done  so  by 
means  of  willful  falsehood  and  for  unworthy  and  selfish  motives, 
has  never  faded  away.  It  has  given  rise  to  much  acrimonious  discus 
sion  and  bitter  feeling,  and  is  the  more  to  be  regretted  because  the  two 
leaders  of  the  controversy — Mr.  Thornton  and  Jesse  Applegate— 
are  both  gentlemen  of  great  natural  and  acquired  attainments,  of 
sterling  integrity,  and  receive  the  universal  respect  and  honor  of 
their  fellow  pioneers.  A  roster  of  the  emigrant  trains  of  1846  has 
never  been  prepared. 


300  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  immigrants  brought  with  them  intelligence  that  the  bound 
ary  question  was  again  being  negotiated,  and  was  in  a  fair  way  to 
be  settled,  giving  the  country,  as  far  north,  at  least,  as  the  forty  - 
ninth  parallel,  to  the  United  States  ;  and  this  had  a  most  cheering 
effect  upon  this  small  self-governed  community.  The  annual  elec 
tion  for  representatives  and  county  officers  occurred  June  4,  1846. 
The  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  members  of  the  Legislature  : 
Hiram  Straight,  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  W.  G.  T'Vault,  from  Clackamas  ; 
J.  L.  Meek,  Lawrence  Hall,  D.  H.  Lownsdale,  from  Tualatin;  Jesse 
Looney,  Angus  McDonald,  Robert  Newell,  A.  Chamberlain,  from 
Champoeg;  Governor  Simmons,  from  Clatsop;  Thomas  Jeffreys, 
A.  J.  Hembree,  from  Yamhill;  J.  E.  Williams,  John  D.  Boon, 
from  Polk;  Henry  Peers,  from  Vancouver;  W.  F.  Tolmie,  from 
Lewis.  Lewis  had  been  cut  from  Vancouver  (now  Clarke)  by  the 
previous  Legislature,  both  lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia, 

Another  event  of  1846  was  the  founding  of  the  Oregon  Spectator 
at  Oregon  City,  printed  upon  the  press  brought  in  1839  from  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  The  first  number  was  issued  in  February,  and  it 
was  the  first  newspaper  upon  the  Pacific  Coast,  since  the  initial 
number  of  the  Califomian  was  not  printed  at  Monterey  until  the 
fifteenth  of  the  following  August.  On  the  tenth  of  September  the 
United  States  schooner  Shark  was  lost  on  the  bar  of  the  Columbia 
while  endeavoring  to  put  to  sea,  and  her  stand  of  colors  was  a1-! 
the  crew  saved  from  the  wreck.  Lieutenant  Howison,  her  com 
mander,  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  the  pioneers  for  several  months, 
and  upon  taking  his  departure  presented  the  colors  to  the  people 
through  Governor  Abernethy,  accompanied  by  the  following  letter:— 

One  of  the  few  articles  preserved  from  the  ship-wreck  of  the  late  United  States 
schooner  Shark,  was  her  stand  of  colors.  To  display  the  national  emblem,  and  cheer 
our  citizens  in  this  distant  territory  by  its  presence,  was  a  principal  object  of  the 
Shark's  visit  to  the  Columbia ;  and  it  appears  to  me,  therefore,  highly  proper  that  it 
should  henceforth  remain  with  you,  as  a  memento  of  parental  regard  from  the 
General  Government.  With  the  fullest  confidence  that  it  will  be  received  and  duly 
appreciated  as  such  by  our  countrymen  here,  I  do  myself  the  honor  of  transmitting 
the  flags  (an  Ensign  and  Union  Jack)  to  your  address ;  nor  can  I  omit  the  occasion  to 
express  my  gratification  and  pride  that  this  relic  of  my  late  command  should  be 
emphatically  the  first  United  States  flag  to  wave  over  the  undisputed  and  purely 
American  territory  of  Oregon. 

The  flags  still,  on  proper  occasions,  flutter  in  the  Oregon  breezes. 
Lieutenant  Howison,  upon  his  return,  wrote  a  report  of  Oregon 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  301 

and  the  struggles  of  her  loyal  citizens,  which  did  much  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  Government  to  the  condition  of  this  region  and 
the  necessity  of  doing  something  for  the  protection  of  those  hardy 
people  who  had  carried  the  picket  line  of  republican  institutions 
so  far  into  the  wilderness. 

The  immigration  of  1847  has  been  estimated  at  five  thousand 
souls,  fully  two -thirds  of  whom  came  to  Oregon,  the  remainder 
adding  their  strength  to  the  Americans  who  were  struggling  to 
hold  possession  of  California  against  the  defeated  Mexicans,  from 
whose  grasp  it  had  been  wrested.  Many  most  valuable  things 
were  brought  by  them,  things  which  added  largely  to  the  means 
the  people  possessed  to  increase  their  comfort  and  wealth.  As  one 
of  them  (Hon.  Ralph  C.  Geer)  expressed  it  in  a  recent  speech,  they 
"  brought  everything  nearly,  from  a  paper  of  pins  to  a  four-foot 
buhr."  The  mill-stones  were  brought  by  a  Mr.  Haun,  a  Missouri 
miller  of  considerable  notoriety.  Another  important  item  was  a 
herd  of  pure  Durham  cattle,  brought  by  John  Wilson,  of  Illinois, 
who  also  had  among  his  effects  some  splendid  brood  mares.  Cap 
tain  Benser  and  J.  C.  Geer,  Sr.,  also  brought  some  fine  cattle,  and 
M.  L.  Savage,  the  well  known  race  horse  "  Old  George. r  In  a  few 
years  the  cattle  and  horses  of  the  Willamette  Valley  showed  the 
effects  of  this  introduction  of  blooded  stock  among  them.  Mr. 
Fields  contributed  a  flock  of  fine  sheep  from  Missouri,  whose 
descendants  have  always  been  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  farmers 
of  the  valley.  "  Uncle  "  Headrick,  William  Turpin,  Johnson  Mulkey 
and  R.  Patton  also  brought  flocks  of  fine  sheep.  Thomas  and  Wil 
liam  Cox  brought  a  stock  of  goods  and  opened  at  Salem  the  first 
store  south  of  Champoeg.  They  also  brought  peach  pits  and 
planted  them.  A.  R.  Dimick  brought  potato  seeds,  which  he 
planted  in  the  northern  part  of  Marion  County,  raising  the  famous 
"  Dimick "  potatoes.  Mr.  Geer  brought  a  bushel  of  apple  seeds 
and  a  half  bushel  of  pear  seeds,  which  went  far  toward  supplying 
the  coast  with  fruit  trees.  But  by  far  the  most  important  under 
taking  of  all  is  thus  related  by  Mr.  Geer:— 

But  the  greatest  undertaking,  and  one  that  was  crowned  with  success,  and  one 
that  contributed  the  most  to  the  name  and  fame  of  Oregon,  was  the  "  Traveling 
Nursery,"  brought  across  the  plains  by  the  late  Henderson  Luelling,  in  1847.  If  a 
man  is  a  benefactor  to  his  race  who  makes  two  spears  of  grass  grow  where  only  one 
grew  before,  what  is  he  to  his  State  who  makes  luscious  pears,  cherries,  plums  and 


302  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

apples  grow,  where  only  poor  seedlings,  or  none,  grew  before !  Mr.  Henderson 
Luelling,  by  bringing  that  splendid  assortment  of  apples,  pears,  plums,  cherries, 
quinces,  grapes,  berries  and  flowers  in  his  "Traveling  Nursery"  to  Oregon  in  1847, 
gave  to  Oregon  the  name  of  "God's  Country,  or  the  Land  of  Big  Red  Apples,"  a 
name  that  every  pioneer  of  Oregon  feels  proud  of.  I  never  thought  Mr.  Luelling 
received  the  reward  that  his  enterprise  merited.  I  have  dealt  with  him  to  the 
extent  of  thousands  of  dollars,  from  one  dollar  to  two  thousand  dollar  transactions, 
and  always  found  him  honest.  Being  honest  himself  he  trusted  too  much,  and 
consequently  was  victimized  to  a  fearful  extent.  The  conception  and  carrying  out 
of  that  enterprise  was  not  the  sudden  conviction  as  to  the  importance  of  the  fruit 
business,  but  was  the  result  of  a  train  of  circumstances,  the  most  controlling  of 
which  was  his  long  and  successful  engagement  in  the  nursery  business. 

In  the  fall  of  1845  he  began  to  prepare  to  start  to  Oregon,  but  could  not  dispose 
of  his  land  in  time  to  start  until  it  would  be  quite  late,  so  he  concluded  to  wait 
another  year  and  bring  the  "  Traveling  Nursery."  He  planted  his  nursery  thus: 
He  made  two  boxes  twelve  inches  deep,  and  just  wide  and  long  enough  to  fill  the 
wagon  bed,  and  filled  them  with  a  compost  consisting  principally  of  charcoal  and 
earth,  into  which  he  planted  about  seven  hundred  trees  and  shrubs,  from  twenty 
inches  to  four  feet  high,  and  protected  them  from  the  stock  by  a  light  though  strong 
frame  fastened  to  the  wagon  bed.  He  left  the  Missouri  River  the  seventeenth  of 
May. 

On  the  Piatte  Mr.  Luelling  took  charge  of  the  nursery  wagon  and  team  to  bring 
it  through  in  his  own  way  and  time,  for  it  was  already  pronounced  by  some  of  his 
friends  as  a  very  hazardous  undertaking  to  draw  such  a  heavy  load  all  the  way 
over  the  Rocky  Mountains;  but  every  discouraging  proposition  he  invariably 
answered,  that  so  long  as  he  could  take  it  without  endangering  the  safety  of  his 
family,  he  would  stick  to  it.  The  last  time  that  any  one  tried  to  discourage  him 
about  the  nursery  wagon  was  on  the  North  Piatte.  Rev.  Mr.  White  suggested  that 
he  had  better  leave  it,  as  the  cattle  were  becoming  weary  and  foot-sore,  and  that 
owing  to  the  continued  weight  of  that  load,  it  would  kill  all  his  cattle  and  prevent 
his  getting  through;  but  his  answer  was  such  an  emphatic  "no,"  that  he  was 
allowed  to  follow  his  own  course  after  that  without  remonstrance. 

The  nursery  reached  The  Dalles  about  the  first  of  October,  and  the  trees  were 
there  taken  out  of  the  boxes  and  securely  wrapped  in  cloths  to  protect  them  from 
frosty  nights  and  the  various  handlings  that  they  had  to  undergo  in  the  transit 
down  the  Columbia.  That  load  of  trees  contained  health,  wealth  and  comfort  for 
the  old  pioneers  of  Oregon.  It  was  the  mother  of  all  our  early  nurseries  and 
orchards,  and  gave  Oregon  a  name  and  fame  that  she  never  would  have  had  with 
out  it.  The  load  of  living  trees  and  shrubs  brought  more  wealth  to  Oregon  than 
any  ship  that  ever  entered  the  Columbia  River.  Then  I  say  hail,  all  hail,  to  the 
"  Traveling  Nursery  "  that  crossed  the  plains  in  1847! 

Besides  those  already  mentioned  the  immigration  of  1847  con 
tained  many  who  subsequently  became  prominent  in  the  political, 
professional  and  industrial  life  of  Oregon,  one  of  them  being  Hon. 
Samuel  R.  Thurston,  who  first  represented  the  Territory  in  Con 
gress,  and  in  whose  honor  Thurston  County,  now  in  Washington 
Territory,  was  named. 

A  portion  of  the  immigration  of  1847  came  down  the  Humboldt 
and  over  the  Applegate  trail  to  Southern  Oregon,  the  route  which 


EIGHTEEN  FORTY-FOUR  TO  EIGHTEEN  FORTY-NINE.  303 

had  been  found  such  a  disastrous  one  the  year  before.  They  were 
guided  by  Captain  Levi  Scott,  the  man  who  had  been  the  leader  of 
the  road  exploring  party,  and  who  accompanied  the  first  of  the  four 
trains  which  this  year  followed  that  route.  They  experienced  no  un 
usual  difficulty,  and  accomplished  the  whole  distance  from  Snake 
River,  at  the  mouth  of  Raft  River,  to  the  head  of  Willamette  Val 
ley,  in  sixty-three  days,  a  much  shorter  time  than  it  took  the  unfortu 
nate  party  with  Mr.  Thornton.  One  of  them,  Hon.  Thomas  Smith, 
says:  uWe  got  through  c  the  Canyon '  with  but  little  trouble,  although 
it  was  such  a  bug-a-boo  to  the  emigration  the  year  before."  The 
easy  passage  of  these  trains  in  1847  is  conclusive  evidence  that  the 
disasters  of  1846  can  not  be  wholly  charged  up  to  the  unfavorable 
character  of  the  route,  and  that  the  gentlemen  who  persuaded  the 
immigrants  to  attempt  its  passage  were  not  guilty  of  so  much  mis 
representation  of  it  as  has  been  charged  against  them.  Of  the 
members  of  these  trains — one  of  which  attempted  to  reach  the  Sac 
ramento  Valley  from  near  Lost  River,  but  failed  and  came  to  Ore 
gon — Mr.  Smith  remembers  the  following,  many  of  whom  still  re 
side  in  the  State  :  John  Grimsby,  wife  and  six  children;  Abraham 
Coryell  and  two  grown  sons,  Lewis  and  George;  Benjamin  Davis, 
Wife  and  six  children;  Ira  Wells,  wife  and  one  child;  David  Wells 
and  wife;  William  AVyatt,  wife  and  two  or  three  children;  William 
Aldrich,  Sr.,  and  wife;  William  Aldrich,  Jr.,  and  wife;  Andrew 
Welsh,  wife  and  two  or  three  children ;  William  Johnson ;  William 
Risk;  John  Benson;  David  Cook;  Thomas  Smith;  Mr.  Davidson; 
John  Lebo;  David  D.  Davis  and  family;  Briggs,  Sr.,  and  wife; 
Briggs,  Jr.,  and  wife;  Prior  F.  Blair  and  family;  James  Frederick 
and  family;  John  Aiken  and  family;  James  Chapin;  Cornelius 
Hills;  Charnell  Mulligan;  Wilkeson  Gouldy;  Joseph  Downer; 
John  Gilliam;  George  Gilliam. 

On  the  third  of  June,  1847,  was  held  the  annual  election  for  of 
ficers,  both  territorial  and  county.  There  were  1,074  votes  cast, 
of  which  George  Abernethy  received  536,  A.  Lawrence  Lovejoy  520, 
A.  Husted  11,  and  scattering  7;  thus  continuing  Mr.  Abernethy  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  Provisional  Government.  The  follow 
ing  gentlemen  were  chosen  members  of  the  Legislature:  Medorum 
Crawford,  J.  W.  Wair,  S.  S.  WThite,  from  Clackamas;  Ralph  Wil- 
cox,  Joseph  L.  Meek,  David  Hill,  from  Tualatin;  Willard  H.  Rees, 


304  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

A.  Chamberlain,  Robert  Newell,  Anderson  Cox,  W.  H.  Eector, 
from  Champoeg;  L.  A.  Rice,  Lewis  Rogers,  A.  J.  Hembree,  from 
Yamhill;  J.  W.  Nesmith,  N.  A.  Ford,  W.  St.  Clare,  from  Polk; 
Henry  Peers,  William  Ryan,  from  Vancouver;  S.  Plamonden,  from 
Lewis;  J.  Robinson,  from  Clatsop. 

The  next  and  last  election  under  the  Provisional  Government 
was  held  June  12,  1848.  The  usual  county  officers  were  chosen 
and  the  following  members  of  the  Legislature:  A.  L.  Lovejoy,* 
George  L.  Curry,  J.  S.  Snook,*  from  Clackamas;  William  J.  Bailey, 
Robert  Newell,  A.  Gaines,  William  Portius,  from  Champoeg* 
Ralph  Wilcox,  Samuel  R.  Thurston,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  from  Tual 
atin;  William  Martin,  A.  J.  Hembree,  L.  A.  Rice,  from  Yamhill; 
H.  Linnville,  J.  W.  Nesmith,  Osborn  Russell,  from  Polk. 

The  emigration  of  1848  was  quite  large,  though  statistics  in  re 
lation  to  it  have  never  been  gathered.  Many  who  had  originally 
started  for  Oregon  changed  their  destination  for  California  when 
learning  while  en  route  of  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's  Mill. 

*  Resigned,  and  Medorum  Crawford  and  A.  F.  Hedges  chosen  at  special  election  Nov.  27, 1848. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR. 

Condition  of  Protestant  and  Catholic  Missions  in  181fl — Situation  of 
Affairs  at  Waiilatpu — Tom  Hill  and  Joe  Lewis — Whitman  Buys 
The  Dalles  Mission  and  Prepares  to  Abandon  Waiilatpu — Catholics 
Establish  a  Mission  on  the  Umatilla — Sickness  among  the  Cayuses 
— Joe  -Leicis*  Poison  Story — Evidence  of  Colonel  Craig  and  the 
Whitman  Indians — Details  of  the  Massacre — Charges  Against  the 
Catholics  —  Hansom  of  the  Captives — Action  of  the  Provisional 
Government — Oregon  Rifles  Take  Possession  of  The  Dalles — A  Hegi- 
ment  Organized — Campaign  in  the  Cayuse  Country — End  of  the 
War — Five  Cayuses  Executed  at  Oregon  City. 

THE  condition  of  the  various  missions  has  been  noted  from  time 
to  time,  showing  that  the  Catholics  were  making  rapid  pro 
gress,  the  missions  of  the  American  Board  east  of  the  mountains 
advancing  but  slowly,  and  the  Methodists  losing  ground  so  rapidly 
that  work  was  discontinued  everywhere  but  at  The  Dalles  in  1844. 
The  mission  property  at  that  point  was  sold  to  Dr.  Whitman  in  the 
fall  of  1847.  The  Catholics  at  that  time  numbered  in  their  con 
gregations  fifteen  hundred  whites  and  half-breeds  of  Canadian 
descent,  and  six  thousand  Indian  neophytes.  Bishop  F.  N.  Blanchet 
was  at  the  head  of  the  diocese,  which  included  not  only  Oregon, 
Washington,  Idaho  and  Montana,  but  British  Columbia,  then 
known  as  uNew  Caledonia."  Bishop  Blanchet  was  in  personal 
charge  of  the  field  west  of  the  Cascades,  Father  A.  M.  A.  Blanchet 
east  of  the  mountains,  and  Father  Modest  Demers  in  New  Caledonia. 
There  were  twenty-six  clergymen  employed,  among  whom  were 
Fathers  Michael  Occolti,  Peter  J.  DeSmet,  Peter  DeVos,  Audrian 
Hoecken,  Joseph  Joset,  Gregory  Mengarini,  John  Nobili,  Nicholas 


306  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Point,  Anthony  Ravalli,  Aloysius  Vercruysse,  Anthony  Sandlois, 
John  Baptist  Balduc.  In  the  Willamette  Valley  there  had  been 
built  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  St.  Mary's  Convent,  St.  Francis  Xave- 
rius'  Chapel,  St.  John's,  in  Oregon  City,  and  a  new  church  in 
French  Prairie;  there  were  also  churches  at  Vancouver,  Cowlitz 
and  Whidby  in  Western  Washington,  four  in  New  Caledonia,  St. 
Mary's  among  the  Flat  Heads,  Sacred  Heart  at  Coeur  d'Alene,  St. 
Ignatius  at  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille,  and  St.  Paul  near  Fort  Colville. 
There  were  also  half  a  dozen  other  stations  where  chapels  or 
churches  were  contemplated.  In  the  way  of  institutions  of  learning 
St.  Paul's  College  and  an  academy  for  girls  had  been  founded  in  the 
Willamette  Valley,  and  other  schools  were  maintained  at  some  of  the 
older  missions.  This  array  of  strength  is  a  startling  comparison 
with  the  feebleness  of  the  Protestant  Missions.  The  leading  causes 
have  been  pointed  out — the  powerful  influence  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  the  methods,  ceremonies  and  discipline  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  the  fact  that  they  were  not,  like  the  Protest 
ants,  held  responsible  by  the  Indians  for  the  great  influx  of  Ameri 
can  settlers. 

Of  the  missions  of  the  American  Board,  that  at  Lapwai  was 
making  slight  progress,  Tshimikain  was  holding  its  own,  and 
Waiilatpu  was  retrograding.  At  each  station  there  were  a  few 
who  seemed  to  be  in  full  accord  with  the  missionaries,  but  the 
majority  were  indifferent,  and  some  were  even  hostile.  At 
Waiilatpu  things  had  been  going  wrong  for  some  time.  From  the 
time  Whitman  first  went  among  them  there  was  a  small  portion  of 
the  Cay  uses  who  were  opposed  to  him  and  his  work,  Tam-su-ky, 
an  influential  chief  who  resided  on  the  Walla  Walla,  being  at  the 
head  of  this  turbulent  faction.  When  Whitman  returned  with  the 
great  train  of  emigrants  in  1843,  these  Indians  pointed  to  it  as  an 
evidence  that  his  missionary  pretensions  were  but  a  cloak  to  cover 
his  design  upon  their  liberties,  that  he  was  bringing  Americans  into 
the  country  to  take  away  their  lands.  This  feeling  of  hostility 
spread  from  year  to  year,  especially  among  the  Cayuses,  through 
whose  country  the  emigrants  nearly  all  passed,  and  who  were  thus 
better  able  than  the  other  tribes  to  see  in  what  great  numbers  they 
came  and  what  a  cordial  welcome  they  received  from  Dr.  Whitman 
and  his  associates.  In  1845  a  Delaware  Indian,  called  "  Tom  Hill," 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACKE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR.  307 

lived  among  the  Nez  Perces  and  told  them  how  American  mission 
aries  visited  his  people  to  teach  them  religion,  and  were  soon  fol 
lowed  by  other  Americans  who  took  away  their  lands;  and  he 
warned  them  to  drive  Mr.  Spalding  away,  unless  they  would  invite 
a  similar  misfortune.  This  Indian  visited  Whitman's  Mission  and 
related  to  the  Cayuses  the  story  of  the  ruin  of  his  tribe  which  had 
followed  the  advent  of  American  missionaries  among  them. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1847  another  Indian  came  among  the  Cay- 
uses,  about  whose  pedigree  there  has  been  so  much  dispute  that  it 
is  as  well  to  pass  it  by.  He  had  spent  much  time  among  the  whites, 
and  being  serviceable  as  an  interpreter,  and  being  possessed  of  much 
intelligence,  the  doctor  gave  him  employment  about  the  mission. 
He  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  a  fiendish  disposition  and  to  harbor  a 
special  malignity  against  the  Americans.  Joe  Lewis,  for  such  was 
his  name,  reaffirmed  the  statements  of  Tom  Hill,  and  said  that  it 
was  the  American  plan  to  first  send  missionaries,  and  then  a  few 
settlers  every  year,  until  they  had  taken  all  the  land  and  made  the 
Indians  slaves.  Tam-su-ky  and  his  followers  were  now  triumphant, 
and  boasted  of  their  superior  wisdom  in  opposing  the  mission  from 
the  first.  Besides  this  faction  there  were  now  many  who  desired  to 
exchange  to  the  Catholic  religion,  of  which  they  heard  favorable 
reports  from  other  tribes.  The  long  black  gowns  and  imposing 
ceremonies  had  captured  them.  Whitman  was  warned  of  the 
danger  he  ran  by  Um-howlish  and  Stick -us,  but  though  he  per 
ceived  the  gathering  storm  he  thought  it  could  be  averted.  Thomas 
McKay,  between  whom  and  the  doctor  there  existed  a  warm  friend 
ship,  also  warned  him  that  it  was  unsafe  to  live  longer  among  the 
Cayuses,  and  Whitman  offered  to  sell  the  property  to  him,  an  offer 
which  he  agreed  to  accept  if  he  could  dispose  of  his  claim  in  the 
Willamette  Valley.  With  this  sale  in  view,  Whitman  went  to  The 
Dalles  in  the  fall  of  1847,  and  purchased  the  disused  Methodist 
Mission,  and  placing  his  nephew,  P.  B.  Whitman,  in  charge,  re 
turned  to  spend  the  winter  at  Waiilatpu,  preparatory  to  moving  to 
his  new  location  in  the  spring.  This  was  the  condition  of  affairs 
when  the  Catholics  decided  to  take  advantage  of  the  desire  of  a 
number  of  the  Cayuses  to  embrace  that  faith  and  establish  a  mission 
among  them.  On  September  5,  1847,  Father  A.  M.  A.  Blanchet 
reached  Walla  Walla  with  three  associate  priests,  and  the  fort  be- 


308  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

came  their  headquarters  for  a  number  of  weeks  while  they  were  seek 
ing  a  place  suitable  for  a  permanent  location.  There  Whitman  found 
them  upon  his  return  from  The  Dalles,  and  quite  a  stormy  interview 
ensued,  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  storming  was  chiefly 
done  by  the  indignant  doctor;  and  no  wonder.  He  had  just  made 
arrangements  to  abandon  all  he  had  accomplished  by  eleven  years  of 
self-denial  and  labor,  and  here  he  found  those  to  whom  he  attributed 
his  misfortunes  ready  to  take  his  place  even  before  he  had  left  it. 
He  made  known  his  displeasure  in  strong  terms,  but  his  rebuke  was 
received  with  an  unruffled  coolness  that  served  but  to  increase  his 
aggravation.  They  finally  located  on  the  Umatilla  at  the  home  of 
Five  Crows,  the  head  chief,  two  days  before  the  massacre,  Father 
J.  B.  A.  Brouillet  being  in  charge. 

That  year  immigrants  from  the  States  brought  with  them  dysen 
tery  and  the  measles,  which  soon  became  epidemic  among  the  Cay- 
uses.  Many  Indians  died  in  spite  of  the  remedies  administered  by 
the  doctor  and  the  careful  attention  of  his  noble  wife.  This  was 
Joe  Lewis'  opportunity.  He  told  the  Cayuses  that  Whitman 
intended  to  kill  them  all;  that  for  this  purpose  he  had  sent  home 
for  poison  two  years  before,  but  they  had  not  forwarded  a  good 
kind ;  this  year  the  immigrants  had  brought  him  some  good  poison, 
and  he  was  now  using  it  to  kill  off  the  Cayuses;  that  when  they 
were  all  dead  the  Americans  would  come  and  take  their  lands.  He 
even  went  so  far  as  to  declare  that  he  overheard  a  conversation 
between  Mr.  Spalding  and  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Whitman,  in  which  the 
former  complained  because  the  doctor  was  not  killing  them  fast 
enough,  and  then  the  trio  began  to  count  up  the  wealth  they  would 
acquire  when  the  Indians  were  all  disposed  of.  He  also  asserted 
that  the  priest  (Father  Brouillet)  had  told  him  the  Doctor  was  giv 
ing  them  poison.  A  number  of  years  before  an  American  trapper 
and  renegade  had  purposely  spread  small-pox  among  the  Blackfeet, 
and  killed  hundreds  of  that  tribe.  This  was  well  known  by  all 
the  Indian  tribes  from  the  Cascades  to  the  Missouri,  and  had  its 
effect  in  leading  the  Cayuses  to  believe  the  Doctor  was  poisoning 
them.  These  statements  are  made  upon  the  authority  of  the  written 
statement  of  Colonel  William  Craig,  a  well-known  American  trapper 
and  trader,  who  happened  to  be  at  Lapwai  when  a  Cayuse  messenger 
arrived  there  nine  days  after  the  massacre,  for  the  purpose  of 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CATTTSE  WAR.  309 

informing  the  powerful  Nez  Perces  of  what  had  taken  place  and 
securing  their  support.  Colonel  Craig  was  present  at  the  council, 
and  heard  these  reasons  given  by  the  Cayuse  courier.  They  are 
also  based  upon  an  interview  held  by  the  writer  \vith  three  of  these 
Indians  at  Pendleton,  one  of  them,  Um-howlish,  being  a  chief  at 
the  time  of  the  massacre  and  a  warm  supporter  of  Whitman,  and 
still  an  adherent  of  the  simple  faith  taught  him  by  the  Doctor.  On 
the  point  of  the  priest  telling  that  Whitman  was  giving  them  poison, 
they  unanimously  agreed  that  they  never  heard  him  say  so,  but 
that  Joe  Lewis  had  told  them  the  priest  said  it;  that  it  was  gener 
ally  believed  at  the  time  that  the  priest  had  thus  stated,  but  after 
wards,  in  canvassing  the  question  among  themselves,  no  one  could 
be  found  to  whom  the  priest  had  said  anything  of  the  kind,  and 
that  it  all  came  through  Joe  Lewris.  One  thing  the  Roman  mis 
sionary  did  say,  and  this  helped  to  confirm  them  in  the  belief  that 
he  had  said  the  other — that  Dr.  Whitman  was  a  bad  man,  and  if 
they  believed  what  he  told  them  they  would  all  go  to  hell,  for  he 
was  telling  them  lies.  Even  such  a  statement  as  that,  coming  from 
such  a  source,  and  made  to  unreasoning  and  passionate  savages, 
already  unduly  excited  by  the  loss  of  so  many  of  their  number,  was 
enough,  in  case  they  believed  it  true,  to  have  caused  the  bloody 
scene  which  followed,  even  had  not  the  poison  theory  been  so 
industriously  circulated  by  the  scheming  Lewis.  Without  knowing 
of  the  perfidious  conduct  of  Joe  Lewis,  Whitman  recognized  the 
impending  danger,  and  requested  McKay  to  spend  the  winter  with 
him;  but  he  was  unable  to  comply. 

The  followers  of  Tam-su-ky  determined  to  put  the  poison  theory 
to  a  practical  test.  The  wife  of  that  chief  was  sick;  and  they 
agreed  among  themselves  that  they  would  get  some  medicine  from 
the  Doctor  and  give  it  to  her;  if  she  recovered,  good;  if  not,  then 
they  would  kill  the  missionaries.  They  made  the  experiment,  and 
the  woman  died.  Waiilatpu  was  centrally  located,  since  the  Cay- 
uses  occupied  the  country  from  the  Umatilla  to  the  Tukannon. 
Every  Sunday  large  numbers  gathered  at  the  Mission,  some  of  them 
to  actually  participate  in  the  services,  arid  others  because  of  the 
large  crowd  they  knewT  would  be  assembled.  On  week  days,  how 
ever,  it  was  seldom  that  a  dozen  could  be  found  there  at  a  time. 
For  this  reason  Tam-su-ky  and  his  followers  chose  a  week  day  for 


310  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

their  bloody  deed — a  time  when  they  thought  none  of  the  Whitman 
Indians  would  be  present  to  interfere.  They  were  careful  to  con 
ceal  their  designs  from  the  Christian  Indians  and  from  Five  Crows, 
for  fear  its  execution  would  be  prevented.  On  November  29,  1847? 
about  fifty  Indians  assembled  at  the  Mission,  chiefly  the  relatives 
and  friends  of  Tam-su-ky.  Of  these,  only  five  actually  participated 
in  the  bloody  work,  the  others  simply  looking  on  and  preventing 
the  interference  of  any  outsiders,  and  especially  of  the  one  or  two 
Whitman  Indians  who  happened  to  be  present.  The  horrible  de 
tails  of  the  massacre  it  is  needless  to  relate.  Mr.  Spalding  has 
given  them  with  a  minuteness  that  is  strongly  suggestive  of  a  liberal 
use  of  the  imagination,  yet  his  narrative  is,  in  the  main,  probably 
as  correct  as  could  be  gathered  from  the  incoherent  stories  of  fright 
ened  women  and  children.  It  is  only  when  he  carries  the  melodra 
matic  too  far,  and  when  he  is  endeavoring  to  make  it  appear  that 
the  massacre  was  committed  at  the  instigation  of  Father  Brouillet, 
and  was  sanctioned  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  that  his  state 
ments  become  positively  unreliable;  though  throughout  the  whole 
account  they  closely  border  upon  the  line  of  uncertainty  and  doubt 
ful  authenticity,  and  the  deductions  drawn  are  often  extremely  un 
charitable  and  illogical.  He  uses  such  expressions  as  "  multitudes 
of  Indians,1'  "cutting  down  their  victims  everywhere,"  "  the  roar  of 
guns,"  " crash  of  warclubs  and  tomahawks''  "shocks  like  terrific 
peals  of  thunder"  (referring  to  the  desultory  discharge  of  a  few 
guns),  " crash  of  the  clubs  and  the  knives"  and  yet,  when  the 
whole  is  summed  up,  but  thirteen  were  killed  in  all — nine  that  day, 
two  the  next,  and  two  eight  days  later.  He  is  equally  reckless  in 
his  language  when  making  charges  against  Father  Brouillet,  whom 
he  accuses  of  coming  up  from  the  Umatilla  the  day  after  the  mas 
sacre  and  "baptizing  the  murderers."  The  facts  are,  that  he  came 
upon  an  invitation  given  him  by  the  Missionary  several  days  before, 
only  learning  of  the  horrible  tragedy  upon  his  arrival;  and  the 
"  murderers  "  whom  he  baptized  were  three  sick  children,  two  of 
whom  expired  immediately  after  the  ceremony.  He  also  accuses 
him  of  pretending  to  find  the  poison  and  burying  it  so  that  it  could 
have  no  more  influence.  On  this  point  the  Whitman  Indians  state 
positively  that  this  performance  was  done  by  Joe  Lewis,  and  not 
the  Priest.  The  only  interference  the  Priest  dared  to  make  openly 


THE   WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR.  311 

was  when  he  successfully  interposed  to  save  Spalding's  life,  and 
gave  him  food  upon  which  to  subsist  during  his  flight  to  Lapwai. 

The  bloody  excesses  into  which  religious  zealots  were  led  in 
times  past  suggest  the  possibility  of  the  truth  of  these  charges,  yet 
they  are  entirely  unsupported  by  evidence  which  would  appeal  to 
the  intelligence  of  any  one  unbiased  by  denominational  prejudice; 
and  common  charity  should  demand  convincing  proof  to  sustain 
such  an  accusation.  The  Catholics  can  not,  however,  escape  a  large 
measure  of  moral  responsibility.  They  went  among  the  Cayuses 
for  the  purpose  of  driving  Whitman  away  and  obtaining  control  of 
the  tribe;  and  to  accomplish  this  they  told  the  Indians  that  Doctor 
Whitman  was  a  bad  man  and  was  telling  them  lies,  and  if  they  did 
as  he  said  they  would  surely  go  to  hell.  Father  Brouillet  ought  by 
that  time  to  have  become  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  Indian 
character  to  know  that  such  assertions,  if  they  were  credited,  were 
calculated  to  bring  about  just  such  a  tragedy  as  was  enacted.  The 
massacre  was  the  result  of  four  distinct  causes — the  dislike  of 
Americans,  the  ravages  of  the  epidemic,  the  poison  intrigue  of  Joe 
Lewis,  and  the  Priest's  denunciation  of  Doctor  Whitman,  and  where 
the  responsibility  for  one  of  these  rests  is  easily  seen.  The  victims 
of  Cay  use  ignorance  and  passion  were:  Doctor  Marcus  Whitman, 
Mrs.  Narcissa  Whitman,  John  Sager,  Francis  ISager,  Crocket 
Bewley,  Mr.  Rogers,  Mr.  Kimball,  Mr.  Sales,  Mr.  Marsh,  Mr. 
Saunders,  James  Young,  Jr.,  Mr.  Hoffman  and  Isaac  Gillen. 

Intelligence  of  the  massacre  reached  Fort  Vancouver  by  special 
messenger  from  William  McBean  to  James  Douglas,  the  Chief 
Factor.  The  courier  did  not  warn  the  people  at  The  Dalles  of 
their  danger  as  he  passed,  and  when  questioned  about  his  conduct 
replied  that  he  obeyed  the  instructions  of  Mr.  McBean.  This  and 
McBean's  conduct  at  Fort  Walla  Walla  in  displaying  an  unwilling 
ness  to  give  shelter  to  fugitives  from  Waiilatpu,  have  been  cited  as 
conclusive  evidence  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  connived  at 
the  massacre;  but  nothing  in  the  conduct  of  other  officers  of  the 
company  sustains  such  an  opinion,  while  much  is  to  the  contrary, 
and  it  simply  shows  that  McBean,  knowing  the  general  feeling  of 
the  Indians  against  the  Americans,  was  afraid  he  would  compro 
mise  the  company  by  defending  them.  He  had  not  soul  enough  to 
rise  to  the  emergency.  Mr.  Douglas  sent  a  messenger  to  Governor 


312  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Abernethy,  apprising  him  of  what  had  taken  place;  and  without 
waiting  to  see  what  steps  the  Americans  would  take,  Peter  Skeen 
Ogden,  an  old  and  influential  factor  of  the  company,  departed  from 
•  Vancouver  with  an  armed  force  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  He 
held  a  council  with  the  Cayuses  at  Fort  Walla  Walla,  and  offered  to 
ransom  the  captives,  assuring  the  Indians  that  the  company  was 
exceedingly  displeased  with  their  conduct,  and  they  would  much 
regret  it  if  they  provoked  the  Americans  to  war.  The  conference 
resulted  in  the  surrender  of  forty-seven  prisoners,  chiefly  women 
and  children,  and  on  January  1,  fifty  Nez  Perces  arrived  with  Mr. 
Spalding  and  ten  others,  who  were  also  ransomed.  On  the  tenth 
they  all  reached  Oregon  City,  and  great  was  the  joy  of  the  people. 
For  his  humane  conduct  and  prompt  action  Peter  Ogden  should 
always  occupy  a  warm  place  in  the  heart  of  Americans;  yet  there 
are  those  who  ungratefully  accuse  him  of  attempting  to  arm  the 
Cayuses  against  the  Americans,  simply  because  a  few  guns  and  a 
little  ammunition  formed  a  portion  of  the  ransom  paid  to  deliver 
these  helpless  women  from  a  captivity  which  was  worse  than  death. 
The  pen  fails  utterly  to  depict  the  terrible  sufferings  inflicted  upon 
them,  including  even  girls  of  a  tender  age,  bordering  upon  infancy. 
No  ransom,  was  too  gre'at  for  their  release. 

The  first  intelligence  received  by  the  settlers  in  the  Willamette 
Valley  of  the  tragedy  at  Waiilatpu,  was  the  note  sent  to  Governor 
Abernethy  by  Dr.  McLoughlin.  The  Governor  immediately  com 
municated  it  to  the  Legislature,  then  in  session,  and  called  for  vol 
unteers.  A  public  meeting  was  held  in  Oregon  City  that  night, 
the  eighth  of  December,  and  a  company  was  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  possession  of  The  Dalles.  As  winter  had  set  in, 
there  was  no  danger  of  an  invasion  from  east  of  the  mountains 
except  by  way  of  The  Dalles.  How  much  of  a  combination  there 
was  among  the  Cayuses  and  their  neighbors  was  not  known.  Con 
sequently  it  was  necessary  to  provide  against  the  worst  that  might 
be  expected.  It  was  evident  that  a  force  at  The  Dalles  was  neces 
sary  as  a  protection  to  the  settlements  in  the  valley.  Of  this  com 
pany  Henry  A.  G.  Lee  was  elected  Captain,  and  Joseph  Magone 
and  John  E.  Ross  Lieutenants.  The  credit  of  the  Provisional 
Government  was  pledged  by  the  Legislature  to  secure  equipments 
for  the  command,  but  the  committee  which  visited  Vancouver  found 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR.  313 

that  the  Chief  Factor  preferred  their  individual  responsibility. 
Upon  giving  this,  arms  were  issued  to  the  "  Oregon  Rifles,'*  who 
reached  Vancouver  on  the  tenth  to  receive  them.  On  the  twenty  - 
first  they  reached  The  Dalles  and  went  into  camp.  In  the  mean 
time  the  Legislature  entered  with  energy  upon  a  series  of  resolutions 
and  enactments  with  a  view  to  a  military  organization  of  magnitude 
sufficient  to  chastise  the  Indians,  and  the  citizens  by  subscriptions 
and  enlistments  seconded  cordially  the  efforts  of  their  Provisional 
Government.  Many  were  for  pushing  forward  into  the  enemy's 
country  at  once  with  a  formidable  force,  but  wiser  counsels  pre 
vailed,  and  nothing  was  done  likely  to  prevent  the  Indians  from 
surrendering  their  white  captives  to  Mr.  Ogden. 

In  pursuance  of  the  act  of  December  9,  a  regiment  of  fourteen 
companies  of  volunteers  was  raised  and  equipped  upon  the  credit  of 
the  Provisional  Government.  It  speaks  volumes  for  the  brave  pio 
neers  of  the  Willamette  that  they  thus  responded  to  the  call  of  duty, 
supplying,  in  most  cases,  their  own  arms,  equipments  and  horses, 
without  a  mercenary  thought  entering  their  minds.  It  was  no  specu 
lation  either  by  the  volunteers  or  the  men  who  furnished  supplies- 
something  which  can  not  be  said  of  certain  subsequent  campaigns. 
The  following  is  a  roster  of  the  officers:— 

FIELD  AND  STAFF-  OFFICEES. 

Colonel,  Cornelius  Gilliam  (accidentally  killed). 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  James  Waters  (promoted  to  Colonel). 

Major,  H.  A.  G.  Lee. 

Adjutant,  B.  F.  Burch. 

Surgeon,  W.  M.  Carpenter. 

Assistant  Surgeons,  F.  Snider  and  H.  Saffarans. 

Commissary,  Joel  Palmer. 

Quartermaster,  B.  Jennings. 

Paymaster,  L.  B.  Knox. 

Judge  Advocate,  Jacob  S.  Rinearson. 

LINE  OFFICERS. 

Company  A — 55  men— Captain,  Lawrence  Hall;  First  Lieutenant,  H.  D.  O'Bryant; 

Second  Lieutenant,  John  Engent. 
Company  B— 43  men — Captain,  John  W.  Owens;  First  Lieutenant,  A.  F.  Rogers; 

Second  Lieutenant,  T.  C.  Shaw. 
Company  C— 84  men— Captain,  H.  J.  G.  Maxon;  First  Lieutenant,  I.  N.  Gilbert; 

Second  Lieutenant,  Wm.  P.  Pugh. 
Company  D— 36  men— Captain,  Thomas  McKay;  First  Lieutenant,  Charles  McKay; 

Second  Lieutenant,  Alex.  McKay. 


314  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Company  D— 52  men— Captain,  Phil.  F.  Thompson  ;  First  Lieutenant,  *Jas.  Brown; 

Second  Lieutenant,  J.  M.  Garrison. 
Company  E— 44  men—  Captain,  Levi  N.  English ;    First  Lieutenant,  Wni.  Shaw ; 

Second  Lieutenant,  F.  M.  Hunkers. 
Company  E— 36  men— Captain,  William  Martin ;  First  Lieutenant,  A.  E.  Garrison ; 

Second  Lieutenant,  David  Waters. 
Company  E— 63  men— Captain,  W.  P.  Pugh;  First  Lieutenant,  N.  R.  Doty;  Second 

Lieutenant,  M.  .Ramsely. 
Company  G — 66  men — Captain,  James  W.  Nesmith;  First  Lieutenant,  J.  S.  SnookJ 

Second  Lieutenant,  M.  Gilliam. 
Company  H— 49  men— Captain,  George  W.  Bennett;  First  Lieutenant,  J.  R.  Bevin; 

Second  Lieutenant,  J.  R.  Payne. 
fCompany  1—36  men — Captain,  William  Shaw ;  First  Lieutenant,  D.  Crawford  ; 

Second  Lieutenant,  B.  Dario. 

Company  No.  7 — 27  men — Captain,  J.  M.  Garrison ;  First  Lieutenant,  A.  E.  Garri 
son  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  John  Hersen. 
F.  S.  Water's  Guard— 57  men— Captain,  Wm.  Martin ;   First  Lieutenant,  D.  Wes- 

ton;  Second  Lieutenant,  B.  Taylor. 
Reorganized  Company — Captain,  John  E.  Ross;  First  Lieutenant,  D.  P.  Barnes; 

Second  Lieutenant,  W.  W.  Porter. 

Colonel  Gilliam  reached  The  Dalles  on  the  twenty -third  of 
February,  with  fifty  men,  followed  a  few  days  later  by  the  re 
mainder  of  the  regiment.  On  the  twenty -seventh  he  moved  to  the 
Des  Chutes  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  men,  crossed  to  the  east 
bank,  and  sent  Major  Lee  up  that  stream  about  twenty  miles  on  a 
reconnoisance,  where'  he  found  the  enemy,  engaged  them,  killed 
one,  lost  some  of  his  horses  and  returned  to  report  progress.  On 
the  twenty-ninth  Colonel  Gilliam  moved  up  the  Des  Chutes  to 
Meek's  Crossing,  at  the  mouth  of  the  cayon  in  which  Major  Lee  had 
met  the  Indians.  The  next  morning,  on  entering  the  canyon,  a 
skirmish  followed,  in  which  were  captured  from  the  hostiles,  forty 
horses,  four  head  of  cattle  and  $300  worth  of  personal  property, 
all  of  which  was  sold  by  the  Quartermaster  for  $1,400.  The  loss 
of  the  Indians  in  killed  and  wounded  was  not  known.  There  was 
one  white  man  wounded.  The  result  was  a  treaty  of  peace  with 
the  Des  Chutes  Indians.  The  command  pushed  immediately  for 
ward  to  the  Walla  Walla  country  and  reached  the  Mission  prior  to 
March  4.  On  the  way  to  that  place  a  battle  occurred  at  Sand 
Hollows,  on  the  emigrant  road,  eight  miles  east  of  the  Well  Springs. 
It  commenced  on  the  plain  where  washes  in  the  sand  make  natural 
hiding  places  for  a  foe,  and  lasted  until  towards  night.  The  volun- 

*    Died  at  Vancouver,  February  30, 1848. 

t    Organized  at  Walla  Walla,  June  7, 1848;  mustered  out  September  28, 1848. 
Companies  E  and  No.  7  were  consolidated  as  Company  K,  April  17, 1848. 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR.  315 

teer  force  was  arranged  with  the  train  in  the  road,  protected  by 
Captain  Hall's  company.  The  companies  of  Captains  Thompson 
and  Maxon,  forming  the  left  flank,  were  on  the  north  side  of  the 
road,  and  those  of  Captains  English  and  McKay,  as  the  right  flank, 
were  on  the  south  or  right  of  the  command.  Upon  McKay's  com 
pany  at  the  extreme  right  the  first  demonstration  was  made.  Five 
Crows,  the  head  chief  of  the  Cayuses,  made  some  pretensions  to  the 
possession  of  wizard  powers,  and  declared  to  his  people  that  no  ball 
from  the  white  man's  gun  could  kill  him.  Another  chief  of  that 
tribe  named  "  War  Eagle,"  or  "  Swallow  Ball,"  made  similar  pro 
fessions,  and  stated  that  he  could  swallow  all  the  bullets  from  the 
guns  of  the  invading  army  if  they  were  fired  at  him.  The  two 
chiefs  promised  their  people  that  Gilliam's  command  should  never 
reach  the  Umatilla  River,  and  to  demonstrate  their  invulnerability 
and  power  as  medicine  chiefs,  they  dashed  out  from  concealment, 
rode  down  close  to  the  volunteers  and  shot  a  little  dog  that  came 
out  to  bark  at  them.  Captain  McKay,  although  the  order  was  not 
to  fire,  could  hold  back  no  longer,  and  bringing  his  rifle  to  bear, 
took  deliberate  aim  and  shot  War  Eagle  through  the  head,  killing 
him  instantly.  Lieutenant  Charles  McKay  brought  his  shot  gun 
down  to  the  hollow  of  his  arm,  and  firing  without  sighting  it,  so 
severely  wounded  Five  Crows  that  he  gave  up  the  command  of  his 
warriors.  This  was  a  serious,  chilling  opening  for  the  Indians- 
two  chiefs  gone  at  the  first'  onset  and  their  medicine  proved  worth 
less — but  they  continued  the  battle  in  a  skirmishing  way,  making 
dashing  attacks  and  masterly  retreats  until  late  in  the  afternoon. 
At  one  time  during  the  engagement,  Captain  Maxon's  company 
followed  the  enemy  so  far  that  it  was  surrounded,  and  a  sharp  en 
counter  followed,  in  which  a  number  of  volunteers  were  disabled. 
In  fact,  eight  of  the  eleven  soldiers  wounded  that  day  were  of 
Maxon's  company.  Two  Indians  were  known  to  have  been  killed, 
but  the  enemy's  loss  could  not  be  known  as  they  removed  all  of 
their  wounded  and  dead  except  two. 

That  night  the  regiment  camped  on  the  battlefield  without 
water,  and  the  Indians  built  large  and  numerous  fires  along  the 
bluffs,  or  high  lands,  some  two  miles  in  advance.  The  next  day 
Colonel  Gilliam  moved  on,  and  without  incident  worthy  of  note, 
reached  Whitman's  Mission  the  third  day  after  the  battle.  The 


316  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

main  body  of  Indians  fell  back  towards  Snake  River,  and  a  fruit 
less  attempt  followed  to  induce  them  to  give  up  the  parties  who 
had  committed  the  murders  at  Waiilatpu.  Colonel  Gilliana  at  last 
determined  upon  making  a  raid  into  the  Snake  River  country,  and 
in  carrying  out  this  programme  surprised  a  camp  of  Cayuses  near 
that  stream,  among  whom  were  some  of  the  murderers.  The  cap 
tured  camp  professed  friendship,  however,  and  pointed  out  the 
horses  of  Indians  on  the  hill,  which,  they  said,  belonged  to  the 
parties  whom  the  Colonel  was  anxious  to  kill  or  capture,  stating 
that  their  owners  were  on  the  north  side  of  Snake  River,  and  be 
yond  reach.  So  well  was  their  part  acted  that  the  officers  believed 
their  statements,  proceeded  to  drive  off  the  stock  indicated,  and 
started  on  their  return.  They  soon  found  that  a  grievous  error  had 
been  committed  in  releasing  the  village,  whose  male  population 
were  soon  mounted  upon  war  horses,  and  assailed  the  volunteers  on 
all  sides,  forcing  them  to  fight  their  way  as  they  fell  back  to  the 
Touchet  River.  Through  the  whole  day  and  even  into  the  night 
after  their  arrival  at  the  latter  stream,  the  contest  was  maintained 
—a  constant,  harassing  skirmish.  The  soldiers  drove  the  Indians 
back  again  and  again,  but  as  soon  as  the  retreat  was  resumed,  the 
enemy  were  upon  them  once  more.  Finally,  after  going  into  camp 
on  the  Touchet,  Colonel  Gilliam  ordered  the  captured  stock  turned 
loose;  and  when  the  Indians  got  possession  of  it,  they  returned  to 
Snake  River  without  molesting  the  command  any  further.  In  the 
struggle  on  the  Touchet,  when  the  retreating  soldiers  first  reached 
that  stream,  William  Taylor  was  mortally  wounded  by  an  Indian, 
who  sprang  up  in  the  bushes  by  the  stream  and  fired  with  bat  a 
few  yards  between  them.  Nathan  Olney,  afterwards  Indian  Agent, 
seeing  the  act,  rushed  upon  the  savage,  snatched  from  his  hand  a 
war  club  in  which  was  fastened  a  piece  of  iron,  and  dealt  him  a 
blow  on  the  head  with  it  with  such  force  as  to  cause  the  iron  to 
split  the  club,  and  yet  failed  to  kill  him.  He  then  closed  with  his 
antagonist  in  a  hand-to-hand  struggle,  and  soon  ended  the  contest 
with  a  knife.  There  were  no  other  casualties  reported. 

Colonel  Gilliam  started  from  the  Mission  on  the  twentieth  of 
March,  with  a  small  force  destined  to  return  from  The  Dalles  with 
supplies,  while  he  was  to  continue  to  the  Willamette  and  report  to 
the  Governor.  While  camped  at  Well  Springs  he  was  killed  by 


THE  WHITMAN  MASSACRE  AND  THE  CAYUSE  WAR.  317 

an  accidental  discharge  of  a  gun,  and  his  remains  were  taken  to  his 
friends  west  of  the  Cascades  by  Major  Lee.  This  officer  soon  re 
turned  to  his  regiment  with  a  commission  as  Colonel,  but  finding 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Waters  had  been  elected  by  the  regiment  to 
that  position  in  his  absence,  he  resigned  and  filled  a  subordinate 
office  for  the  remainder  of  his  term  of  enlistment.  The  attempt  by 
commissioners,  who  had  been  sent  with  the  volunteers,  as  requested 

by  the  Indians  in  a  memorial  to  the  Americans  at  the  time  the 

«/ 

captives  were  ransomed,  to  negotiate  a  peaceful  solution  of  the 
difficult  problem,  failed.  They  wanted  the  Indians  to  deliver  up 
for  execution  all  those  who  had  imbued  their  hands  in  blood  at 
Waiilatpu;  they  wished  the  Cay  uses  to  pay  all  damages  to  emi 
grants  caused  by  their  being  robbed  or  attacked  while  passing 
through  the  Cayuse  country.  The  Indians  wished  nothing  of  the 
kind.  They  wanted  peace  and  to  be  let  alone;  for  the  Americans 
to  call  the  account  balanced  and  drop  the  matter.  The  failure  to 
agree  had  resulted  in  two  or  three  skirmishes,  one  of  them  at  least 
a  severe  test  of  strength,  in  which  the  Indians  had  received  the 
worst  of  it,  and  in  the  other  the  volunteers  had  accomplished  noth 
ing  that  could  be  counted  a  success.  The  Cayuses,  finding  that  no 
compromise  could  be  effected,  abandoned  their  country,  and  most  of 
them  passed  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Nothing  was  left  for  the 
volunteers  but  to  leave  the  country  also,  which  they  did,  and  the 
Cayuse  War  had  practically  ended. 

The  Cayuses,  as  a  tribe,  had  no  heart  in  the  war.  Joe  Lewis 
told  them  immediately  after  the  massacre  that  now  they  must  fight, 
and  advised  them  to  send  him  to  Salt  Lake  with  a  band  of  horses, 
to  trade  for  ammunition  with  the  Mormons.  He  started  with  a 
select  band  of  animals,  accompanied  by  two  young  braves;  and  a 
few  days  later  one  of  them  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  Joe 
Lewis  had  killed  his  companion  and  decamped  with  the  horses;  and 
this  was  the  last  the  Cayuses  saw  of  the  scheming  villain.  Thus 
matters  stood  until  the  spring  of  1850,  when  the  Cayuses  were  given 
to  understand  that  peace  could  be  procured  by  delivering  up  the 
murderers  for  punishment.  At  that  time  Tam-su-ky  and  his  sup 
porters,  including  many  relatives  who  had  not  in  any  manner  par 
ticipated  in  the  massacre,  were  hiding  in  the  mountains  at  the  head 
of  John  Day  River.  The  Indians  who  desired  peace  went  after 


318  HISTOET  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

them,  and  a  fight  ensued,  ending  in  the  capture  of  nearly  all  of  the 
outlawed  band.  In  this  fight  "  Cutinouth  John,"  an  Indian  well 
known  in  Umatilla,  while  endeavoring  to  capture  one  of  the  mur 
derers,  received  the  wound  which  gave  rise  to  his  peculiar  appella 
tion.  Only  one  of  the  five  actually  engaged  in  the  bloody  work  at 
Waiilatpu  (so  the  Whitman  Indians  assert)  was  captured,  and  he 
was  Ta-ma-has,  an  ugly  villain  whom  his  countrymen  called  "  The 
Murderer."  It  was  he  who  commenced  the  work  of  death  at 
Waiilatpu  by  burying  a  hatchet  in  Dr.  Whitman's  brain.  Taking 
him  and  four  others,  several  of  the  older  men  and  chiefs  went  to 
Oregon  City  to  deliver  them  up  as  hostages.  They  were  at  once 
thrown  into  prison,  condemned  and  executed  at  Oregon  City  on 
June  3,  1850;  and  even  the  ones  who  had  escorted  them,  in  view 
of  this  summary  proceeding,  congratulated  themselves  upon  their 
safe  return.  They  believed  that  Ta-ma-has  should  have  been 
hanged,  but  not  the  others;  and  to  this  opinion  the  few  survivors 
of  the  tribe  cling  to  the  present  day. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY. 


News  Brought  by  Emigrants  in  18Jf7  very  Disheartening — Letter  of 
Senator  Benton — J.  Quinn  Thornton  Sent  to  Washington  to  Urge 
Legislation — Incidents  of  his  Journey — Joseph  L.  Meek  sent  to 
Washington  after  the  Whitman  Massacre — His  Mid-  Winter  Journey 
—Interesting  Account  of  the  Contest  in  the  Senate  over  the  Oregon 
£ill — General  Joseph  Lane  Appointed  Governor — His  Trip  Over 
land — Organization  of  the  Goverment — Officers  of  the  Old  and  New 
Governments — Census  of  1849 — Discovery  of  Gold  in  California — 
Beaver  Money. 


A  LTHOUGH  the  treaty  settling  the  boundary  line  was  signed 
XJL  and  proclaimed  in  the  summer  of  1846,  Congress,  the  follow 
ing  winter,  failed  to  pass  any  act  creating  a  government  for  the 
people  of  Oregon,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  more  than  ten 
thousand  Americans  were  thus  denied  the  protection  of  the  General 
Government.  An  appropriation,  however,  was  made  for  mail  ser 
vice  to  Oregon  via  Panama;  an  Indian  Agent  was  appointed,  also 
a  postmaster  each  for  Astoria  and  Oregon  City.  One  of  these 
officials,  Mr.  Shively,  brought  with  him  two  letters  for  the  people 
of  Oregon.  One  was  from  James  Buchannan,  Secretary  of  State, 
expressing  the  deep  regret  of  President  Polk  that  Congress  had 
neglected  them,  and  assuring  them  that  he  would  do  all  in  his 
power  to  aid  them,  including  occasional  visits  from  vessels  of  war 
and  the  presence  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons  to  protect  the  emigrants. 
The  other  was  from  Thomas  H.  Benton,  explaining  the  situation  of 
affairs  at  Washington,  where  it  was  dated  in  March,  1847.  Senator 
Benton's  letter  ran  as  follows: — 


320  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  March,  1847. 

My  friends  (for  such  I  may  call  many  of  you  from  personal  acquaintance,  all  of 
you  from  my  thirty  years'  devotion  to  the  interests  of  your  country)— I  think  it 
right  to  make  this  communication  to  you  at  the  present  moment  when  the  adjourn 
ment  of  Congress,  without  passing  the  bill  for  your  government  and  protection, 
seems  to  have  left  you  in  a  state  of  abandonment  by  your  mother  country.  But 
such  is  not  the  case.  You  are  not  abandoned  !  Nor  will  you  be  denied  protection 
unless  you  agree  to  admit  slavery.  I,  a  man  of  the  South,  and  a  slaveholder,  tell 
you  this. 

The  House  of  Representatives,  as  early  as  the  middle  of  January,  had  passed 
the  bill  to  give  you  a  territorial  government ;  and  in  that  bill  had  sanctioned  and 
legalized  your  Provisional  Organic  Act,  one  of  the  clauses  of  which  forever  pro 
hibited  the  existence  of  slavery  in  Oregon. 

An  amendment  from  the  Senate's  committee,  to  which  this  bill  was  referred, 
proposed  to  abrogate  that  prohibition ;  and  in  the  delays  and  vexations  to  which 
that  amendment  gave  rise,  the  whole  bill  was  laid  upon  the  table  and  lost  for  the 
session.  This  will  be  a  great  disappointment  to  you  and  a  real  calamity,  already 
five  years  without  law  or  legal  institutions  for  the  protection  of  life,  liberty  and 
property,  and  now  doomed  to  wait  a  year  longer.  This  is  a  strange  and  anomalous 
condition,  almost  incredible  to  contemplate,  and  most  critical  to  endure!  A  colony 
of  free  men,  four  thousand  miles  from  the  metropolitan  government  to  preserve 
them!  But  do  not  be  alarmed  or  desperate.  You  will  not  be  outlawed  for  not  ad 
mitting  slavery. 

Your  fundamental  act  against  that  institution,  copied  from  the  Ordinance  of 
1787  (the  work  of  the  great  men  of  the  South,  in  the  great  day  of  the  South,  pro 
hibiting  slavery  in  a  territory  far  less  northern  than  yours),  will  not  be  abrogated! 
Nor  is  that  the  intention  of  the  prime  mover  of  the  amendment.  Upon  the  record 
of  the  Judiciary  Committee  of  the  Senate  is  the  author  of  that  amendment,  but  not 
so  the  fact.  It  is  only  midwife  to  it.  Its  author  is  the  same  mind  that  generated 
the  "  Fire  Brand  Resolutions,"  of  which  I  send  you  a  copy,  and  of  which  the 
amendment  is  the  legitimate  derivation.  Oregon  is  not  the  object.  The  most  rabid 
propagandist  of  slavery  can  not  expect  to  plant  it  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  in  the 
latitude  of  Wisconsin  and  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  A  home  agitation  for  election  and 
disunion  purposes,  is  all  that  is  intended  by  thrusting  this  fire  brand  question  into 
your  bill  as  it  ought  to  be.  I  promise  you  this  in  the  name  of  the  South,  as  well  as 
of  the  North  ;  and  the  event  will  not  deceive  me.  In  the  meantime,  the  President 
will  give  you  all  the  protection  which  existing  laws  can  enable  him  to  extend  to  you, 
and  until  Congress  has  time  to  act,  your  friends  must  rely  upon  you  to  continue  to 
govern  yourselves  as  you  have  heretofore  done  under  the  provisions  of  your  own 
voluntary  compact,  and  with  the  justice,  harmony  and  moderation  which  is  due  to 
your  own  character  and  to  the  honor  of  the  American  name. 

I  send  you,  by  Mr.  Shively,  a  copy  of  the  bill  of  the  late  session,  both  as  it 
passed  the  House  of  Representatives  and  as  proposed  to  be  amended  in  the  Senate, 
with  the  Senate's  vote  upon  laying  it  on  the  table,  and  a  copy  of  Mr.  Calhoun's 
resolutions  (posterior  in  date  to  the  amendment,  but  nevertheless  its  father) ;  also  a 
copy  of  your  own  Provisional  Organic  Act,  printed  by  order  of  the  Senate ;  all  of 
which  will  put  you  completely  in  possession  of  the  proceedings  of  Congress  on 
your  petition  for  a  territorial  government,  and  for  the  protection  and  security  of 
your  rights. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  to  assure  you  that  the  same  spirit  which  has  made  me  the 
friend  of  Oregon  for  thirty  years — which  led  me  to  denounce  the  joint  occupation 
treaty  the  day  it  was  made,  and  to  oppose  its  renewal  in  1828,  and  to  labor  for  its 
abrogation  until  it  was  terminated ;  the  same  spirit  which  led  me  to  reveal  the 


OEEGON  BECOMES  AN  OEGANIZED  TEERITORY.        321 

grand  destiny  of  Oregon  in  articles  written  in  1818,  and  to  support  every  measure 
for  her  benefit  since — the  same  spirit  still  animates  me  and  will  continue  to  do  so 
while  I  live — which  I  hope  will  be  long  enough  to  see  an  emporium  of  Asiatic  com 
merce  at  the  mouth  of  your  river  and  a  stream  of  Asiatic  trade  pouring  into  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  through  the  channel  of  Oregon. 

Your  friend  and  fellow -citizen, 

THOMAS  H.  BENTON. 

The  assurance  contained  in  these  letters  that  powerful  friends 
were  laboring  in  their  interests,  was  a  cheering  thought  amidst  the 
disappointment  of  the  unfavorable  intelligence.     It  was  felt  that  a 
representative   direct  from  Oregon  would  be  able  to  accomplish 
much,  and  Hon.  J.  Quinn  Thornton,  Supreme  Judge  of  the  Pro 
visional  Government,  had   been,  during  the  past  year,  frequently 
urged  by  influential  men,  to  proceed  to  Washington  and  labor  with 
Congress  in  behalf  of  Oregon.     In  particular  had  the  lamented 
Dr.  Whitman  requested  him  to  do  so,  asserting  that  only  the  estab 
lishment  of  a  strong  Territorial  Government,  one  that  the  Indians 
would  recognize  as  powerful,  would  "  save  him  and  his  mission  from 
falling  under  the  murderous  hands  of  savages."  Mr.  Thornton  recog 
nized  the  importance  of  such  a  delegate,  and  solicited  Hon.  Peter  H. 
Burnett,  subsequently  the  first  Governor  of  California,  to  undertake 
the  mission,  but  without  success.     The  news  of  the  state  of  affairs 
at  Washington  brought  by  Mr.  Shively,  decided  Mr.  Thornton,  and 
on  the  eighteenth  of  October,  1847,  having  resigned   his  judicial 
office,  he  departed  on  his  arduous  mission,  armed  with  a  letter  from 
Governor  Abernethy  to  President  Polk.     Mr.  Thornton  was  by  no 
means    a   regularly  constituted   delegate,  since   Oregon    was   not 
authorized  to  accredit  such  an  official  to  Congress,  but  simply  went 
as  a  private  individual,  representing  in  an  unofficial  manner  the  Gov 
ernor  and  many  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Oregon.     In  fact  the 
Legislature,  deeming  its  functions  infringed  upon  by  this  action  of 
the  Governor,  passed  resolutions  embodying  their  idea  of  the  harm 
done  the  colony  by  the  officiousness  of  "secret  factions."     There 
was  not  ready  money  enough  in  the  treasury  to  have  paid  the  pas 
sage*  of  Mr.  Thornton,  even  had  it  been  at  his  disposal.     A  collec 
tion  was  taken  up,  contributions   being  made  partly  in  coin  but 
chiefly  in  flour,  clothing,  and  any  thing  that  could  be  of  service  or 
was  convertible  into  money.     A  contract  was  made  with  Captain 
Roland  Gelston,  of  the  bark  Whitton,  to  convey  Mr.  Thornton  to 


322  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Panama,  and  the  vessel  sailed  at  once  for  San  Francisco,  and  thence 
to  San  Juan,  on  the  coast  of  Lower  California.  Here  the  Captain 
informed  his  passenger  that  he  must  decline  to  fulfill  his  contract, 
as  he  desired  to  engage  in  the  coasting  trade.  From  the  perplex 
ing  dilemma  he  was  extricated  by  Captain  Montgomery,  command 
ing  the  United  States  sloop  of  war  Portsmouth,  then  lying  at 
anchor  in  the  harbor.  This  gentleman  deemed  the  mission  of  Mr. 
Thornton  of  sufficient  importance  to  the  Government  to  justify  him 
in  leaving  his  station  and  returning  with  his  vessel  to  the  Atlantic 
Coast.  He  accordingly  tendered  the  delegate  the  hospitalities  of 
his  cabin,  and  set  sail  as  soon  as  preparations  could  be  made  for 
the  voyage.  The  Portsmouth  arrived  in  Boston  Harbor  on  the 
second  of  May,  1848,  and  Mr.  Thornton  at  once  hastened  to  Wash 
ington  to  consult  with  President  Polk  and  Senators  Benton  and 
Douglas,  those  warm  champions  of  Oregon,  as  to  the  proper  course 
to  pursue.  By  them  he  was  advised  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  be 
presented  to  Congress,  setting  forth  the  condition  and  needs  of  the 
people  whom  he  represented.  This  he  did,  and  the  document  was 
presented  to  the  Senate  by  Mr  Benton  and  was  printed  for  the  use 
of  both  branches  of  Congress. 

There  was  still  another  representative  of  the  people  of  Oregon 
at  Washington  that  session  of  Congress — one  with  even  better 
credentials  than  Mr.  Thornton.  This  was  Joseph  L.  Meek,  the 
mountaineer  and  trapper,  who  had  taken  such  a  prominent  part  in 
organizing  the  Provisional  Government.  When,  about  six  weeks 
after  the  departure  of  Judge  Thornton,  the  massacre  of  Whitman 
at  Waiilatpu  plunged  the  settlers  into  a  state  of  mingled  grief  and 
alarm,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  dispatch  a  messenger  at  once  to 
Washington  to  impart  the  intelligence,  impress  the  authorities  with 
the  precarious  situation  of  the  colony,  and  appeal  for  protection. 
Winter  had  set  in  with  all  its  rigors  in  the  mountains.  The  terrible 
journey  made  at  that  season  six  years  before  by  Dr.  Whitman,  on 
his  patriotic  mission,  the  same  person  whose  martyrdom  now  ren 
dered  a  second  journey  necessary,  was  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all, 
and  appalled  the  stoutest  heart.  Mr.  Thornton  had  taken  the 
longer,  but  safer,  route  by  sea,  but  time  was  too  precious,  too  much 
was  at  stake,  to  admit  of  the  delay  such  a  journey  would  impose, 
even  if  the  vessel  were  at  hand  to  afford  the  means.  Nothing  but 


OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY.         323 

a  trip  across  the  thousands  of  miles  of  snow-bound  mountains,  plains 
and  deserts,  would  be  of  any  avail.  In  the  emergency  all  turned  to 
Joseph  L.  Meek  as  the  one  man  in  their  midst  whose  intrepid 
courage,  great  powers  of  physical  endurance,  long  experience  in 
mountain  life  and  familiarity  with  the  routes  of  travel  and  Indian 
tribes  to  be  encountered,  rendered  him  capable  of  undertaking  the 
task  with  a  good  prospect  of  success.  Unhesitatingly  he  accepted 
the  mission,  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Legislature,  received  his  ere- 

/  o  o  I 

dentials  as  a  delegate  from  that  body,  and  set  out  on  the  fourth  of 
January  for  Washington*,  accompanied  by  John  Owens  and  George 
Ebbetts,  who  decided  to  go  with  him  and  avail  themselves  of  his 
services  as  guide  and  director. 

At  The  Dalles  they  were  forced  to  delay  several  weeks  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Oregon  volunteers  rendered  it  safe  for  them  to  proceed, 
since  the  whole  upper  country  was  overrun  by  hostile  Indians. 
They  accompanied  the  troops  to  Waiilatpu,  where  Meek  had  the 
mournful  satisfaction  of  assisting  in  the  burial  of  the  victims  of  Cay- 
use  treachery,  among  whom  was  his  own  daughter,  and  then  were 
escorted  by  a  company  of  troops  to  the  base  of  the  Blue  Mountains, 
where  they  finally  entered  upon  their  long  and  solitary  journey. 
By  avoiding  the  Indians  as  much  as  possible,  and  whenever 
encountered  by  them  representing  themselves  as  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  men,  they  reached  Fort  Boise  in  safety.  Here  two  of 
four  new  volunteers  for  the  journey  became  discouraged  and  de 
cided  to  remain.  The  other  five  travelers  pushed  on  to  Fort  Hall, 
saving  themselves  from  the  clutches  of  the  Bannacks  only  by  Meek's 
experience  in  dealing  with  savages.  It  is  needless  to  recount  the 
many  hardships  they  endured,  the  sleepless  nights  and  dinner- 
less  days,  the  accidents,  dangers,  fatigues,  narrow  escapes  from 
hostile  Indians  and  the  thousand  discomforts  and  misadventures  to 
which  they  were  subjected.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  through  all  these 
they  passed  in  safety,  never  forgetting  for  an  instant  the  impera 
tive  necessity  for  haste,  and  never  flinching  from  the  trials  that  lay 
in  their  pathway.  The  hearty  invitation  to  spend  a  few  weeks  here 
or  there  in  the  few  places  where  they  encountered  friends  and  com 
fortable  quarters,  was  resolutely  declined,  and  with  only  such  delay 
as  was  absolutely  required,  they  plunged  again  into  the  snowy 
mountain  passes  with  their  faces  resolutely  set  towards  the  rising 


324  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sun.  They  reached  St.  Joseph  in  but  little  more  than  two  months 
after  leaving  the  Willamette  Valley,  having  made  the  quickest  trip 
across  the  continent  that  had  yet  been  accomplished  at  any  season 
of  the  year.  Meek  was  now  reduced  to  most  embarassing  straits. 
Dressed  in  buckskin  and  blanket  clothes  and  wolf  skin  cap,  ragged 
and  dirty  in  the  extreme,  beard  and  hair  long  and  unkempt,  with 
out  money  or  friends,  how  to  get  to  Washington  or  how  to  conduct 
himself  when  there,  were  perplexing  questions.  He  decided  that 
the  best  way  to  accomplish  his  purpose  was  to  be  "  Jo  Meek."  By 
assuming  an  air  of  great  importance  at  one*  time,  making  a  clown  of 
himself  at  another,  and  generally  interesting  every  one  he  met  in 
himself  and  his  mission,  he  succeeding  in  reaching  Washington  only 
a  week  or  two  later  than  Judge  Thornton,  though  his  news  from 
Oregon  was  three  months  fresher.  Meek  was  a  relative  of  the 
President,  and  was  well  cared  for  during  his  stay  in  the  Capital 
City.  The  intelligence  brought  by  him,  as  well  as  his  individual 
efforts,  did  much  to  aid  Mr.  Thornton  and  the  friends  of  Oregon  in 
Congress  in  securing  the  desired  legislation. 

In  addition  to  the  memorial,  Judge  Thornton  drafted  a  bill  for 
organizing  a  Territorial  Government,  which  was  introduced  and 
placed  upon  its  passage.  This  bill  contained  a  clause  prohibiting 
slavery,  and  for  this  reason  was  as  objectionable  to  the  slaveholding 
force  in  Congress  as  had  been  the  previous  one.  Under  the  lead 
of  Senators  Jefferson  Davis  and  John  C.  Calhoun,  this  wing  of  the 
National  Legislature  made  a  vigorous  onslaught  upon  the  bill, 
and  fought  its  progress  step  by  step  with  unabated  determination, 
resorting  to  all  the  legislative  tactics  known,  to  so  delay  its  consid 
eration  that  it  could  not  be  finally  passed  by  the  hour  of  noon  on 
the  fourteenth  of  August,  the  time  fixed  by  joint  resolution  for  the 
close  of  that  session  of  Congress.  The  contest  during  the  last  two 
days  of  the  session  was  exciting  in  the  extreme,  and  the  feeling  in 
tense  throughout  the  Union.  The  friends  of  the  bill  had  decided 
upon  a  policy  of  "masterly  inactivity,"  refraining  entirely  from 
debate  and  yielding  the  floor  absolutely  to  the  "  filibusters,"  who 
were  therefore  much  distressed  for  means  to  consume  the  slowly 
passing  hours.  Though  silent  in  speech  they  were  constantly 
present  in  force  to  prevent  the  opposition  from  gaining  time  by  an 
adjournment.  The  bill  was  then  on  its  second  passage  in  the  Sen- 


OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY.         325 

ate,  for  the  purpose  of  concurrence  with  amendments  which  had 
been  added  by  the  House.  On  Saturday  morning,  August  12,  the 
managers  of  the  bill  decided  to  prevent  an  adjournment  until  it  had 
been  disposed  of,  having  a  sufficient  majority  to  pass  it.  The  story 
of  that  memorable  contest  is  thus  told  by  Mr.  Thornton,  who  sat 
throughout  the  scene  an  earnest  spectator  :— 

I  re-entered  the  Senate  Chamber  with  the  deepest  feelings  of  solicitude,  and  yet 
hopeful  because  of  the  assurances  which  had  been  given  to  me  by  the  gentleman  I 
have  named  [Douglas,  Benton  and  Hale.]  I  soon  saw,  however,  that  Calhoun  and 
Butler,  of  South  Carolina  ;  Davis  and  Foote,  of  Mississippi ;  and  Hunter  and  Mason, 
of  Virginia,  as  leaders  of  the  opposition,  had  girded  up  their  loins  and  buckled  on 
their  armor  for  the  battle.  ^ 

When  I  explain  a  little  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  that  I  felt  very  nervous. 
The  bill  had  previously  been  in  the  Senate  and  having  passed  went  down  to  the 
House  where  it  was  amended,  and  now  it  had  come  back  for  concurrence.  The 
debate  when  the  bill  was  first  in  the  Senate  was  one  of  thrilling  interest.  "  There 
were  giants  in  those  days,"  and  the  field  on  which  they  fought  .and  measured 
strength  with  each  other  was  one  in  which  no  man  could  be  at  a  loss  to  find  a  foe- 
man  worthy  of  his  steel,  since  here  might  be  encountered  such  mighty  men  as 
Douglas  and  Benton,  Webster,  Calhoun  and  Corwin.  The  last  named  gentleman 
having  gotten  the  floor  in  the  debate  on  the  Oregon  bill,  the  Senate  adjourned.  In 
this  manner  it  became  known  at  once  throughout  the  city  that  Mr.  Corwin  would  on 
the  next  day,  after  the  preliminary  business  of  the  morning  hour  had  been  disposed 
of,  address  the  Senate  on  that  bill — the  provision  in  it  taken  from  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  prohibiting  slavery  being  the  point  of  his  departure,  and  human  rights  the 
subject  of  his  address.  At  an  early  hour  the  gallery  was  literally  packed  full  of  the 
elite  and  beauty  of  the  capital,  most  of  them  being  brought  hither  by  an  unconquer 
able  desire  to  witness  the  triumph  of  right  over  wrong  and  of  reason  over  passion 
which  they  felt  sure  would  be  achieved  by  their  favorite  orator's  burning  words 
consuming  to  ashes  the  sophisms  relied  upon  by  the  advocates  of  slavery  to  defend 
the  most  gigantic  evil  that  ever  cursed  a  nation  or  stained  its  escutcheon.  On  the 
floor  of  the  Senate  were  diplomatic  representatives  from  every  Court  in  Europe, 
already  impatient  to  drink  in  the  Inspiration  of  the  wonderful  eloquence  of  an 
orator  who  had  no  equal  in  some  respects  and  no  superior  in  any. 

The  preliminary  business  of  the  morning  hour  having  been  hurried  through, 
Mr.  Corwin,  of  Ohio,  rose  to  his  feet ;  and  during  two  hours  commencing  with  his 
saying  "Mr.  President,"  and  ending  with  the  close  of  his  wonderful  address,  no 
other  sound  was  heard  save  occasionally  that  of  one  who  seemed  to  catch  at  his 
breath,  and  no  movement  could  be  seen  save  in  the  varying  muscles  of  the  faces  of 
the  listening  hearers  as  the  orator's  matchless  manner,  melodious  voice,  and  ready 
command  of  most  apt  language  alternately  melted  the  heart  into  pity  or  kindled  it 
into  resentment,  while,  with  inimitable  skill  and  unequaled  power,  he  portrayed 
"  the  sum  of  all  villainies." 

This  description  of  the  effects  of  the  address  does  not  of  course  apply  to  such  of 
his  hearers  as  were  the  advocates  of  "the  patriarchal  institution."  The  faces  of 
these  seemed  at  times  to  be  as  much  blanched  with  fear  as  would  that  of  a  nervous 
woman  on  being  suddenly  confronted  by  a  death's  head.  At  other  times  the  face 
was  equally  white,  yet  the  compressed  lips,  and  the  flashing  eye  and  a  peculiar  ex 
pression  of  the  countenance  as  clearly  as  language  could  speak,  showed  that  the 
heart  was  a  burning  volcano  of  the  most  fiery  passions  in  the  throes  of  a  terrible 
eruption. 


326  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

When  Mr.  Corwin  closed  his  memorable  speech,  there  seemed  to  be  quite  an  in 
terval  before  those  who  heard  gained  their  self-recollection,  and  a  motion  was  made 
for  the  adjournment  of  the  Senate.  As,  with  others,  I  was  slowly  and  thoughtfully 
retiring,  Father  Richie,  the  most  venerable  journalist  in  the  United  States,  a  life 
long  advocate  of  slavery,  and  at  that  time  editor  of  the  government  organ,  nervously 
laid  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder,  and  with  lips  as  white  as  paper  and  quivering  with 
emotion,  he  said:  "A  few  speeches  such  as  that  would  sever  the  bonds  of  this 
Union!" 

With  such  a  scene  as  this  fresh  in  my  memory,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised 
if  on  Saturday  morning,  the  12th  of  August,  1848,  I  felt,  after  my  interview  with 
Mr.  Benton,  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Hale,  anxious  for  the  results  of  the  day's  pro 
ceedings  on  the  bill  returned  for  concurrence  in  the  amendments  made  in  the 
House. 

The  friends  of  the  bill,  led  by  Mr.  Benton,  having  taken  their  position,  waited 
calmly  for  the  onset  of  their  adversaries,  who  spent  Saturday  until  the  usual  hour 
of  adjournment  in  skirmishing  in  force,  as  if  feeling  the  strength  of  their  oppo 
nents.  When  the  motion  was  made  at  the  usual  time  in  the  afternoon  for  adjourn 
ment,  the  friends  of  the  bill  came  pouring  out  of  the  retiring  rooms,  and  on  coming 
inside  the  bar  they  voted  No  with  very  marked  emphasis.  I  ought,  perhaps  to  ex 
plain  that  when  many  of  the  friends  of  the  Oregon  bill  went  into  this  room  to  rest 
upon  lounges,  and  to  smoke  and  chat  and  tell  anecdotes,  they  left  behind  a  trusty 
corps  to  observe  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  through  a  vigilant  page  stationed 
at  the  door  to  give  notice  when  it  was  necessary,  to  rise  and  rush  inside  the  bar  to 
vote  No  on  all  motions  for  adjournment. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  after  night  when  Judge  Butler,  of  South 
Carolina,  being  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  resorted  to  a  sort  of  legislative  fili 
bustering  with  a  view  to  thrusting  aside  the  Oregon  bill,  under  a  motion  to  go  into 
executive  session  for  the  purpose  of  enquiring  into  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Benton,  who, 
he  alleged,  had  communicated  to  Dr.  Wallace,  the  reporter  of  the  New  York  Herald, 
some  things  that  had  been  said  and  done  in  secret  session.  During  his  remarks, 
Judge  Butler  characterized  Mr.  Benton's  conduct  as  oeing  "dishonorable."  This 
word  had  only  been  pronounced  when  Mr.  Benton  sprang  to  his  feet  in  great  anger, 
and  advancing  rapidly  toward  Judge  Butler  with  his  clenched  fist  and  violently 
gesticulating,  said :  "You  lie,  sir !  You  lie ! !  I  cram  the  lie  down  your  throat ! ! ! " 
Both  men  wore  long  hair  that  age  had  made  as  white  as  wool,  and  yet  they  were 
only  kept  from  violence  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  Chamber  by  Gen.  Dix,  of  New 
York,  Mason,  of  Virginia,  and  others,  who,  by  placing  themselves  between  the 
venerable  Senators,  prevented  them  from  coming  to  blows.  Thus  restrained,  Judge 
Butler  said  to  Mr.  Benton  in  a  very  loud  and  angry  tone,  "  I  will  see  you,  sir,  at 
another  time  and  place."  Mr.  Benton  immediately  rejoined  in  great  heat,  "Yes, 
sir,  you  can  see  me  at  any  other  time  and  in  any  other  place ;  but  you  and  your 
friends  will  take  notice  that  when  I  fight,  I  fight  for  a  funeral." 

Order  being  at  length  restored,  the  vote  was  taken  on  Judge  Butler's  motion  to 
go  into  executive  session,  and  the  real  object  of  the  motion  being  seen  to  be  the  de 
feat  of  the  Oregon  bill  through  the  consumption  of  time,  it  was  lost. 

Gen.  Foote,  the  colleague  of  Jeff.  Davis,  then  arose  and  in  a  drawling  tone,  as 
sumed  for  the  occasion,  said  his  powers  of  endurance  he  believed  would  enable  him 
to  continue  his  address  to  the  Senate  until  Monday,  12  o'clock  M.,  and  although  he 
could  not  promise  to  say  much  on  the  subject  of  the  Oregon  bill,  he  could  not  doubt 
that  he  would  be  able  to  interest  and  greatly  edify  distinguished  Senators.  The 
friends  of  the  bill,  seeing  what  was  before  them,  posted  a  page  in  the  doorway  open 
ing  into  one  of  the  retiring  rooms,  and  then,  after  detailing  a  few  of  their  number  to 
keep  watch  and  ward  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  withdrew  into  the  room  of  which 


OREGON  BECOMES  AK  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY.         327 

I  have  spoken  to  chat  and  tell  anecdotes  and  to  drink  wine,  or,  perhaps,  something 
even  much  stronger,  and  thus  to  wear  away  the  slowly  and  heavily -passing  hours 
of  that  memorable  Saturday  night.  Soon  great  clouds  of  smoke  filled  the  room,  and 
from  it  issued  the  sound  of  the  chink  of  glasses  and  of  loud  conversation,  almost 
drowning  the  eloquence  of  the  Mississippi  Senator  as  he  repeated  the  Bible  story  of 
the  cosmogony  of  the  world,  the  creation  of  man,  the  taking  from  his  side  the  rib 
from  which  Eve  was  made,  her  talking  with  the  "  snake, "  as  he  called  the  Evil  One, 
the  fall  of  man,  etc.,  etc.  The  galleries  were  soon  deserted.  Many  of  the  aged 
Senators  prostrated  themselves  upon  the  sofas  in  one  of  the  retiring  rooms,  and 
slumbered  soundly,  while  "  thoughts  that  breathed  and  words  that  burned  "  fell  in 
glowing  eloquence  from  the  lips  of  the  Mississippi  Senator,  as  he  continued  thus  to 
instruct  and  edify  the  few  watching  friends  of  the  bill,  who,  notwithstanding  the 
weight  of  seventy  winters  pressed  heavily  upon  some  of  them,  were  as  wide  awake 
as  the  youngest,  and  they  sat  firm  and  erect  in  their  seats,  watching  with  lynx  eyes 
every  movement  of  the  adversaries  of  the  bill. 

At  intervals  of  about  one  hour,  the  speaker  would  yield  the  floor  to  a  motion  for 
adjournment,  coming  from  the  opposition.  Then  the  sentinel  page  at  the  door 
would  give  notice  to  the  waking  Senators  in  the  retiring  room,  and  these  would  im 
mediately  arouse  the  slumbering  Senators,  and  all  would  then  rush  pell-mell 
through  the  doorway,  and  when  the  inside  of  the  bar  was  reached,  would  vote  No 
with  a  thundering  emphasis. 

It  happened,  however,  on  more  occasions  than  one,  that  a  sleeping  Senator,  not 
yet  quite  awake,  even  after  getting  inside  the  bar,  voted  "aye,"  then  "nay,"  and 
then  "aye,"  and  finally  "nay  "  again,  to  the  great  amusement  of  those  who  were 
sufficiently  wide  awake  to  see  where  the  laugh  came  in. 

Occasionally  southern  Senators  toward  Sunday  morning  relieved  Gen.  Foote 
by  short,  dull  speeches,  to  which  the  friends  of  the  bill  vouchsafed  no  answer ;  so 
that  Mr.  Calhoun  and  his  pro-slavery  subordinates  had  things  for  the  most  part  all 
their  own  way  until  Sabbath  morning,  August  13th,  1848,  at  about  8  o'clock,  when 
the  leading  opponents  of  the  bill  collected  together  in  a  knot,  and  after  conversing 
together  a  short  time  in  an  under  tone,  the  Mississippi  Senator,  who  had  been  so 
very  edifying  and  entertaining  during  the  night,  said  that  no  further  opposition 
would  be  made  to  taking  a  vote  on  the  bill.  The  ayes  and  nayes  were  then  called 
and  the  bill  passed. 

President  Polk  affixed  his  signature  to  the  bill  within  a  few 
hours  after  its  passage.  To  have  the  Territorial  Government  fully 
organized  before  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  on  the  fourth 
of  the  succeeding  March,  was  earnestly  desired  by  him,  in  view  of 
the  circumstances  attending  his  election.  He  appointed  Meek  the 
United  States  Marshal  of  the  new  Territory,  and  delegated  him  to 
convey  the  Governor's  commission  to  General  Joseph  Lane,  then 
residing  in  Indiana  and  unaware  of  the  duty  about  to  be  imposed 
upon  him,  for  such,  under  the  circumstances,  it  really  was.  With 
that  promptness  of  decision  and  energy  of  action  so  characteristic 
of  him — qualities  which  won  him  the  title  of  the  "  Marion  of  the 
Mexican  War"— General  Lane  accepted  the  commission  without 
hesitation,  and  in  three  days  had  disposed  of  his  property,  wound 


328  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

up  his  business  affairs,  and  begun  his  journey  to  the  far-off  wilds  of 
Oregon.  A  small  detachment  of  troops  escorted  the  Governor  and 
Marshal,  and  after  a  journey  of  six  months,  by  the  way  of  Mexico 
and  Arizona,  seven  only  of  them  reached  San  Francisco,  two  hav 
ing  died  and  the  others  succumbed  to  the  allurements  of  the  new 
gold  fields  of  the  Sierras.  These  seven  were  Governor  Lane, 
Marshal  Meek,  Lieutenant  Hawkins,  Surgeon  Hayden,  and  three 
enlisted  men.  At  San  Francisco  they  took  passage  on  the  schooner 
Jeannette,  and  reached  the  Columbia  after  a  rough  passage  of 
eighteen  days.  Ascending  the  Columbia  and  Willamette  in  small 
boats,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  they  debarked 
at  Oregon  City  on  the  second  of  March,  1849.  The  following  day 
Governor  Lane  issued  a  proclamation  and  assumed  the  duties  of  his 
office,  having  succeeded  in  instituting  the  Government  just  one  day 
prior  to  the  close  of  President  Folk's  administration.  Other  officers 
of  the  Territory  did  not  arrive  till  several  months  later.  The  fol 
lowing  is  a  roster  of  the  first  officers  of  the  Territorial  Government, 
and  those  of  the  Provisional  Government  at  the  time  of  its  dissolu 
tion  :— 

PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

Governor,  George  Abernethy ;  Secretary,  S.  M.  Holderness  ; 
Treasurer,  John  H.  Couch  ;  Auditor,  Geo.  W.  Bell  (Public  Ac 
counts),  Theophilus  McGruder  (Territorial);  Supreme  Judge,  J. 
Quinn  Thornton  ;  Circuit  Judge,  Alonzo  A.  Skinner  ;  Marshal,  H. 


M.  Knighton. 


TERRITORIAL  GOVERNMENT. 


Governor,  Joseph  Lane;  Secretary,  Kintzing  Pritchett;  Treasurer, 
*James  Taylor  ;  Auditor,  *B.  Gervais  ;  Chief  Justice,  William  C. 
Bryant ;  Associate  Justices,  O.  C.  Pratt,  P.  H.  Burnett ;  Marshal, 
Joseph  Meek  ;  Superintendent  of  Schools,  *Jas.  McBride;  Librarian, 
*W.  T.  Matlock  ;  Territorial  Printer,  ^Wilson  Blain  ;  Commis 
sioner  of  Cayuse  War  Claims,  *Alonzo  A.  Skinner. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Governor  Lane  was  to  appoint  marshals 
to  take  the  census,  as  provided  in  the  organic  act.  The  following 
table  shows  the  population  as  thus  ascertained  :— 

*  Appointed  by  Legislature,  September  29, 1849. 


OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY. 


329 


COUNTIES. 

<M    . 

,    o> 

if 
1* 

£ 
$   . 

*> 
&° 

|! 

S 

"3 

°  8 
89 

1 

fi 

Foreigners. 

Total  number  of] 
citizens. 

Total  number  on 
foreigners. 

3 
£ 

Males  under 
21  years. 

i-H 
<*>    h 
? 

ll 
|§ 

Females  of 
all  ages. 

(Jlackamas      

401 
346 
465 
49 
394 
337 
39 
295 
271 
4 

390 
293 
458 
100 
402 
327 
33 
269 
229 
22 

585 
468 
647 
75 
557 
509 
37 
359 
370 
20 

4 
5 

3 
1 

2 

12 
23 
94 
3 
8 
1 
31 

39 

5 
8 
13 

4 
4 

12 

1376 
1107 
1570 
224 
1353 
1173 
109 
923 
870 
80 

17 
35 
112 
3 
15 
1 
36 

79 

1393 
1142 
1682 
227 
1368 
1174 
145 
923 
870 
159 

Tualatin    

Chanipoeg  

Clatsop  

Yamhill  

Polk 

Linn 

Ben  ton 

Vancouver 

Total  

2601 

2523 

3627 

15 

211 

46 

8795 

298 

9083 

AVhile  Thornton  and  Meek  were  representing  the  people  at 
Washington,  an  event  occurred  that  in  a  few  years  wrought  a 
marvelous  change  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Captain  John  A.  Sutter,  a 
Swiss,  had  come  to  Oregon  in  1838  and  the  following  year  gone  to 
California,  where  he  founded  a  settlement  on  the  site  of  the  present 
City  of  Sacramento,  which  he  named  "New  Helvetia,"  though  it 
was  known  far  and  wide  as  "Butter's  Fort."  In  the  Oregon  immi 
gration  of  1844  was  James  W.  Marshall,  who  went  to  California 
the  following  year  and  entered  the  employ  of  Captain  Sutter.  In 
the  fall  of  1847  Marshall  and  Sutter  entered  into  a  partnership  to 
do  a  saw-mill  business,  and  Marshall  went  up  into  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  and  selected  a  location  for  the  mill  at  Coloma,  a 
place  on  the  South  Fork  of  the  American  River.  It  was  on  the 
nineteenth  of  January,  1848,  that  Marshall  discovered  gold  in  the 
tailrace  of  the  mill.  As  soon  as  this  news  was  spread  throughout 
California,  nearly  every  able-bodied  man  hastened  to  Coloma,  work 
of  every  kind  being  abandoned  and  much  property  sacrificed.  The 
excitement  was  intense.  The  news  of  Marshall's  wonderful  dis 
covery  was  carried  East  by  the  various  routes  of  travel,  and  hun 
dreds  of  emigrants  learned  of  it  while  slowly  plodding  along  on 
the  Oregon  trail,  and  were  thus  induced  to  change  their  destination 
to  California.  For  several  years  thereafter  overland  emigration 
was  almost  exclusively  to  the  gold  fields  of  California.  The  intelli 
gence  did  not  reach  Oregon  till  August,  seven  months  after  the 
discovery.  There  were  then  no  regular  means  of  communication 


330  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

between  the  Sacramento  Valley  and  the  Willamette.  Every  year 
a  few  people  followed  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  trail,  some 
one  way  and  some  the  other,  and  occasionally  coasting  or  other 
vessels  came  to  the  Columbia  from  San  Francisco;  but  the  excite 
ment  of  the  gold  discovery  prevented  the  news  from  reaching. 
Oregon  by  either  of  these  routes,  until  it  was  finally  brought  by  a 
vessel  which  came  for  a  cargo  of  supplies  for  the  San  Francisco 
market.  The  effect  produced  upon  such  an  adventurous  class  as 
were  the  early  pioneers,  can  well  be  imagined.  There  was  at  once 
a  rush  for  California,  chiefly  overland,  as  vessels  were  scarce,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  Oregon  would  become  depopulated.  But  this 
was  only  temporary.  Family  and  business  ties  were  strung  enough 
to  hold  back  many  and  to  hasten  the  return  of  others.  Not  only 
was  Oregon  not  depopulated,  but  she  found  in  California  the  first 
outside  market  for  her  products  she  had  ever  enjoyed.  It  was  for 
her  the  beginning  of  actual  prosperity.  Besides  the  gold  dust 
brought  back  by  returning  miners,  California  gold  poured  into  Ore 
gon  in  a  perfect  stream,  in  exchange  for  grain,  flour,  vegetables,  beef, 
bacon,  and  food  products  of  all  kinds.  Miners  pushed  further  north 
every  year,  until,  in  '1851,  they  crossed  the  line  into  Southern  Ore 
gon,  and  discovered  rich  diggings.  After  the  first  excitement  sub 
sided,  emigration  again  turned  in  the  direction  of  Oregon,  while 
great  numbers,  abandoning  the  gold  fields,  came  north  to  settle 
in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Willamette. 

The  scarcity  of  money  had  always  been  a  serious  evil,  increasing 
yearly  with  the  population.  When,  in  the  winter  of  1848-9,  gold 
dust  began  to  arrive  from  California,  the  material  for  such  a 
medium  w~as  at  hand;  but,  though  the  gold  dust  was  worth  from 
sixteen  to  eighteen  dollars  an  ounce,  returning  miners  could  obtain 
but  eleven  dollars  for  it,  while  much  of  it  was  lost  in  passing  from 
hand  to  hand.  The  Legislature  promptly  passed  an  act  for  the 
"  assaying,  melting  and  coining  of  gold,"  but  the  termination  of  the 
Provisional  Government  by  the  arrival  of  Governor  Lane,  rendered 
the  statute  nugatory.  Private  enterprise  stepped  to  the  front  and 
supplied  the  want  by  issuing  what  is  known  as  "  beaver  money,1' 
somewhat  after  the  manner  in  which  the  u  gold  slugs  "  of  Califor 
nia  were  issued.  These  coins  were  of  five  and  ten  dollar  denomi 
nations,  bearing  on  the  obverse  side  the  figure  of  a  beaver,  above 


OREGON  BECOMES  AN  ORGANIZED  TERRITORY.         331 

whicli  were  the  letters  UK.  M.  T.  A.  \V.  R.  C.  S.,"  and  beneath 
"  O.  T.,  1849."  On  the  reverse  side  was  "Oregon  Exchange  Com 
pany,  130  Grains  Native  Gold,  5  D,"  or  "  10  pwts.,  20  grains,  10 
D."  The  initial  letters  were  those  of  the  gentlemen  composing  the 
company — Kilbourn,  Magruder,  Taylor,  Abernethy,  Wilson,  Ree- 
tor,  Campbell  and  Smith.  The  workmanship  on  the  coin  was  quite 
creditable.  The  dies  were  made  by  Hamilton  Campbell,  and  the 
press  and  rolling  machinery  by  William  Rector.  When  money  be 
came  more  plentiful,  the  beaver  coins  quickly  disappeared  from  cir 
culation,  since  they  contained  about  eight  per  cent,  more  gold  than 
the  national  coins,  and  are  now  only  to  be  found  as  mementoes  in 
the  possession  of  pioneers,  in  cabinets  or  among  the  collections  of 
numismatologists.  No  one  was  ever  prosecuted  for  this  infringe 
ment  of  the  constitutional  prohibition  of  the  coining  of  money  by 
State  Governments  or  individuals. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

OREGON  AS  A  TERRITORY. 

Organization  of  the  Territorial  Government — First  Legislature — Towns 
in  Oregon  in  1850 — A  Military  Episode — John  P.  Gaines  Succeeds 
General  Lane  as  Governor — [n/iarmony  between  Democratic -Legisla 
ture  and  Whig  Officers — Tkrfe  Newspapers  Enter  the  Field — The 
Steamer  "Lot  Whitcomb" — Oregon  City  and  Salem  Contest  for  the 
Capital — Wreck  of  the  ^General  Warren" — Indian  Troubles  in 
1851-2-3 — George  L.  Curry  becomes  Governor — Efforts  to  Form  a 
State  Constitution — Colville  Mines — Indian  War  of  1855-6 — Polit 
ical  Complications — Eraser  River  Excitement — Oregon  Admitted  to 
the  Union. 

OREGON  remained  in  the  Territorial  state  for  ten  years,  suffer 
ing  all  the  evils  of  partisan  government  and  political  strife. 
The  people  early  aspired  to  the  rights  and  dignity  of  statehood, 
and  the  question  of  framing  a  constitution  was  ever  present  in  pol 
itics.  The  adjoining  State  of  California  was  admitted  into  the 
Union  under  phenomenal  conditions,  without  passing  through  the 
Territorial  stage,  and  this  did  much  to  render  the  people  of  Oregon 
discontented  with  a  Territorial  government.  But  the  most  prolific 
cause  of  discontent  was  the  length  of  time  required  to  communicate 
with  the  seat  of  government  at  Washington.  All  laws  passed  by 
the  Legislature  were  subject  to  disapproval  by  Congress,  and  it  took 
several  months  to  learn  whether  an  act  would  not  be  thus  rendered 
void.  The  same  delay  occurred  in  filling  official  vacancies,  in  im 
parting  instructions  for  the  guidance  of  officers,  and  in  transacting 
all  business  requiring  communication  between  the  Territorial  author 
ities  and  those  at  Washington.  It  was  certainly  an  unwieldy  and 
cumbersome  form  of  government,  and  the  people  necessarily  found 
it  irksome  and  repulsive. 


OREGON  AS  A  TERRITORY.  383 

Governor  Lane  called  an  election  for  the  sixth  of  June,  1849,  to 
choose  a  Delegate  to  Congress  and  members  of  the  Territorial  Leg 
islature.  The  total  vote  cast  for  Delegate  was  943,  of  which  Sam 
uel  R.  Thurston  received  470;  Columbia  Lancaster,  321;  James  W. 
Nesmith,  104;  Joseph  L.  Meek,  40;  J.  S.  Griffin,  8.  The  appor 
tionment  of  Councilmen  and  Representatives  was  made  by  the  Gov 
ernor  in  his  proclamation.  The  names  of  the  gentlemen  elected  to 
the  first  Territorial  Legislature  were  as  follows:  Council — W. 

o 

Blain,  Tualatin;  W.  W.  Buck,  Clackamas;  S.  Parker,  Clackamas 
and  Champoeg;  W.  Shannon,  Champoeg;  S.  F.  McKean,  Clatsop, 
Lewis  and  Vancouver;  J.  B.  Graves,  Yamhill;  W.  Maley,  Linn; 
N.  Ford,  Polk;  L.  A.  Humphrey,  Benton.  Representatives — D. 
Hill  and  W.  M.  King,  Tualatin;  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  J.  D.  Holman 
and  Gabriel  Walling,  Clackamas;  J.  W.  Grim,  W.  W.  Chapman 
and  W.  T.  Matlock,  Champoeg;  A.  J.  Hembree,  R.  C.  Kinney  and 
J.  B.  Walling,  Yamhill;  J.  Dunlap  and  J.  Conser,  Linn;  H.  N. 
V.  Holmes  and  S.  Burch,  Polk;  M.  T.  Simmons,  Lewis,  Vancouver 
and  Clatsop;  J.  L.  Mulkey  and  G.  B.  Smith,  Benton. 

The  Legislature  assembled  at  Oregon  City,  July  16,  1849,  and 
held  a  brief  session,  in  which  they  apportioned  their  future  mem 
bership  ;  changed  the  names  of  Champoeg,  Tualatin  and  Vancouver 
counties  to  "Marion,"  "Washington,"  and  "Clarke,"  respectively; 
decided  what  officers  the  various  counties  should  have,  and  provided 
for  their  election  the  following  October,  and  divided  the  Territory 
into  three  judicial  districts.  In  October  the  county  elections  were 
held  and  the  officers  chosen  qualified  immediately.  This  was  the  last 
step  in  the  complete  organization  of  the  government  under  the 
Oregon  Bill. 

The  year  1850  opened  auspiciously  for  Oregon.  A  custom 
house  had  been  established  at  Astoria,  and  regular  steamer  commu 
nication  opened  between  the  accessible  ports  on  the  Willamette 
and  San  Francisco.  Oregon  contained  then  a  dozen  aspiring- 
towns — Astoria,  St.  Helens,  Milton  (one  and  one- half  miles  above 
St.  Helens),  Portland,  Milwaukie,  Oregon  City,  Champoeg,  Syra 
cuse,  Albany,  Marysville  (Corvallis),  Cincinnati,  Hillsboro,  Lafay 
ette,  Salem,  Lexington  (on  Clatsop  Plains).  Between  Milwaukie 
and  Portland  there  Was  much  rivalry,  each  aspiring  to  be  the  head 
of  permanent  navigation  for  ocean  steamers;  and  this  was  shared 


334  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

at  times  by  St.  Helens,  as  well  as  other  ambitious  points  which 
never  acquired  much  greater  dignity  than  a  mere  name.  It  was 
found  that  navigation  to  Milwaukie  was  not  practicable  in  low-water 
season,  and  even  Portland  was  considered  as  too  far  up  at  one  time, 
owing  to  the  troublesome  bar  at  Swan  Island.  The  steamship  com 
pany  decided  to  make  St.  Helens,  or  Columbia  City  (a  new  town 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette),  the  terminus,  but  were  quickly 
brought  back  to  Portland  by  a  movement  on  the  part  of  the  mer 
chants  of  that  city  to  establish  an  opposition  line.  Since  then,  with 
but  one  exception,  the  ocean  steamship  terminus  has  remained  con 
stantly  at  the  city  of  Portland. 

The  military  headquarters  were  at  Oregon  City  in  1849-50,  and 
at  that  point  the  greater  portion  of  the  First  Mounted  Rifles  w^ere 
stationed,  the  remainder  taking  post  at  Vancouver,  Astoria  and  on 
Puget  Sound.  The  regiment  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Loring, 
afterwards  General,  who  achieved  a  reputation  in  Egypt,  as  Loring 
Pasha.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1850,  a  majority  of  the  men  suc 
cumbed  to  the  seductive  influence  of  the  gold  excitement  and  deserted. 
Fully  four  hundred  of  them  started  for  the  California  mines,  and  at 
Eugene  City  fortified  themselves  so  that  the  soldiers  and  citizens 
who  pursued  them  could  not  effect  their  capture.  They  then 
started  south  in  small  bands.  Governor  Lane  was  appealed  to  by 
the  commanding  officer,  and  hastily  collecting  a  company  of  volun 
teers  he  pursued  and  overtook  a  body  of  them  in  Rogue  River  Val 
ley,  who  surrendered  to  him  without  resistance.  Of  the  four  hundred 
deserters,  two  hundred  and  sixty  were  thus  captured,  the  remainder 
succeeding  in  reaching  California  and  losing  themselves  among  the 
miners. 

I  In  April,  1850,  Governor  Lane  received  notification  that  he  had 
been  removed  by  the  Whig  President,  Taylor,  and  Major  John  P. 
Gaines  appointed  in  his  place  on  the  second  of  the  previous  October. 
On  the  twenty -seventh  of  May,  he  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
that  he  w^as  about  to  start  for  Rogue  River,  to  make  a  treaty  w^th 
the  Indians  of  that  region,  which  he  hoped  to  conclude  by  the 
eighteenth  6f~TTTme,  and  this  date  he  fixed  as  the  termination  of  his 
official  duties.  The  new  Governor  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  Gov. 
Lane  set  out  immediately.  He  came  to  an  amicable  understanding 
with  this  turbulent  tribe,  and  then  passed  into  California  to  try  his 


OREGON  AS  A   TERRITORY.  335 

fortune  in  the  mines.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the  Cayuse  hos 
tages  were  tried  and  executed  at  Oregon  City,  the  uncertainty  as  to 
whether  he  was  still  in  Oregon  or  not  preventing  the  Secretary  from 
assuming  any  authority. 

The  general  election  for  county  officers  and  members  of  the  Leg 
islature  was  held  in  June.  The  new  Territorial  officers  arrived  in 
August,  September,  October  and  November — Governor  Gaines 
assuming  his  dutJ£s__ori  the  nineteenth  of  September,  being  careful, 
however,  to  draw  his  salary  from  the  date  of  his  appointment,  nearly 
a  year  before.  The  other  new  officials  were:  Edward  Hamilton, 
Secretary;  John  McLean  and  William  Strong,  Judges;  Amory  Hol- 
brook,  United  States  Attorney;  John  Adair,  Collector  of  Customs; 
Henry  II.  Spalding,  Indian  Agent;  Joseph  L.  Meek  retained  the 
office  of  Marshal.  The  Legislature  assembled  in  December;  being 
strongly  Democratic  in  its  composition,  a  want  of  harmony  was  at 
once  developed  between  it  and  the  Whig  Territorial  officers.  In 
some  respects  this  was_the_most  important  legislative _  session L_ever 
hekLiiJL Oregon.  But  little  had  been  accomplished  the  previous 
year,  and  it  devolved  upon  this  session  to  give  Oregon  a  code  of 
laws,  and  legislate  for  the  radically  new  state  of  affairs  brought 
about  by  a  Territorial  form  of  government,  and  the  great  increase 
in  population  and  the  sudden  commercial  awakening.  It  was  com 
posed  of  the  leading  and  representative  men  of  the  Territory,  and 
ably  performed  its  function. 

Three  newspapers  sprang  into  being  in  the  winter  of  1850-51. 
On  the  twenty-ninth  of  November,  1850,  the  first  number  of  the 
Western  Star  appeared  at  Milwaukie,  then  a  formidable  rival  of 
Portland  for  metropolitan  honors.  Lot  Whitcomb  was  the  pub 
lisher,  John  Orvis  Waterman  the  editor,  and  Waterman  and  W.  D. 
Carter  the  printers.  On  the  fourth  of  December,  Thomas  J.  Dryer 
began  the  publication  of  the  Oregonian  at  Portland.  A  prospectus 
for  a  paper  at  Oregon  City  had  been  issued  by  -  -  Russell  the  fall 
before,  also  by  Asahel  Bush,  but  as  they  had  no  material  they  were 
compelled  to  delay  publication.  Mr.  Bush  was  elected  Public 
Printer  by  the  Legislature,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was 
utterly  without  facilities  for  discharging  the  duties  of  the  office,  while 
the  Star  and  Oregonian  were  ignored.  In  March  his  material 
arrived,  and  the  first  number  of  the  Statesman  was  issued  at  Oregon 


\ 


336  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

City.  Mr.  Bush  was  a  representative  Democrat,  and  the  Statesman 
for  years,  while  under  his  control,  was  the  mouthpiece  and  official 
organ  of  the  dominant  faction  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  Star 
was  also  Democratic,  but  did  not  enjoy  such  a  generous  proportion 
of  the  "loaves  and  fishes1'  as  did  the  official  organ.  The  Oregonian 
was  a  Whig  paper  of  the  most  pronounced  type,  and  Mr.  Dryer 
was  a  man  of  strong  prejudices,  energetic  character  and  fiery  dispo 
sition.  He  had  but  one  standard  of  measurement — political  opin 
ion.  Everything  that  savored  of  Whiggery  was  good,  while  any 
thing  in  the  least  tainted  with  Democracy  was  vile.  The  papers 
were  full  of  politics  and  personal  abuse,  based  upon  political  con 
duct — the  Oregonian  and  Statesman  presenting  the  most  marked 
'antagonism.  It  was  then  the  "  Oregon  style  "  of  journalism  had 
its  birth,  and  flourished  like  the  product  of  the  mustard  seed  for  a 
series  of  years.  Argument  gave  way  to  invective;  intelligent  dis 
cussion  of  political  affairs  there  was  none ;  the  presentation  of  the 
most  trivial  piece  of  news  was  done  in  such  a  manner  that  its  truth 
was  made  of  secondary  importance  to  its  political  effect,  and  even 
the  most  common  of  the  social  amenities  were  lost  in  the  whirlpool 
of  political  animosity.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  other  things  as 
compared  with  pioneer  days,  there  has  certainly  been  a,  vast  and 
most  gratifying  improvement  in  the  character  of  Oregon  journalism. 
In  the  fall  of  1850,  Lot  Whitcomb  began,  at  Milwaukie,  the 
construction  of  a  small  steamer  to  ply  upon  the  Willamette  and 
Columbia,  the  pioneer  of  the  great  fleet  which,  in  later  years,  bore 
the  whole  inland  commerce  of  this  region.  A  public  meeting  was 
held  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  Oregon  City, 
early  in  December,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  name  the  steamer  the 
"  Lot  Whitcomb  of  Oregon,"  and  a  stand  of  colors  was  presented 
to  the  enterprising  owner.  On  Christmas  day  the  little  craft  was 
launched,  amid  the  peal  of  cannon  and  the  cheers  of  a  great  crowd 
of  people  who  had  assembled  to  witness  the  event,  Governor  Gaines 
formally  christening  her  as  above.  This  was  followed  by  a  grand 
ball  in  the  evening.  When  the  salute  was  fired,  Captain  Frederick 
Morse,  of  the  schooner  Merchantman,  which  was  then  in  port,  was 
killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  cannon.  The  steamer,  a  month  later, 
made  a  trial  trip,  with  a  company  of  invited  guests,  to  Vancouver 
and  Astoria.  She  then  took  her  place  as  a  passenger  and  freight 


OTCEGON   AS  A   TERRITORY. 

boat,  and  did  excellent  service.  Captain  Whitcomb  retired  from 
the  Star,  and  in  June,  1851,  Waterman  &  Carter  moved  it  to  Port 
land,  and  changed  its  name  to  the  Oregon  Weekly  Times,  being  led 
to  take  this  step  by  the  plainly  apparent  fact  that  Portland  was  the 
coming  metropolis  of  Oregon. 

On  the  ninth  of  April,  1851,  Samuel  K.  Thurston,  Delegate  to 
Congress,  while  on  his  way  back  to  Oregon,  died  on  board  the  steamer 
California,  while  between  Panama  and  Acapulco,  and  was  buried 
at  the  latter  place.  The  news  reached  Oregon  a  few  weeks  later — 
a  month  prior  to  the  general  election  at  which  his  successor  was  to 
b'e  elected — and  caused  a  general  expression  of  sorrow  from  the 
people.  At  its  next  session  the  Legislature  bestowed  his  name 
upon  a  county  north  of  the  Columbia  River,  now  a  portion  of  Wash 
ington  Territory,  and  later  defrayed  the  expense  of  bringing  his 
body  to  Oregon  for  burial.  The  general  election  was  held  on  the 
second  of  June,  and  General  Lane,  who  had  returned  from  the  mines 
of  Northern  California,  became  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Dele 
gate  to  Congress.  He  received  2,093  votes,  while  only  548  were 
cast  for  William  H.  Willson,  his  Whig  opponent. 

There  were  other  things  than  politics  to  interest  the  people  in 
1851  and  1852.  Early  in  1851,  gold  was  discovered  in  Southern 
Oregon;  several  thousands  of  miners  crowded  into  the  diggings  on 
the  tributaries  of  Rogue  River,  and  the  town  of  Jacksonville  sprang 
suddenly  into  existence.  This  opened  a  new  market  for  Oregon 
products,  and  added  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Willamette 
Valley.  In  an  effort  to  find  a  suitable  seaport  for  a  base  of  sup 
plies  for  the  new  mines,  the  Umpqua  River  was  entered  and  several 
towns  laid  out,  the  most  important  of  which  was  Scottsburg.  The 
following  year  Douglas  and  Jackson  counties  were  organized,  from 
which  Coos,  Curry  and  Josephine  were,  in  later  years,  cut  off.  The 
mines  in  Northern  California,  at  Yreka  (then  called  Shasta  Butte 
City),  and  along  Klainath  and  Scott  rivers,  also  drew  heavily  upon 
the  Willamette  Valley  for  support.  The  discovery  of  gold  in  the 
Rogue  River  region  led  to  the  immediate  occupation  of  choice  loca 
tions  in  the  valley  by  farmers,  who  raised  hay,  grain  and  vegetables 
for  the  mines.  Quite  a  number  of  these  locations  were  made  in 
1851,  and  in  two  or  three  years  the  best  part  of  the  valley  was 
occupied.  In  the  Umpqua  region,  also,  settlements,  which  were  but 


338  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

few  prior  to  1850,  began  to  be  more  numerous,  and  in  a  few  years 
quite  a  population  was  found  in  Southern  Oregon,  exclusive  of  those 
engaged  in  mining.  The  Indians  of  Rogue  River  Valley  had  shown 
a  hostile  spirit  ever  since  the  first  Americans  passed  through  their 
country,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  narrative  of  several  early  events, 
and  numerous  collisions  occurred  between  them  and  parties  passing  to 
and  fro  between  the  mines  and  the  Willamette  Valley ;  several  men 
were  killed  in  this  way,  and  many  pack  and  saddle  animals  stolen. 
Brevet  Major  (afterwards  General)  Phil.  Kearney,  while  passing 
through  that  region,  on  his  way  from  Vancouver  to  Beriicia,  with 
two  companies  of  troops,  was  appealed  to  for  aid  in  punishing  the 
Indians.  They  came  upon  the  savages  on  the  bank  of  the  river  ten 
miles  above  Table  Rock.  Captain  Walker  took  his  company  of 
infantrymen  across  the  river,  to  get  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  while 
Captain  Stewart  dismounted  his  dragoons  and  made  an  attack  upon 
the  rancheria.  The  Indians  fled  with  the  loss  of  several  of  their 
number.  The  only  casualty  on  the  part  of  the  troops  was  the  death 
of  Captain  Stewart,  a  gallant  officer  who  had  won  distinction  in  the 
Mexican  War,  who  was  shot  with  an  arrow  by  a  wounded  Indian 
after  the  battle  was'  over.  Later  in  the  day  a  more  severe  battle 
was  fought. 

Kearney  was  soon  joined  by  Major  Alvord,  who,  with  a  military 
escort,  was  engaged  in  surveying  a  route  for  a  military  road  through 
Southern  Oregon.  With  him  was  Jesse  Applegate.  General  Lane 
happened  to  be  passing  through  the  country  with  a  number  of 
others,  and  upon  hearing  the  news  at  once  hastened  to  the  aid  of 
the  military.  The  united  force  of  soldiers  and  civilians  then  set 
out  in  pursuit  of  the  savages.  In  a  short  time  they  came  upon  a 
party  of  them,  who  fled  upon  being  charged,  and  escaped  in  the 
chaparral,  leaving  one  of  their  number  dead  on  the  ground.  Late 
in  the  evening  another  band  was  encountered  and  several  were 
wounded,  while  twelve  women  and  children  were  captured.  The 
next  day  a  long  march  revealed  no  enemy.  The  troops  then  con 
tinued  their  march  south,  and  the  civilians  returned  to  their  homes 
and  mines,  or  resumed  their  uninterrupted  journeys.  Soon  after 
wards  Governor  Gaines  went  to  Rogue  River  Valley  and  negotiated 
a  treaty  with  a  portion  of  the  Indians,  assigning  them  a  reservation 
north  of  the  river.  Soon  afterwards  Dr.  Anson  Dart  was  designated 


OREGON  AS  A   TERRITORY.  339 

Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  by  the  President,  and  lie  appointed 
A.  A.  Skinner  agent  for  the  Indians  of  that  region.  In  spite  of  the 
treaty,  trouble  continued  to  arise  between  the  incoming  settlers  and 
the  native  proprietors.  A  detachment  of  troops  was  stationed  at 
Port  Orford,  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the  nearest  practica 
ble  route  to  the  valley,  though  it  was  soon  discovered  that  commu 
nication  between  those  two  points  was  difficult  and  hazardous. 
There  had  been  trouble  at  Port  Orford,  and  a  party  of  men  had 
been  besieged  on  Battle  Rock  in  that  harbor.  An  exploring  expe 
dition  from  Rogue  River  Valley  to  the  coast,  headed  by  W.  G. 
T'Vault,  had  met  with  disaster;  consequently,  Lieutenant -Colonel 
Casey  led  a  detachment  of  troops  up  Coquille  River,  and  severely 
punished  the  hostile  Indians. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1852,  the  Rogue  River  Indians  began  to 
give  signs  of  an  intention  to  go  on  the  war  path,  and  Agent  Skin 
ner  arranged  for  a  peace  talk  to  settle  all  cause  of  grievance.  A 
company  of  men,  commanded  by  J.  K.  Lamerick,  went  to  the  Big 
Bend,  the  scene  of  the  proposed  conference.  There  they  met  a  small 
company,  under  Judge  Elijah  Steele,  who  had  come  over  from 
Yreka  in  search  of  two  Indian  murderers.  During  the  progress  of 
the  council  a  fight  began  and  thirteen  Indians  were  killed.  The 
next  day,  after  a  brief  conflict,  the  Indians  expressed  a  desire  to 
make  peace,  and  it  was  agreed  that  hostilities  should  cease.  A  few 
weeks  later  the  Modocs  began  massacring  emigrants  who  were 
passing  through  their  country  around  Tule  Lake.  Two  companies 
from  Yreka,  under  Charles  McDermit  and  Ben  Wright,  and  one 
from  Jacksonville,  under  John  E.  Ross,  hastened  to  the  scene  of 
difficulty,  buried  the  mangled  bodies  of  two  score  emigrants,  guarded 
the  incoming  trains,  and  severely  chastised  the  savages.  In  the  fall 
of  1852  it  was  decided  to  establish  a  military  post  for  the  protec 
tion  of  Northern  California  and  Southern  Oregon.  Major  Fitz 
gerald  accordingly  built  Fort  Jones,  in  Scott  Valley,  and  garrisoned 
it  with  his  company  of  dragoons.  He  was  soon  succeeded  in  com 
mand  by  Captain  B.  R.  Alden.  The  subsequent  hostilities  in  that 
region  are  related  in  another  chapter. 

On  the  thirty-first  of  January,  1852,  the  steamer  General  War 
ren  wras  wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.  She  sailed 
from  Astoria  for  San  Francisco  on  the  twenty -eighth  of  January, 


340  HISTORY   OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  was  safely  taken  to  sea  by  the  bar  pilot,  Captain  George  Flavel. 
On  the  second  day  out  she  met  with  heavy  weather  and  began  to 
make  water  so  alarmingly  that  the  captain,  Charles  Thompson,  put 
about  for  the  purpose  of  returning  to  Astoria,  as  she  had  made  but 
slight  progress.  Captain  Flavel  was  picked  up  off  the  bar  and 
took  the  steamer  across,  but  when  just  inside  she  refused  to  mind 
her  helm  and  drifted  upon  Sand  Island.  She  again  floated  into 
deep  water,  when  it  was  discovered  that  she  would  sink  within  a 
few  minutes.  As  a  last  resort,  Captain  Thompson  ordered  the  pilot 
to  beach  the  vessel  on  Clatsop  Spit.  As  soon  as  she  struck,  the  sea 
began  to  break  over  her.  This  was  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  two  hours  later  she  broke  in  t^vo.  The  passengers  and  crew  clung 
to  the  wreck  with  the  hope  that  it  would  hold  together  until  morn 
ing,  but  at  about  three  o'clock  Captain  Thompson  selected  a  crew 
of  ten  men,  and  putting  them  in  the  only  boat  left,  requested  Cap 
tain  Flavel  to  take  command  and  go  for  aid.  After  a  long  and 
exceedingly  hazardous  trip  they  reached  Astoria,  sent  a  volunteer 
crew  back  to  the  wreck  in  a  whale  boat  and  followed  in  another 
one  themselves.  When  they  reached  Clatsop  Spit  they  were  unable 
to  discover  even  a  vestige  of  the  steamer.  She  had  broken  in  pieces 
and  been  swept  out  to  sea  with  the  forty-two  human  beings  who 
had  clung  to  her.  The  steamer  was  an  unseaworthy  hulk  that 
should  have  been  condemned  long  before. 

/      The  immigration  of  1852  was  very  large.     The  tide  which  had 
I  turned  towards  California  during  the  few  years  immediately  follow- 
S  ing  the  discovery  of  gold,  now  set  in  towards  Oregon  again.    Prac- 
/  tical  experience  in  the  mines  had  served  to  dispel,  in  a  measure,  the 
glamour  surrounding  them,  and  people  with  their  eyes  turned  west- 
I     ward  began  to  realize  that  the  homestead  the  government  gener- 
I     ously  offered  them  in  Oregon  was  preferable  to  the  hazardous  occu 
pation  of  a  miner.     Many  of  them  came  with  the  intention  of  first 
locating  a  permanent  home  in  the  beautiful  Willamette  Valley  and 
then  make  a  trip  to  the  mines  to  "  try  their  luck,"  returning  again 
to  their  land  claim  when  satisfied  with  their  experience  with  the 
rocker  and  sluice-box.      The  season  was  dry,  and  the  great  throng 
of  cattle  and  horses  soon  disposed  of  every  vestige  of  grass  along 
the  route,  so  that  thousands  of  stock  coming  later  in  the  summer 
famished  and  died,  their  putrid  carcasses  marking  the  route  for  those 


OREGON  AS   A  TERRITORY.  341 

who  came  after.  There  was  much  sickness,  too,  among  the  emi 
grants,  caused  by  scarcity  of  water  and  food,  for  the  slow  progress 
made  by  the  enfeebled  cattle  caused  the  supplies  in  many  of  the 
wagons  to  give  out  long  before  the  Columbia  was  reached,  while 
some  emigrants  whose  stock  all  died  had  to  struggle  along  on  foot 
with  only  such  food  as  could  be  packed  upon  their  backs.  When 
news  of  the  famishing  condition  of  the  emigrants  reached  the  Wil 
lamette,  the  people  held  public  meetings  in  various  places,  to  receive 
donations  of  money  and  supplies,  and  appoint  commissioners  to 
attend  to  their  proper  distribution.  Flour  and  beef-cattle  were  the 
chief  form  in  which  aid  was  sent.  Headquarters  were  established 
at  The  Dalles,  and  men  went  out  on  the  route  as  far  as  the  Grand 
Ronde  Valley  to  carry  food  to  those  who  were  suffering.  This 
movement  of  the  people  was  spontaneous  and  unselfish  in  the  highest 
degree,  and  the  men  who  gave  their  services  did  so  without  asking 
or  receiving  any  reward  whatever;  and  yet  loud  complaints  were 
made  by  some  of  the  emigrants  because  they  did  not  receive  as 
large  a  share  as  they  deemed  themselves  entitled  to.  At  the  Uma- 
tilla  Agency — then  called  "  Utilla  "  —Sylvester  and  John  B.  Hall 
interviewed  the  emigrants  as  they  passed  by,  and  took  the  name, 
age,  and  former  residence  of  those  who  had  died  on  the  route. 
Their  list,  which  must  have  been  nearly  complete,  contained  one 
hundred  and  twenty -one  names,  nearly  all  adults,  chiefly  from  Illi 
nois,  Iowa  and  Missouri,  and  was  published  in  Portland  on  the 
eleventh  of  December,  1852.  It  may  be  found  by  referring  to  the 
old  files  of  the  Times,  or  Oregonian.  Another  list,  taken  from  the 
Sacramento  Union,  was  published  in  the  Times,  November  20, 1852, 
giving  names  of  those  who  died  in  the  California  trains,  but  em 
bracing  the  losses  of  the  entire  emigration  east  of  Fort  Hall. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1853,  and  for  a  day  or  two  following, 
occurred  a  disastrous  flood  in  the  Willamette.  Heavy  falls  of  snow 
in  December  were  followed  by  copious  warm  rains,  converting  every 
brook  into  a  foaming  torrent  and  the  river  into  a  raging  flood.  The 
steamer  Lot  Wkitcomb  was  wrecked  near  Milwaukie,  but  was  after 
wards  raised  and  repaired.  At  Oregon  City,  the  old  Abernethy 
store,  McLoughlin's  saw  mill,  the  Island  bridge,  and  other  objects 
were  washed  away.  General  Palmer's  mill,  at  Dayton,  was  carried 
down  the  stream,  a  number  of  tenements  at  Linn  City  started  on  a 


342  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

voyage  to  the  Columbia,  and  much  damage  was  done  all  along  tlie 
stream.  During  the  severe  weather  which  preceded  the  flood,  large 
numbers  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules  died  on  the  plains  east  of  The 
Dalles.  Many  of  them  had  been  left  there  by  the  emigrants,  to  be 
grazed  during  the  winter,  while  others  belonged  to  men  who  had 
already  gone  into  the  cattle  business  on  those  since  famous  bunch- 
grass  ranges.  But  a  small  percentage  of  the  stock  survived. 

The  Legislature  assembled  at  Salem  in  December,  1852,  as  did 
also  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Whigs  having  been  convinced  that  Salem 
was  the  legal  seat  of  government.  The  Democrats  still  maintained 
a  political  ascendency,  and  when  Governor  Gaines  addressed  them 
a  long  gubernatorial  message  at  the  opening  of  the  session,  they 
declined  to  receive  it,  on  the  ground  that  as  the  Governor  was  not 
required  to  sign  acts  passed  by  them,  and  did  not  even  possess  the 
veto  power,  he  was  in  no  sense  a  portion  of  the  legislative  branch 
of  the  government,  and  had  no  more  right  to  inflict  them  with  mes 
sages  than  any  private  citizen.  Had  the  executive  been  of  the  right 
political  faith  they  would,  no  doubt,  have  listened  to  a  message 
from  him  as  long  as  the  moral  law.  During  the  session  the  subject 
of  a  State  constitution  was  much  discussed,  and  a  bill  providing  for 
the  holding  of  a  convention  passed  the  house,  but  died  in  the  senate. 

The  question  of  a  division  of  the  Territory  also  received  the 
attention  of  the  Legislature.  Oregon  at  that  time  contained  three 
hundred  and  forty-one  thousand  square  miles,  equal  in  area  to  the 
six  great  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
Wisconsin,  by  far  too  large  for  admission  into  the  LTnion  as  a  single 
State.  Through  it  ran  the  great  Columbia  River,  dividing  it  into 
nearly  equal  northern  and  southern  parts,  from  the  ocean  to  old 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  where  the  stream  made  a  long  sweep  to  the  north. 
The  great  centers  of  population  were  the  Willamette,  Umpqua  and 
Rogue  River  valleys.  The  region  north  and  west  of  the  Columbia 
was  known  as  "  Northern  Oregon,"  and,  during  the  previous  five 
or  six  years,  had  become  quite  populous.  Quite  extensive  ship 
ments  of  coal,  lumber  and  fish  were  being  made  from  Puget  Sound, 
on  which  three  saw  mills  had  already  been  established.  The  chief 
settlements  in  Northern  Oregon  at  that  time  were:  Pacific  City  and 
Chinook,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia;  Vancouver,  occupied  by 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  a  large  number  of  employes, 


OREGON  AS  A  TERRITORY.  3o 

United  States  troops,  and  many  Americans  who  bad  settled  in  or 
near  the  town;  Forts  Walla  Walla,  Okinagan  and  Colville,  further 
up  the  Columbia;  Fort  Nisqually,  on  the  Sound,  belonging  to  the 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company;  Olynipia;  New.  Market,  or 
Tumwater;  Steilacoom,  and  Port  Townsend,  on  the  Sound,  and 
many  locations  for  agricultural  purposes,  especially  along  the  Cow- 
litz,  where  the  little  town  of  Monticello  was  located.  Besides  being 
separated  by  a  natural  geographical  boundary,  the  interests  of  the 
two  sections  were,  to  a  large  extent,  different  and  often  conflicting, 
and,  as  Northern  Oregon  was  in  a  hopeless  minority  in  the  legisla 
ture,  it  could  accomplish  nothing  for  itself  in  the  matter  of  legisla 
tion.  The  people  of  that  region  greatly  desired  self-government, 
and  their  fellow  pioneers  of  the  Willamette  were  willing  they  should 
have  it.  • 

The  first  step  taken  was  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1851,  when  a 
public  meeting  was  held  in  Olympia,  to  consider  the  question  of  a 
convention  of  delegates  to  memorialize  Congress  on  the  subject. 
Another  was  held  in  Cowlitz  Precinct  on  the  seventh,  and  on  the 
twenty-third  of  August  still  another  at  Steilacoom.  Nothing  defi 
nite  was  agreed  upon.  In  September,  1852,  T.  F.  McElroy  and 
J.  W.  Wiley  founded  the  Columbian  at  Olympia,  and  began  at  once 
to  advocate  a  separate  government.  On  the -twenty-fifth  of  the  fol 
lowing  November  a  convention  of  delegates  assembled  at  Monticello 
and  prepared  a  memorial  to  Congress,  which  was  forwarded  to 
Washington  and  presented  by  Delegate  Lane  to  Congress.  He 
had  previously  procured  the  introduction  of  a  bill  by  the  Commit 
tee  on  Territories  to  create  the  Territory  of  Columbia.  This  was 
amended  by  changing  the  name  to  "  Washington,"  and  finally 
passed,  receiving  the  President's  approval  on  the  third  of  March. 
The  Oregon  Legislature  had  addressed  a  memorial  to  Congress 
requesting  such  action  as  above,  but  it  did  not  reach  Washington 
in  time  to  be  of  service.  The  new  Territory  embraced  all  of  Ore 
gon  north  of  the  Columbia  River  and  the  forty-sixth  parallel,  with 
Olympia  as  the  seat  of  government.  Major  Isaac  I.  Stevens,  of  the 
U.  S.  Engineers,  was  appointed  Governor  by  President  Pierce; 
Charles  H.  Mason,  Secretary;  J.  S.  Clendenin,  Attorney;  J.  Patton 
Anderson,  Marshal;  Edward  Lander,  Victor  Monroe,  and  O.  B. 
McFadden,  Judges.  The  Governor's  proclamation  assuming  the 


344  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

duties  of  his  office  was  issued  while  he  was  crossing  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  September  29,  1853. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  March,  1853,  less  than  two  weeks  after  his 
inauguration,  President  Pierce  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  Whig 
officials  of  Oregon,  and  appointed  Democrats  in  their  places,  as  fol 
lows:  Governor,  General  Joseph  Lane;  Secretary,  Geo.  L.  Curry; 
Chief  Justice,  Geo.  H.  Williams;  Associate  Justices,  Matthew  P. 
Deady  and  Cyrus  Olney;  Marshal,  James  W.  Nesmith;  Collector  of 
Customs,  John  Adair;  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  Joel  L. 
Palmer;  Attorney,  Benjamin  F.  Harding.  Governor  Lane  reached 
Portland,  by  steamer,  on  the  fourteenth  of  May,  and  was  tendered 
a  public  reception  in  that  city.  He  was  nominated  by  the  Demo 
crats  to  succeed  himself  as  Delegate  to  Congress,  having  for  an 
opponent,  A.  A.  Skinner,  of  Jacksonville,  the  "  People's  Candidate." 
The  election  was  held  on  the  sixth  of  June,  Lane  receiving  four 
thousand  five  hundred  and  sixteen  votes,  and  Skinner  two  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  fifty -one.  General  Lane  soon  departed  again  for 
Washington,  leaving  the  executive  office  in  the  hands  of  Secretary 
Curry,  who  was  later  appointed  Governor.  In  November,  John  W. 
Davis  was  appointed  ^Governor,  and  O.  B.  McFadden,  Justice,  vice 
Deady  removed.  Deady  was  re-appointed  in  August,  1854,  vice 
McFadden  resigned.  . 

The  Legislature  met  in  December,  1853,  the  government  being- 
then  Democratic  in  all  its  branches.  During  the  session  the  coun 
ties  of  Coos,  Columbia,  Tillarnook  and  Wasco  were  created.  The 
formation  of  a  State  constitution  was  a  pet  measure  among  the 
leaders  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  they  had  but  little  trouble  in 
passing  a  bill  to  test  the  opinion  of  the  people  on  the  subject  at  the 
next  June  election.  The  Whigs  were  opposed  to  the  movement  for 
the  same  reason  that  the  Democrats  favored  it — the  present  strength 
of  the  latter  at  the  polls,  which  would  give  them  control  of  the  gov 
ernment  and  supply  fat  offices  for  the  leaders  of  the  movement.  At 
the  same  time  General  Lane  was  endeavoring  at  Washington  to 
have  Congress  authorize  the  people  of  Oregon  to  frame  a  constitu 
tion,  but  unsuccessfully.  The  election  was  held  on  the  fifth  of 
June,  resulting  in  a  defeat  of  the  measure  by  a  vote  of  three  thou 
sand  two  hundred  and  ten  in  favor  of  it'  to  four  thousand  and  sev 
enty-nine  opposed,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  in  other  respects 


OREGON  AS  A  TERRITORY.  345 

the  Territory  gave  a  large  Democratic  majority.  The  greatest  con 
trast  was  in  Jackson  County,  a  great  Democratic  stronghold,  which  \  / 
voted  almost  unanimously  against  it.  The  secret  of  this  was  that 
a  movement  was  on  foot  in  that  region  to  have  a  new  territory  cre 
ated  out  of  Northern  California  and  Southern  Oregon,  and  the  ad 
mission  of  Oregon  into  the  Union  would  be  fatal  to  the  scheme. 
Nothing  daunted,  the  Democratic  leaders  and  newspapers  at  once 
made  that  an  issue  for  the  next  election. 

Governor  Davis  resigned  and  started  for  his  home  in  Indiana  on 
the  fifth  of  August,  1854,  and  the  executive  duties  again  devolved 
upon  the  Secretary,  George  L.  Curry.  He  was  afterwards  ap 
pointed  Governor,  and  B.  F.  Harding  was  appointed  Secretary,  be 
ing  succeeded  as  Attorney  by  W.  H.  Farrar.  The  Legislature  con 
vened  at  Salem  in  December,  and  one  of  the  first  questions  it  con 
sidered  was  the  creation  of  a  county  along  both  sides  the  Willam 
ette  from  above  Milwaukie  to  its  mouth,  taking  in  portions  of 
Clackamas  and  Washington.  A  bill  of  a  similar  nature  had  been 
presented  to  the  former  Legislature,  but  too  late  in  the  session  to 
secure  favorable  action.  The  county  seat  of  Washington  was  at 
Hillsboro,  and  the  people  of  Portland,  now  becoming  quite  a  city, 
desired  a  county  of  their  own.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the  proposed 
county  won  for  it  the  jocular  name  of  "  Boot,"  but  though  this  may 
have  been  extremely  funny  it  did  not  prevent  the  bill  for  the  crea 
tion  of  Multnomah  County  passing  the  House  on  the  twenty -third 
of  December  by  a  vote  of  twenty -one  to  four.  It  also  passea 
through  the  Council.  Later  in  the  session  another  new  county  effort 
came  to  grief.  After  much  discussion  in  the  House  on  a  bill  to 
create  Willamette  County  out  of  portions  of  Yamhill,  Clackamas 
and  Marion,  with  county  seat  at  Champoeg,  it  was  indefinitely  post 
poned.  A  bill  passed  on  the  thirteenth  of  January,  1855,  removing 
the  seat  of  Territorial  Government  from  Salem  to  Corvallis  and 
the  University  from  Corvallis  to  Jacksonville. 

The  subject  of  a  constitutional  convention  occupied  much  time 
during  the  session  of  this  Legislature.  The  discussion  was  warm 
and  protracted.  Action,  at  one  time,  took  the  form  of  appointing 
a  committee  to  draft  one,  but  finally  the  controversy  ended  by  the 
passage  of  a  bill  to  take  the  sense  of  the  people  on  the  subject  at 
the  next  general  election.  At  the  same  time  General  Lane  was 


346  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

/-seeking  to  have  Congress  to  pass  a  bill  authorizing  a  State  constitu- 
/  tion  to  be  formed  by  the  people  living  west  of  the  Cascades  and 
I    south  of  the  Columbia,  but   without  success,  bevond    passing    it 
through  the  House.     At  the  June  election  the(Stat$  went  strongly 
'A  }  Democratic,  General  Lane  defeating  John  P.  Gain es  for  Delegate 
*<**  /   by  a  vote  of  six  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy -eight  to  three 
I    thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty -three.     Gaines  was  the  candidate 
L^  of  the  American,  or  Know-Nothing,  party,  which  had  succeeded  the 
Whig  organization  as  the  opponent  of  Democracy.     Notwithstand 
ing  the  great  majority,  the  Constitutional  Convention,  a  pet  measure 
of  the  Democratic  leaders,  was  again  defeated,  and,  as  before,  by 
Jackson  County,  which  gave  a  Lane  majority  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-two,  and  against  convention  of  four  hundred  and  twenty-two. 
The  convention  was  defeated  by  a  vote  of  four  thousand  eight  hun 
dred  and  thirty -five  to  four  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty,  a 
majority  of  four  hundred  and  fifteen,  or  seven  less  than  in  Jackson 
County.    The  opposition  fought  the  constitution  project  fiercely,  and 
were  aided  by  Democrats  in  Jackson  who  still  cherished  the  idea 
of  a  new  Territory,  and  others  who  looked  upon  the  State  move 
ment  as  premature. 

In  April  Mr.  Bush  moved  the  Statesman  from  Salem  to  Corval- 
lis,  as  he  had  previously  done  from  Oregon  City  to  Salem.  Much 
fun  was  made  of  the  paper  which  was  being  carted  about  the  Ter 
ritory  "  on  wheels,'1  but  the  publisher  replied  that  the  Statesman 
was  published  at  the  seat  of  government,  wherever  that  might 
chance  to  be.  The  opposition  to  removal  of  the  seat  of  govern 
ment  to  Corvallis  was  very  strong.  Work  had  been  commenced  by 
contractors  on  the  public  buildings  at  Salem,  which  was  at  once 
discontinued.  The  matter  was  at  once  referred  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  by  Governor  Curry  for  instructions  as  to  the  course  to 
pursue  in  regard  to  money  to  be  expended  for  public  buildings. 
Early  in  July  he  received  instructions  from,  the  department  not  to 
annul  existing  contracts  nor  make  new  ones,  and  not  to  remove  his 
office  from  Salem,  as  the  relocation  act  was  deemed  inoperative 
till  acted  upon  by  Congress.  Contractors  at  once  resumed  work  on 
the  buildings  at  Salem.  Governor  Curry  and  Secretary  Harding  i 
promptly  removed  their  offices  back  to  Salem,  in  accordance  with  I 
instructions,  and  again  Oregon  had  two  capitals.  J 


OREGON  AS  A  TERTCITORY.  347 

The  incidents  attending  the  discovery  of  gold,  and  the  Indian 
wars  of  1855  to  1858,  are  related  at  length  in  subsequent  chapters. 
On  the  second  of  November,  1855,  the  Pacific  Telegraph  Company 
began  stretching  wires  south  from  Portland.  The  first  telegraphic 
message  in  Oregon  was  sent  over  this  wire  from  Oregon  City  to 
Portland,  on  the  sixteenth  of  November,  1855.  It  was  as  follows: 

OREGON  CITY,  Friday  16,  5  P.  M. 

First  flash  from  Oregon  City  to  Portland.  Compliments  of  the  Pacific  Telegraph 
Company  to  the  editor  of  the  Oregonian.  How  are  you,  old  fellow  ?  Give  us  your 
hand.  Please  send  us  the  latest  news  from  The  Dalles  and  Yakirna  country.  [This 
was  just  after  Major  Haller's  defeat  in  Yakima.]  Any  news  of  interest  from  Puget 
Sound  ?  The  machines  work  well.  More  to-morrow. 

CHAS.  F.  JONES. 

In  September,  Secretary  Harding  received  instructions  from 
Washington  not  to  disburse  any  money  for  public  buildings  not 
located  in  Salem,  nor  for  mileage  or  pay  of  members  of  Legislature 
meeting  at  any  place  except  Salem.  This  settled  the  question  prac-  / 
tically,  and  it  became  the  general  opinion  of  members  that  they  j 
must  assemble  at  Corvallis  for  sake  of  legality,  but  must  adjourn  ^ 
at  once  to  Salem,  for  sake  of  their  salaries.  On  the  third  of  Decem 
ber  both  houses  convened  at  Corvallis,  and  the  first  bill  introduced— 
on  the  sixth — was  to  relocate  the  seat  of  government  at  Salem. 
The  House  passed  it  on  the  tenth,  to  take  effect  on  the  twelfth.  It 
was  reported  at  once  to  the  Council  and  an  effort  made  to  rush  it 
through,  which  failed  for  want  of  a  quorum.  The  next  day  motions 
were  made  to  amend,  so  as  to  submit  it  to  popular  vote,  also  to 
substitute  Eugene  City  for  Salem,  then  Portland,  Roseburg  and 
Albany,  all  of  which  were  defeated.  On  the  twelfth  it  was  amended 
to  take  effect  the  fifteenth,  and  passed.  The  House  concurred  in  the 
amendment  the  same  day.  The  members  at  once  journeyed  to 
Salem,  accompanied  by  the  Statesman,  and  the  session  was  reopened 
on  the  eighteenth.  On  the  night  of  the  twenty -ninth  the  State 
House — nearly  completed — was  destroyed  b^  fire,  together  with  the 
library  and  archives  of  the  Territory,  It  was  conceded  to  be  the 
work  of  an  incendiary.  A  bill  was  introduced  into  the  House  for 
submitting  the  question  of  location  of  the  capital  to  popular  vote 
at  the  next  general  election.  It  passed  muster  in  both  houses  and 
became  a  law. 

Just  before  the  session  came  to  a  close,  a  bill  providing  for  an 
election,  in  April,  of  delegates  to  a  convention  in  July,  which  should 


348  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

frame  a  constitution,  to  be  voted  upon  at  the  next  general  election, 
was  rushed  through  the  House,  under  a  suspension  of  the  rules. 
The  Council  was  equally  prompt  in  passing  it.  At  the  election 
eight  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-three  votes  were  cast,  and  a 
majority  of  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  were  in  favor  of  not  hold 
ing  a  convention.  The  delegates  elected  never  attempted  to  as 
semble. 

At  the  general  election  in  June  the  voters  indicated  their  pref 
erence  for  a  permanent  seat  of  government.  The  act  provided  that 
in  case  no  town  had  a  clear  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast,  a  special 
election  should  be  held  the  first  Monday  in  October,  to  decide 
between  the  two  receiving  the  greatest  number.  The  ballots,  as  cast, 
and  canvassed  in  the  different  counties,  gave  the  four  leading  con 
testants  the  following  votes:  Eugene  City,  two  thousand  six  hun 
dred  and  twenty-seven;  Corvallis,  two  thousand  three  hundred  and 
twenty -seven;  Salem,  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  one;  Portland, 
/  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-four.  Neither  had  a  majority, 
but  Eugene  City  and  Corvallis  were  the  highest  two,  and  between 
them  the  final  decision  was  to  be  made  in  October.  So  it  was  pub- 
blished  in  all  the  paper's,  and  so  it  was  understood  universally.  There 
was  a  surprise  in  store  for  everybody.  It  was  one  of  the  provisions 
of  the  act  that  the  returns  should  be  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  the 
Territory  within  forty  days,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was 
to  canvass  them  and  officially  declare  the  result.  The  counties  of 
Wasco,  Tillamook,  Jackson,  and  Josephine  failed  to  comply  with  the 
law  in  this  respect,  and  Avere  omitted  from  the  canvass.  Corvallis 
had  received  a  large  majority  in  Jackson  County,  and  the  loss  of  it 
placed  her  behind  Salem.  The  official  result  was  certified  by  Sec 
retary  Harding,  as  follows:  Eugene,  two  thousand  three  hundred 
and  nineteen;  Salem,  two  thousand  and  forty-nine;  Corvallis,  one 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-eight;  Portland,  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  fifty-four.  In  accordance  with  this,  a  special  elec 
tion  was  called  for  the  first  Monday  in  October,  to  decide  finally 
between  Eugene  City  and  Salem.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
people  generally  were  very  much  disgusted,  while  the  citizens  of 
Corvallis  were  greatly  incensed.  The  subject  was  much  discussed, 
and  it  became  known  that  the  authorities  at  Washington  held  that 
Salem  was  the  seat  of  government  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  Congress, 


AS    A    TKRIMTnkY. 


which  act  neither  the  Legislature  nor  people  had  the  power  to 
change;  and  that  no  money  would  be  paid  for  the  construction  of 
public  buildings  or  rental  of  offices  at  any  other  point,  or  for  the 
expenses  of  a  legislative  session  held  at  any  place  but  Salem. 
General  apathy  followed,  and  when  the  first  Monday  in  October  came 
around  few  people  took  the  trouble  to  vote.  Less  than  a  hundred 
votes  were  cast  in  the  city  of  Portland,  while  in  many  places  no  polls 
were  opened  whatever.  Carry,  Marion,  Tillamook,  Polk  and 
Wasco  made  no  returns  to  the  Secretary.  Of  the  legal  votes  cast, 
Eugene  City  received  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-  nine,  and 
Salem  four  hundred  and  forty-four.  Corvallis  received  one  regular 
vote,  and  three  hundred  and  eighteen  irregular  ones,  the  latter  be 
ing  cast  by  the  citizens  of  that  place,  who  did  not  propose  to  be 
cheated  out  of  their  honors  by  a  mere  technicality,  but  who  did 
not  open  their  polls  in  a  regular  manner. 

According  to  the  returns  of  the  special  election  Eugene  City  be- 
came  the  seat  of  justice;  but  the  election  was  ignored,  and  both 
the  Legislature  and  the  Supreme  Court  assembled  at  Salem  in  De 
cember.  No  salary  would  have  been  received  by  the  members  had 
they  met  in  Salem,  and  there  was  danger  that  Congress  would  de 
clare  the  session  illegal.  These  difficulties  were  obviated  by  re 
maining  in  Salem.  The  question  of  a'  constitutional  convention 
again  came  before  the  Legislature,  and  an  act  was  passed  providing 
for  the  holding  of  one  in  August,  1857,  provided  the  people  so  de 
cided  at  the  previous  June  election,  at  which  time,  also,  delegates 
were  to  be  chosen.  A  great  change  had  come  over  the  sentiments 
of  the  people  on  this  question,  owing  to  divers  causes.  The  people 
of  Jackson  and  Josephine  counties  had  abandoned  their  idea  of  a 
new  Territory;  the  people  generally  had  become  tired  of  the  crudi 
ties  and  annoyances  of  a  territorial  government;  and,  finally,  the 
Territory  had  claims  to  the  amount  of  several  million  dollars  against 
the  Government  for  expenses  incurred  in  the  Indian  wars,  and  it 
was  evident  to  all  that  they  stood  a  much  better  chance  of  securing 
these  with  two  Senators  and  a  Representative  to  talk  and  vote  for 
them,  than  simply  with  a  Delegate  who  had  no  vote  at  'all.  The 
consequence  of  this  revolution  in  popular  sentiment  was  a  great  ma 
jority  in  favor  of  a  convention,  the  vote  standing  seven  thousand  two 
hundred  and  nine  to  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixteen.  Gen- 


-°>50  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

eral  Lane  was  again  the  Democratic  nominee  for  Delegate,  and  was 
elected,  receiving  five  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-two  votes. 
There  was  no  regularly  organized  opposition,  since  the  Whig  party 
was  dead,  the  American,  or  Know-Nothing  had  become  disorgan 
ized,  and  the  new  Republican  party  had  not  been  organized  as  yet 
in  Oregon.  The  opposition  concentrated  on  G.  W.  Lawson  as  an 
independent  candidate,  and  gave  him  three  thousand  four  hundred 
and  seventy -one  votes,  a  minority  of  two  thousand  one  hundred 
and  ninety -one. 

The  delegates  convened  at  Salem  on  the  seventeenth  of  August, 
1857,  and  organized  by  electing  M.  P.  Deady,  President,  and  C.  N. 
Terry,  Secretary.  After  an  animated  session  the  convention  ad 
journed  on  the  eighteenth  of  September,  their  wrork,  as  a  whole, 
being  adopted  by  a  vote  of  thirty -five  to  ten — fifteen  members  being 
absent.  The  following  gentlemen  composed  the  convention:— 
Benton — John  Kelsay,  H.  C.  Lewis,  H.  B.  Nichols,  Wm.  Matzger; 
Clatsop — Cyrus  Olney;  Columbia — John  W.  Watts;  Clackamas— 
James  K.  Kelly,  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  Win.  A.  Starkweather,  H.  Camp 
bell,  Nathaniel  Robbins;  Coos — P.  B.  Marple;  Curry — William  H. 
Packwood ;  Douglas-*-^.  P.  Deady,  Solomon  Fitzhu^h,  Stephen  S. 
Chadwick,  Thomas. Whitted;  Josephine— -S.  B.  Hendershott,  W.  H. 
Watkins ;  Jackson — L.  J.  C.  Duncan,  J.  H.  Reed,  Daniel  Newcomb, 
P.  P.  Prim;  Linn — Delazon  Smith,  Luther  Elkins,  John  T.  Crooks, 
J.  H.  Brattain,  James  Shields,  Reuben  S.  Coyle;  Lane — Enoch 
Hoult,  W.  W.  Bristow,  Jesse  Cox,  Paul  Brattain,  A.  J.  Campbell, 
Isaac  R.  Moores;  Marion — George  H.  Williams,  L.  F.  Grover,  J. 
C.  Peebles,  Joseph  Cox,  Nicholas  Shrum,  Davis  Shannon,  Richard 
Miller;  Multnomah — S.  J.  McCormick,  William  H.  Farrar,  David 
Logan;  Multnomah  and  Washington — Thomas  J.  Dryer;  Wash 
ington — E.  D.  Shattuck,  John  S.  White,  Levi  Anderson;  Polk— 
Reuben  P.  Boise,  F.  Waymire,  Benjamin  F.  Burch;  Polk  and  Til- 
lamook — A.  D.  Babcock;  Umpqua — Levi  Scott,  Jesse  Applegate; 
Wasco—C.  R.  Meigs;  YamkUl—TA.  Olds,  R.  V.  Short,  R.  C.  Kin- 
ney,  John  R.  McBride. 

The  questions  of  slavery  and  free  negroes  had  been  purposely 
avoided  in  the  convention,  and  were  engrafted  upon  the  schedule 
as  special  articles,  to  be  voted  upon  by  the  people  separately.  The 
constitution  was  opposed  by  some  people  because  it  did  not  pro- 


<>i;K(}<>\    AS    A   TKIMMTollY.  851 

hibit  slavery,  and  by  others  because  it  did  not  establish  slavery. 
The  seat  of  government  was  also  objectionable  to  some  who  wen- 
opposed  to  Salem.  A  special  election  was  held  on  the  second  of  the 
following  November,  and  resulted  as  follows:  For  constitution, 
seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety -five;  against,  three  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifteen.  For  slavery,  two  thousand  six  hundred 
and  forty -five;  against,  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty  - 
seven.  For  free  negroes,  one  thousand  and  eighty-one;  against, 
eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty.  The  Territorial  Legis 
lature  convened  on  the  eleventh  of  December,  1857,  and  held  its 
usual  session.  For  the  regular  June  election,  1858,  full  State 
tickets  were  nominated  by  the  Democratic  and  Republican  parties? 
the  contest  resulting  in  a  sweeping  victory  for  the  Democrats,  as 
follows:  Representative  to  Congress — L.  F.  Grover,  five  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-nine;  James  K.  Kelly,  four  thousand  one  \ 
hundred  and  ninety.  Governor — John  Whiteaker,  five  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-eight;  E.  M.  Barnum,  four  thousand  two 
hundred  and  fourteen.  Secretary  of  State — Lucien  Heath,  five 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-six;  E.  A.  Rice,  three  thousand 
six  hundred  and  fifty -nine.  Treasurer — John  D.  Boon,  five  thousand 
six  hundred  and  seventy-six;  J.  S.  Brainley,  three  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirty-one;  E.  L.  Applegate,  five  hundred  and  ninety. 
State  Printer — Asahel  Bush,  four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty - 
eight;  James  O'Meara,  four  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-seven; 
D.  W.  Craig,  four  hundred  and  thirteen.  M.  P.  Deady,  R.  E.  Strat- 
ton,  R.  P.  Boise,  and  A.  E.  Wait  were  chosen  Justices  of  the  Su 
preme  Court.  According  to  the  constitution  a  special  term  of  the 
newly  elected  State  Legislature  convened  in  Salem  on  the  fifth  of 
July,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  two  United  States  Senators.  It  l- 
was  composed  of  thirty -eight  Democrats  and  eleven  Republicans,  p 
On  the  eighth  of  July  the  oath  of  office  was  administered  to  Gov-l 
ernor  Whiteaker  by  Judge  Boise,  and  the  machinery  of  the  new 
Government  was  put  in  operation. 

The  Legislature  elected  Joseph  Lane  and  Delazon  Smith  to  rep 
resent  Oregon  in  the  United  States  Senate,  and  adjourned  after  a 
session  of  four  days.  Soon  afterwards  word  was  received  that  Con 
gress  had  adjourned  without  the  House  passing  the  enabling  act 
which  had  passed  the  Senate  early  in  May,  and  that  Oregon  must 


352  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

remain  a  Territory  until  the  next  session.  For  some  time  the  proper 
course  to  pursue  was  warmly  discussed.  There  were  two  full  sets 
of  officers  and  two  forms  of  government.  Gradually  it  became  the 
general  opinion  that  the  State  officers  should  remain  quiet  and  per 
mit  the  Territorial  Government  to  proceed  unembarrassed.  Under 
the  constitution  the  State  Legislature  should  have  met  in  September, 
but  at  the  appointed  time  only  nine  representatives  and  two  sena 
tors  made  their  appearance  in  Salem,  and  these  adjourned  after  two 
useless  meetings.  On  the  sixth  of  December  the  Territorial  Legis 
lature  again  assembled  and  held  its  regular  session.  Soon  after  its 
adjournment  news  was  received  that  Oregon  had  been  admitted  into 
the  Union.  Senator  Smith  and 'Representative  Grover  had  gone  to 
Washington  the  fall  before,  and  when  Congress  assembled  had 
joined  with  Delegate  "Lane  (Senator  elect)  in  urging  the  passage  of 
,  an  enabling  act  for '.Oregon.  It  early  passed  the  Senate,  but  met 

with  bitter  opposition  in  the  House,  being  supported  by  the  Demo- 
I       crats  and  opposed  by  the  Republicans.      Finally,  on  the  twelfth  of 
] '      February,   1859,  it  was  passed  by  a  strict  party  vote.     It  then 
received  the  signature  of  President  Buchanan,  and  Oregon  Territory 
was  a  thing  of  the  past. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

INDIAN  WARS  OF  1853  AND  1854. 

Outrages  Committed  in  Rogue  River  Valley — Volunteer  Companies 
Organized — General  Lane  Takes  Command — Defeat  of  Lieutenant 
Griffin  and  of  Lieutenant  Ely — Indians  Defeated  at  Battle  Creek — 
Armistice  of  Seven  Days — The  Table  Rock  Treaty — Incidents  of  the 
"Peace  Talk  "-  —The  Grave  Creek  Massacre — Captain  Miller  Sent  to 
Escort  Emigrants  through  the  Modoc  Country — Expenses  of  the  War 
Paid  hy  the  Government — Events  of  185 '4—  The  Snake  River  Massa 
cre — Expedition  of  Major  Holler  to  Fort  Boise. 

TROUBLE  was  again  experienced  with  the  Indians  in  Rogue 
River  Valley  in  the  fall  of  1853.  It  began  early  in  August 
by  the  perpetration  of  several  murders  in  different  localities  by 
members  of  several  different  bands  of  the  tribe,  apparently  without 
any  preconcerted  action  whatever.  Feeling  uneasy  at  the  presence 
of  a  small  band  of  these  Indians,  though  there  is  no  evidence  to 
show  that  they  had  been  concerned  in  any  of  the  murders  mentioned, 
a  party  of  men  attacked  their  camp,  killed  one  buck  and  wounded 
others,  and  carried  the  women  and  children  to  a  stockade  which 
had  been  erected  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers,  retaining  them 
there  as  hostages.  A  few  days  later  the  warriors  surrendered,  and 
were  kept  with  their  families  at  the  stockade,  where,  also,  the 
settlers  were  assembled  for  mutual  protection.  In  a  few  days  the 
warriors  rebelled,  killed  four  of  the  men  and  wounded  three  others, 
making  good  their  escape.  A  state  of  war  now  existed.  The 
people  collected  at  Jacksonville  and  at  half-a-dozen  central  points 
in  the  settlements,  and  "  forted  up,17  while  the  Indians  busied  them 
selves  in  destroying  the  abandoned  homes.  A  courier  was  at  once 
dispatched  to  notify  Captain  Alden,  at  Fort  Jones,  and  that  officer 
hastened  to  Jacksonville  with  twenty  men,  all  the  force  that  could 


354  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLET. 

be  spared  from  the  post.  Two  companies  of  volunteers — ninety 
men  under  Captain  J.  P.  Goodall,  and  sixty  under  Captain  Jacob 
Rhoades — were  organized  at  Yreka  and  came  over  to  aid  the  Ore 
gon  settlers.  Six  companies  of  volunteers  were  raised  in  Southern 
Oregon,  commanded  by  Captains  R.  L.  Williams,  J.  K.  Lamerick, 
John  F.  Miller,  Elias  A.  Owens,  and  W.  W.  Fowler,  the  last  named 
being  designed  solely  for  the  protection  of  Jacksonville.  The  other 
companies  all  assembled  at  Camp  Stewart  and  were  organized  into 
a  battalion,  of  which  Captain  Alden  assumed  command  by  request, 
the  effective  force  numbering  some  three  hundred  men.  Each 
volunteer  was  mounted,  armed  and  dressed  according  to  his  own 
fashion.  It  was  a  nondescript  body  of  soldiery,  but,  none  the  less, 
one  well  fitted  for  the  work  in  hand. 

Meanwhile,  the  Indians  .had  also  united  and  taken  up  a  position 
on  Table  Rock,  which  they  fortified  with  considerable  skill  by 
means  of  a  ditch  and  a  rampart  of  earth  and  rocks.  This,  however, 
they  soon  abandoned,  and  retired  into  the  mountains,  and  it  took 
several  days  to  ascertain  their  whereabouts.  A  messenger  was  dis 
patched  to  Acting  Governor  Curry,  soliciting  aid  in  prosecuting  the 
war,  but  before  it  arrived  the  war  was  over.  General  Lane  heard 
of  the  difficulty  while  at  his  home  on  Deer  Creek,  Douglas  County, 
and  hastily  collecting  about  fifty  volunteers,  he  was  soon  with  the 
battalion  at  Camp  Stewart.  Captain  Alden  tendered  him  the  com 
mand  of  the  force,  and  he  accepted  it.  Meanwhile,  several  collisions 
had  occurred  between  the  whites  and  detached  bands  of  savages. 
Lieutenant  Burrell  B.  Griffin,  with  some  twenty  men  of  Miller's 
company,  had  a  fight  with  about  twice  that  number  of  Old  John's 
band,  led  by  the  chief  in  person.  The  whites  were  defeated  with  a 
loss  of  one  killed  and  two  wounded,  including  the  Lieutenant.  The 
Indians  subsequently  admitted  the  loss  of  five  killed  and  wounded. 
This  battle  occurred  near  the  confluence  of  Applegate  and  Williams 
creeks.  Two  days  before  this,  John  R.  Harding  and  William  R. 
Rose,  of  Lamerick's  company,  while  on  their  way  from  Camp  Stew 
art  to  Jacksonville,  were  fired  upon  by  Indians  when  near  Willow 
Springs.  Rose  was  killed  and  Harding  so  severely  wounded  that 
he  died  shortly  afterwards.  Other  incidents  were  the  capture  and 
shooting  of  a  suspected  Indian  by  Angus  Brown,  the  hanging  of  an 
Indian  child  in  the  town  of  Jacksonville,  the  hanging  of  five  Indians 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY  -THREE-FOUR.  355 

upon  one  tree  at  another  point,  and  a  number  of  other  incidents 
which  reflect  no  credit  upon  those  engaged  in  them,  and  serve  to 
show  to  what  a  pitch  the  feelings  of  the  people  had  been  aroused. 
A  collision  occurred  a  few  days  before  the  arrival  of  General 
Lane,  which  showed  that  the  campaign  was  to  be  something  more 
than  child's  play.  On  the  sixteenth  of  August  a  detachment  of 
twenty-two  men  from  Goodall's  company  was  sent  out  under  Lieu 
tenant  Simeon  Ely,  to  reconnoitre.  The  next  day,  when  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  Table  Rock,  the  men  picketed  their  horses  in  the 
flat  and  sat  down  to  enjoy  dinner;  sentries  were  stationed,  but 
soon  left  their  posts  and  gathered  with  the  rest  around  the  smoking 
viands.  Just  at  this  blissful  moment  there  came  a  volley  of  bullets 
from  a  fringe  of  willows  close  by,  that  killed  and  wounded  ten  of 
their  number.  Leaving  their  horses  they  rushed  to  cover,  and  gain 
ing  a  strong  position  amid  the  brush  and  fallen  timber,  they  kept 
the  savages  at  bay.  Privates  Terrell  and  McGonigle  set  out  for 
help,  and  before  the  enemy  had  completely  surrounded  them  got 
away  and  hastened  to  Camp  Stewart,  seventeen  miles  distant,  where 
Goodall's  company  was  stationed.  Goodall  and  his  men  set  out  at 
top  speed,  and  in  the  shortest  practical  time  arrived  on  the  field. 
J.  D.  Carly  and  five  others  were  in  the  advance,  and  when  the  In 
dians  saw  them  they  decamped  at  once,  carrying  away  eighteen 
horses,  blankets,  etc.  The  casualties  inflicted  on  Ely's  men  were 
found  to  be — Sergeant  Frank  Perry  and  Privates  P.  Keith,  A. 
Douglas,  A.  C.  Colbourn,  L.  Stukting,  and  William  Neff,  killed 
outright;  and  Lieutenant  Ely  and  Privates  Zebulon  Sheets,  John 
Alban  and  James  Carroll,  wounded.  Carl  Vogt,  a  German,  is  said 
to  have  been  killed  at  this  fight,  although  his  name  is  not  to  be 
found  in  any  official  documents  relating  to  the  killed  in  the  war. 
The  Indians  had  fallen  back,  and  the  main  force  under  Captain 
Alden  came  up  during  the  night,  and  all  camped  on  the  flat.  The 
next  morning  the  dead  were  buried  with  the  honors  of  war.  Scouts 
sent  out  reported  that  the  Indians  had  retired  a  long  distance  into 
the  mountains,  setting  fire  to  the  woods  in  their  rear,  and  almost 
obliterating  their  trail.  It  was  decided  by  the  council  of  officers 
that  it  was  necessary  to  return  to  headquarters  and  recruit  with 
jerked  beef  and  other  frontier  relishes,  in  preparation  for  still  more 
arduous  duties.  This  was  done,  and  they  were  thus  preparing  for 


356  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  campaign  when  General  Lane  arrived,  as  described  above,  and 
assumed  command. 

The  companies  of  Miller  and  Lamerick,  composing  a  battalion 
in  charge  of  Colonel  Ross,  were  ordered  to  proceed  down  Evans' 
Creek  to  the  supposed  vicinity  of  the  enemy.  The  regulars  and  the 
two  California  companies  of  Goodall  and  Rhoades,  under  Captain 
Alden,  were  ordered  to  proceed  up  Trail  Creek  to  the  battle  ground 
where  Ely  was  found  by  the  Indians.  General  Lane  himself  pro 
ceeded  with  Captain  Alden's  battalion.  Scouts  reported  late  in  the 
day  that  the  Indians  had  taken  to  the  mountains  west  and  north 
of  Evans7  Creek.  Early  on  the  following  day  (August  23),  the 
line  of  march  was  taken  up  and  the  Indian  trail  followed  through 
a  very  difficult  country — mountainous,  precipitous  and  bushy— 
where  there  was  constant  prospect  of  going  astray,  as  the  trail  left 
by  the  savages  was  very  dim  and  nearly  obliterated  by  fire.  On  the 
morning  of  the  twenty -fourth  a  shot  was  heard,  and  scouts  came  in 
directly  afterward  and  reported  the  enemy  encamped  in  a  thick 
wood  filled  with  underbrush,  apparently  impenetrable  to  horses. 
General  Lane  decided  to  attack  instantly.  The  first  intimation  the 
savages  had  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  was  a  volley  of  bullets. 
They  were  not  stampeded  by  this  rough  salute,  however,  but,  catch 
ing  up  their  guns,  entered  with  zest  into  the  fight,  while  the  squaws 
and  other  impedimenta  were  sent  out  of  harm's  way.  Captain 
Alden  was  wounded  early  in  the  fight,  and  his  regulars  had  diffi 
culty  in  preserving  him  from  the  Indians,  who  attempted  his  cap 
ture  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground.  Pleasant  Armstrong,  of  Yamhill 
County,  a  much  respected  gentleman  who  had  volunteered  with 
General  Lane,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  bullet  in  the  breast  and 
fell,  it  is  said,  exclaiming,  "  A  dead  center  shot!"  The  fight  was 
very  warm,  and  lasted  for  an  hour,  when  the  pack  trains  arrived 
with  their  guard.  Leaving  fifteen  men  to  guard  the  animals,  Gen 
eral  Lane  took  command  of  the  others,  not  more  than  ten  in  num 
ber,  and  ordered  a  charge,  to  drive  the  natives  from  their  cover. 
Being  in  advance  he  approached  within  thirty  yards  of  the  nearest 
Indians,  when  he  received  a  severe  bullet  wound  through  the  right 
arm.  Still  exposing  himself,  he  was  forcibly  dragged  behind  a  tree, 
where  he  continued  to  direct  the  fight.  He  gave  orders  to  extend  the 
line  of  battle  so  as  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  outflanking  his  force 


INDIAIC  WARS  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY -THREE-FOUR.  357 

and  feeling  the  loss  of  blood,  retired  temporarily  to  have  his  wound 
attended  to.  At  this  juncture  the  Indians,  having  found  that  Gen 
eral  Lane  was  in  command  of  the  whites,  began  to  call  to  him  and 
to  the  soldiers,  professing  their  readiness  to  treat  for  peace.  Robert 
Metcalf,  Sub -agent  for  the  Indians,  went  to  their  camp,  and  through 
him  and  others  negotiations  were  commenced,  General  Lane  having 
returned  to  the  front.  Not  wishing  to  inform  the  savages  of  his 
wound,  the  General  went  among  them,  having,  thrown  a  heavy  coat 
over  his  shoulders  so  as  to  conceal  his  arm.  An  armistice  of  seven 
days  was  agreed  upon,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  a  final  peace  talk 
should  be  held  at  Table  Rock,  where  a  treaty  was  to  be  arranged, 
the  Indians  deliver  up  their  arms,  and  a  reservation  be  assigned 
them  at  Table  Rock. 

During  the  following  night  Colonel  Ross  arrived  with  his  bat 
talion,  and  Chief  Sam  came  in  with  about  half  the  warriors,  with 
whom  he  had  been  reconnoitering  for  a  permanent  camp.  It  seems 
that  as  soon  as  the  engagement  began,  runners  were  sent  out  by  Joe 
to  apprise  his  brother  of  the  state  of  affairs,  and  hasten  his  return. 
The  distance  prevented  his  arrival  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  fight 
and  his  braves  had  no  opportunity  to  display  their  valor.  It,  there 
fore,  may  have  been  providential  that  Ross'  battalion  arrived  when 
it  did.  The  Indians  owned  to  a  loss  of  twelve  killed  and  wounded. 
John  Scarborough,  of  the  Yreka  volunteers,  and  Pleasant  Arm 
strong  were  killed,  and  General  Lane,  Captain  Alden,  Privates 
Thomas  Hays,  Henry  Flesher  and  Charles  Abbe  were  wounded, 
the  latter  mortally.  Captain  Alden  died  two  years  later  from  the 
result  of  his  wound,  and  General  Lane  never  quite  recovered  from 
his  own  hurt.  As  soon  as  the  terms  of  the  armistice  were  arranged, 
the  troops  took  up  their  march  homeward  and  went  into  camp  at 
Hailey's  (Bybee's)  Ferry,  giving  the  location  the  name  of  "  Camp 
Alden,7'  in  honor  of  the  gallant  Captain. 

Reinforcements  began  to  arrive  from  various  quarters  by  the 
time  the  forces  returned  to  the  valley.  Among  other  things  a 
howitzer  was  sent  by  the  authorities  at  Fort  Vancouver,  with  a 
supply  of  ammunition,  forty  muskets,  four  thousand  cartridges,  and 
other  articles.  Lieutenant  Kautz,  since  General,  was  sent  in  charge 
of  the  howitzer,  with  seven  men.  Acting  Governor  Curry  made 
proclamation  for  an  armed  guard  to  accompany  the  Lieutenant,  and 


358  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

forty-one  men  volunteered,  led  by  J.  W.  Nesmith,  with  Lafayette 
Grover  as  Lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Grover  went  in  advance  with 
twenty  men,  and  was  joined  at  South  Umpqua,  on  September  first, 
by  Judge  Matthew  P.  Deady,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Jacksonville  to 
hold  court.  Joel  Palmer,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and 
Samuel  H.  Culver,  Indian  Agent,  also  arrived.  From  Port  Orford 
came  Captain  A.  J.  Smith  with  his  company  of  First  Dragoons, 
sixty  strong.  Owing  to  Palmer's  failure  to  arrive  at  the  time  ap 
pointed,  the  peace  talk  was  postponed  until  September  tenth. 
Judge  Deady  thus  describes  the  scene  which  wras  enacted  on  the 
day  last  appointed:— 

The  scene  of  this  famous  "  peace  talk"  between  Joseph  Lane  and  Indian  Joseph 
— two  men  who  had  so  lately  met  in  mortal  combat — was  worthy  of  the  pen  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  and  the  pencil  of  Salvator  Ross.  It  was  on  a  narrow  bench  of  a  long, 
gently-sloping  hill  lying  over  against  the  noted  bluff  called  Table  Bock.  The 
ground  was  thinly  covered  with  majestic  old  pines  and  rugged  oaks,  with  here  and 
there  a  clump  of  green  oak  bushes.  About  half  a  mile  above  the  bright  mountain 
stream  that  threaded  the  narrow  valley  below,  sat  the  two  chiefs  in  council.  Lane 
was  in  fatigue  dress,  the  arm  which  was  wounded  at  Buena  Vista  in  a  sling  from  a 
fresh  bullet  wound  received  at  Battle  Creek.  Indian  Joseph,  tall,  grave  and  self- 
possessed,  wore  a  long,  black  robe  over  his  ordinary  dress.  By  his  side  sat  Mary, 
his  favorite  child  and  faithful  companion,  then  a  comparatively  handsome  young 
woman,  unstained  with  tlie  vices  of  civilization.  Around  these  sat  on  the  grass 
Captain  A.  J.  Smith— now  General  Smith,  of  St.  Louis— who  had  just  arrived  from 
Port  Orford  with  his  company  of  the  First  Dragoons ;  Captain  Alvord,  then  en_ 
gaged  in  the  construction  of  a  military  road  through  the  Umpqua  canyon  and  since 
paymaster  of  the  U.  S.  A. ;  Colonel  Bill  Martin,  of  Umpqua,  Colonel  John  E.  Ross, 
of  Jacksonville,  and  a  few  others.  A  short  distance  above  us  on  the  hillside  were 
some  hundreds  of  dusky  warriors  in  fighting  gear,  reclining  quietly  on  the  ground. 
The  day  was  beautiful.  To  the  east  of  us  rose  abruptly  Table  Rock  and  at  its  base 
stood  Smith's  dragoons,  waiting  anxiously  with  hand  on  horse  the  issue  of  this  at 
tempt  to  make  peace  without  their  aid.  After  a  proposition  was  discussed  and  set 
tled  between  the  two  chiefs,  the  Indian  would  rise  up  and  communicate  the  matter 
to  a  huge  warrior  who  reclined  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  quite  near  us.  Then  the  latter 
rose  up  and  communicated  the  matter  to  the  host  above  him,  and  they  belabored  it 
back  and  forth  with  many  voices.  Then  the  warrior  communicated  the  thought  of 
the  multitude  on  this  subject  back  to  the  chief;  and  so  the  discussion  went  on  until 
an  understanding  was  finally  reached.  Then  we  separated — the  Indians  going  back 
to  their  mountain  retreat,  and  the  whites  to  the  camp. 

J.  W.  Nesmith  has  left  some  additional  particulars  of  interest. 
He  says: — 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  tenth  of  September,  we  rode  toward  the  Indian  en. 
cainpment.  Our  party  consisted  of  the  following  persons :  General  Lane,  Joel 
Palmer,  Samuel  H.  Culver,  Captain  A.  J.  Smith,  1st  Dragoons ;  Captain  L.  F.  Mosher, 
adjutant;  Colonel  John  Ross,  Captain  J.  W.  Nesmith,  Lieutenant  A.  V.  Kautz, 
R.  B.  Metcalf,  J.  D.  Mason,  T.  T.  Tierney.  After  riding  a  couple  of  miles  we  came 
to  where  itw  as  too  steep  for  our  horses  to  ascend,  and  dismounting,  we  proceeded 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-THREE-FOUR.  359 

on  foot.  Half  a  mile  of  scrambling  over  rocks  and  through  brush  brought  us  into 
the  Indians'  stronghold,  just  under  the  perpendicular  cliff  of  Table  Rock,  where 
were  gathered  hundreds  of  fierce  and  well-armed  savages.  The  business  of  the 
treaty  began  at  once.  Much  time  was  lost  in  translating  and  re-translating  and  it 
was  not  until  late  in  the  afternoon  that  our  labors  were  completed.  About  the  mid 
dle  of  the  afternoon  an  Indian  runner  arrived,  bringing  intelligence  of  the  murder 
of  an  Indian  on  Applegate  Creek.  He  said  that  a  company  of  whites  under  Cap 
tain  Owens  had  that  morning  captured  Jim  Taylor,  a  young  chief,  tied  him  to  a 
tree  and  shot  him  to  death.  This  news  caused  the  greatest  confusion  among  the 
Indians,  and  it  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  they  were  about  to  attack  General  Lane's 
party.  The  General  addressed  the  Indians,  telling  them  that  Owens,  who  had 
violated  the  armistice,  was  a  bad  man  and  not  one  of  his  soldiers.  He  added  con 
siderable  more  of  a  sort  to  placate  the  Indians,  and  finally  the  matter  of  "  Jim's" 
death  was  settled  by  the  whites  agreeing  to  pay  damages  therefor  in  shirts  and 
blankets. 

The  volunteers  were  at  once  disbanded  and  returned  to  their 
homes.  It  was  freely  predicted  by  a  certain  class  of  people,  who 
were  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  the  extermination  of  the  In 
dians,  that  the  treaty  would  prove  a  failure,  and  they  so  conducted 
themselves  as  to  render  it  such  as  quickly  as  possible.  During  the 
armistice  and  subsequent  to  the  signing  of  the  treaty,  these  exter 
minators  maintained  their  efforts  to  kill  as  many  Indians  as  they 
could,  regardless  of  any  restriction  whatever.  Revenge  was  their 
motto,  and  they  lived  up  to  it.  Not  half  of  the  outrages  perpetrated 
on  Indians  were  ever  heard  of  through  newspapers;  yet  there  are 
accounts  of  several,  and  these  are  of  a  most  cold-blooded  description. 
We  will  allude  lightly  to  a  few  examples.  Captain  Bob  Williams, 
stationed  with  his  company  on  the  banks  of  Rogue  River,  attempted 
to  kill  two  children,  the  sons  of  Chief  Joe,  but  General  Lane,  with 
the  utmost  haste,  ordered  his  removal  from  the  locality  to  another, 
where  there  would  be  less  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  his  pro 
pensities.  Of  another  outrage  Judge  Deady  writes:— 

At  Grave  Creek  I  stopped  to  feed  my  horse  and  get  something  to  eat.  There  was 
a  house  there  called  the  "  Bates  House,"  after  the  man  who  kept  it.  It  was  a  rough, 
wooden  structure  without  a  floor  and  had  an  immense  clapboard  funnel  at  one  end 
which  served  as  a  chimney.  There  was  no  house  or  settlement  within  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  or  more,  of  it.  There  I  found  Captain  J.  K.  Lamerick  in  command  of  a  com 
pany  of  volunteers.  It  seems  he  had  been  sent  there  by  General  Lane  after  the  fight 
at  Battle  Creek,  on  account  of  the  murder  of  some  Indians  there,  of  which  he  and 
others  gave  me  the  following  account:  "Bates  and  some  others  had  induced  a 
small  party  of  peaceable  Indians,  who  belonged  in  that  vicinity,  to  enter  into  an  en 
gagement  to  remain  at  peace  with  the  whites  during  the  war  which  was  going  on 
at  some  distance  from  them,  and  by  way  of  ratification  to  this  treaty,  invited  them 
to  partake  of  a  feast  in  an  unoccupied  log  house  just  across  the  road  from  the  "Bates 
House"  ;  and  while  they  were  partaking,  unarmed,  of  this  proffered  hospitality  the 


360  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

door  was  suddenly  fastened  upon  them,  and  they  were  deliberately  shot  down 
through  the  cracks  between  the  logs  by  their  treacherous  hosts.  Near  by,  probably 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  this  side  of  the  creek,  I  was  shown  a  large,  round  hole  into  which 
the  bodies  of  these  murdered  Indians  had  been  unceremoniously  tumbled.  I  did 
not  see  them,  for  they  were  covered  with  fresh  earth." 

It  does  not  require  the  thorough  investigation  to  which  the 
records  of  these  events  have  been  subjected  by  the  writer,  to  deter 
mine  conclusively  that  while  the  whites  as  a  class  were  content 
with  the  treaty  and  obedient  to  its  provisions,  there  was  a  consider 
able  minority  who  lost  no  opportunity  to  manifest  their  contempt 
of  the  instrument  and  their  disregard  of  its  obligations.  Nor  were 
the  Indians  idle.  As  soon  as  the  report  of  the  killings  at  Grave 
Creek,  at  Applegate  and  other  places,  had  been  bruited  abroad, 
and  the  natives  had  become  convinced  that  they  were  individually 
in  as  much  danger  as  before,  they  began  committing  outrages  as  great 
as  those  from  which  they  had  been  suffering.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
detail  the  many  incidents  which  occurred.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
that  these  mutual  outrages  were  committed  from  time  to  time  until 
they  resulted  in  a  long  and  bloody  war  in  1855. 

The  Indians  were  settled  on  the  reservation  at  Table  Rock, 
where,  also,  Captain  Smith  established  a  military  post,  which  he 
called  "  Fort  Lane  ";  and  this  was  for  the  next  three  years  the  base 
of  all  military  operations  in  Southern  Oregon  by  the  regular  army. 
Captain  Miller's  company  of  volunteers,  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
strong,  was  not  disbanded  with  the  others,  but  was  dispatched  to 
the  Modoc  country  by  General  Lane,  where  it  did  excellent  service 
for  six  weeks  in  protecting  emigrant  trains  in  that  hostile  region. 
Two  men  were  wounded  while  engaged  in  this  service.  These 
occurrences  complete  the  history  of  what  is  known  as  the  ''War  of 
1853."  There  is  a  short  note  to  be  appended  relating  to  the  indebt 
edness  which  grew  out  of  the  war.  This  was  assumed  by  the 
United  States.  The  muster-rolls  and  accounts  of  all  the  eight  com 
panies  and  General  Lane's  staff  (the  General  refused  to  accept 
compensation  for  himself),  were  made  out  and  adjusted  by  Captain 
Goodall,  as  inspecting  and  mustering  officer,  acting  under  orders 
from  General  Lane,  at  the  close  of  the  war;  and  these  papers  were 
forwarded  to  Captain  Alden  at  Washington,  and  being  presented 
to  Congress  were  promptly  acted  upon  at  the  instance  of  that  officer 
and  General  Lane,  in  his  capacity  as  Delegate  to  Congress  from 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY -THREE-FOUR.  361 

Oregon  Territory.  Major  Alvord,  Paymaster  of  the  United  States 
army,  under  orders  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  paid  off  the  volun 
teers,  in  coin,  at  Jacksonville  and  Yreka,  in  June  and  July,  1855. 
The  commissary  and  quartermaster  accounts  were  at  the  same  time 
sent  in  draft  to  Governor  Curry,  and  by  him  disbursed  to  the  proper 
creditors.  The  total  cost  to  the  United  States  was  about  $285,000. 

During  the  year  1854  there  was  considerable  trouble  with  the 
Indians  of  Southern  Oregon,  causing  much  trouble  and  anxiety  to 
the  settlers,  but  never  amounting  to  a  state  of  war.  Much  of  this 
was  caused  by  Tipsu  Tyee,  an  unruly  chief  of  a  small  band  living 
in  the  Siskiyou  Mountains.  He  was  killed  by  Shasta  Indians  that 
summer,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties.  In  the  fall  Colonel 
Ross  dispatched  a  company  of  volunteers,  under  Captain  Jesse 
Walker,  to  escort  emigrants  through  the  Modoc  country,  where 
they  performed  excellent  service,  and  effectually  guarded  the  emi 
grants  till  all  had  passed  through  that  dreaded  region. 

What  is  generally  known  as  the  "  Snake  River1  Massacre,"  oc- 
currred  in  the  fall  of  1854,  and  nearly  added  another  to  the  long 
list  of  Indian  wars  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  For  a  number  of  years 
immigrants  had  been  accustomed  to  relax  their  vigilance  after 
entering  the  region  dominated  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  as 
Indians  under  the  influence  of  that  powerful  organization  had  never 
committed  depredations  upon  them.  After  leaving  Fort  Hall  they 
generally  broke  up  into  small  parties,  which  were  strung  along  the 
route  for  miles  without  any  organization  whatever.  A  party  of 
this  kind,  consisting  of  Alexander  Ward  and  family  of  wife  and- 
ten  children,  Mrs.  William  White,  Dr.  Charles  Adams,  Samuel 
Mulligan,  William  Babcock,  and  a  German  whose  name  is  un 
known,  were  attacked  by  Indians  on  the  twentieth  of  August,  on 
the  south  bank  of  Boise  River,  twenty -five  miles  above  Fort  Boise. 
The  struggle  was  brief.  Ward  and  his  eldest  son  Robert,  Dr. 
Adams,  Babcock,  Mulligan  and  the  German  fought  bravely  and 
were  soon  killed.  Norman  Ward,  a  lad  of  thirteen  years,  was 
wounded,  but  hid  himself  in  the  bushes,  and  thus  escaped  death. 
The  oldest  daughter  fled,  but  was  pursued  and  overtaken  after  run 
ning  some  four  hundred  yards.  She  fought  desperately  to  frustrate 
the  hellish  designs  of  the  savages,  and  so  enraged  them  by  her  re 
sistance  that  she  was  shot  through  the  head  and  killed.  One  of 


362  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  five  wagons  was  burned  at  that  point,  and  the  body  of  Miss 
Ward  mutilated  with  a  red  hot  iron.  The  other  women  and  chil 
dren  were  captured,  and  the  savages  started  with  them  and  four 
wagons  for  their  camp,  some  half  mile  distant  on  the  river  bank. 
After  progressing  a  short  distance  through  the  thick  brush,  they 
stopped  and  burned  three  more  of  the  wagons.  Here  they  selected 
Mrs.  White  as  a  victim  for  the^r  lust,  and  after  they  had  abused  her 
in  a  most  horrible  manner,  she  was  dispatched  by  a  bullet  wound 
in  the  head.  Mrs.  Ward  and  three  small  children  were  taken  with 
the  remaining  wagon  to  their  camp,  only  to  undergo  still  greater 
tortures.  The  wagon  was  burned,  and  with  it  the  three  children, 
who  were  grasped  by  the  hair  and  held  across  the  burning  pile 
until  their  cries  of  agony  were  hushed  in  death ;  their  mother  being 
compelled  to  witness  their  horrible  sufferings.  She  was  then  sub 
jected  to  the  same  fearful  ordeal  endured  by  Mrs.  White,  and  was 
then  killed  by  the  blow  of  a  tomahawk.  The  fate  of  the  other 
four  children  never  was  known. 

The  same  day  a  party  of  seven  men — among  them  Mr.  Yantis 
and  a  youth  named  Ammen — came  to  the  scene  and  attacked  the 
Indians.  In  the  fight  young  Arnmen  was  killed,  and  the  others 
were  compelled  to  retreat,  taking  with  them  the  wounded  Norman 
Ward,  whom  they  had  found  in  the  brush.  Two  days  later  John 
F.  Noble  left  Fort  Boise  with  a  party  of  eighteen  men  and  discov 
ered  the  bodies  and  evidences  of  the  horrible  details  as  above  de 
scribed.  They  saw  no  Indians,  and  after  burying  the  mangled 
bodies  they  returned.  The  news  was  carried  in  haste  to  The  Dalles, 
and  Major  Raines  at  once  dispatched  Major  Haller  with  a  strong  de 
tachment  of  troops  to  the  scene.  Nathan  Olney,  Indian  Agent, 
raised  a  company  of  thirty -seven  volunteers  and  accompanied  the 
troops.  When  they  reached  Boise  River  they  found  the  Indians 
had  retreated  to  the  mountains  beyond  reach.  A  few  days  of  cam 
paigning  disclosed  the  fact  that  nothing  could  be  accomplished,  and 
the  force  returned  to  The  Dalles. 

The  excitement  and  indignation  was  great  in  the  Willamette 
Valley.  Ex- Governor  John  P.  Gaines  was  known  to  be  near  Fort 
Boise  with  two  of  his  sons,  and  it  was  reported  that  they,  as  well  as 
others,  had  also  been  killed.  There  was  a  demand  for  punishment 
of  the  perpetrators,  both  as  an  act  of  vengeance  and  because  it  was 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY  -THREE-FOUR.  363 

necessary  as  a  measure  of  protection  for  the  emigration  the  follow 
ing  year.  At  last  Governor  Curry  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for 
two  companies  of  volunteers,  to  be  armed,  equipped  and  mounted 
at  their  own  expense.  A  few  days  later  he  countermanded  it,  the 
high  officials  of  the  State  Militia — Brigadier  General  J.  W.  Nes- 
mith,  Adjutant  General  E.  M.  Barnum,  and  others — having  advised 
him  that  a  winter  campaign  was  not  advisable.  This  brought  out 
a  public  indignation  meeting  in  Portland,  held  September  30,  and 
adjourned  to  October  2,  at  which  resolutions,  strongly  condemning 
the  Governor  and  his  advisers,  were  passed.  In  this  there  was  a 
spice  of  the  same  political  feeling  which  tinged  every  important 
movement  in  those  days.  T.  J.  Dryer  was  one  of  the  committee 
which  drafted  the  resolutions,  and  being-  editor  of  the  Oregonian 
and  an  intense  Whig,  this  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  him  to 
deal  the  Democratic  administration  a  stinging  blow.  In  this  in 
stance  he  was  in  the  right,  for,  in  case  a  campaign  were  deemed 
necessary  at  all,  the  winter  season  was  the  best  one  in  which  to 
make  it.  Because  of  the  snow  the  Indians  could  not  retreat  into 
the  mountains  before  the  advance  of  troops,  but  must  remain  in  the 
valleys  with  their  families,  where  they  could  be  easily  found  and 
attacked.  In  the  summer,  on  the  contrary,  twice  as  many  troops 
and  twice  the  expense  would  be  required  to  pursue  them  through 
the  mountain  wilds.  It  was  charged  by  the  Whigs  that  this  greater 
expense  was  what  the  "  Government  ring  "  desired,  preferring  a  war 
with  u  something  in  it"  to  a  short  and  decisive  campaign.  The 
question  was  taken  into  the  Legislature  the  following  January.  A 
majority  of  the  committee  to  which  it  was  referred  reported  in  favor 
of  doing  nothing,  while  the  minority  reported  a  bill  providing  for 
raising  five  companies  of  volunteers  and  prosecuting  a  war  against 
the  Snake  River  Indians.  The  majority  report  was  adopted,  and 
the  proposed  war  collapsed. 

The  following  May,  General  Wool,  commandant  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Pacific,  dispatched  Major  Haller  with  a  strong  detach 
ment  of  troops  to  guard  the  emigrant  route  from  Fort  Boise.  His 
action  was  heartily  praised  by  every  one,  and  he  was  in  high  feather 
with  the  people  of  Oregon  until  his  conduct,  a  few  months  later, 
displeased  them  and  lost  him  his  place  in  public  esteem,  whether 
justly  or  not  the  circumstances  will  show.  When  Major  Haller 


364  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

reached  Fort  Boise  he  held  a  council  with  the  Indians  of  that  re 
gion.  During  its  progress  four  of  the  Winnass  Indians,  the  tribe 
which  had  committed  the  massacre,  came  in  to  see  what  was  going 
on.  These  were  arrested  as  soon  as  the  council  was  over,  and  tried 
by  military  court.  One  of  them  confessed  and  related  the  circum 
stances,  offering  to  conduct  the  troops  to  the  hiding  place  of  the 
tribe.  Soon  after  doing  this  he  broke  from  his  guard  and  ran 
toward  the  river,  but  was  killed  by  a  bullet  from  Sergeant  Kille- 
hard's  gun.  The  other  three  were  condemned  to  be  executed  on  the 
scene  of  their  crime.  The  next  day  the  command  marched  to  the 
place  of  execution,  and,  after  burying  in  one  grave  the  bones  of  the 
murdered  emigrants  which  had  been  dug  up  by  coyotes,  erected  a 
gallows  over  the  mound  'and  hanged  all  three  at  one  time.  The 
next  morning  they  were  cut  down  and  buried,  while  the  gallows 
was  left  standing  as  a  warning  to  others  who  might  feel  disposed 
to  murder  unprotected  emigrants.  The  command  then  went  into 
camp  on  Big  Camas  Prairie  and  remained  during  the  summer,  re 
turning  to  The  Dalles  when  the  emigration  had  all  passed  through. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  1855. 

Inability  of  Indians  to  form  a  Coherent  Combination — Rogue  River, 
Puget  Sound  and  Columbia  Hostilities  Distinct  and  Separate — Re 
lation  of  Whites  and  Indians  in  Rogue  River  Valley — Controversy 
betioeen  General  Wool  and  the  Citizens — Incidents  before  the  Outbreak 
— The  Lupton  Affair — Quwk  Revenge  of  the  Indians — Massacre  of 
October  9th — Heroic  Defense  of  Mrs.  Harris — Great  Excitement  Pre 
vails — A  Review  of  the  Situation — Causes  which  Led  to  the  War  on 
the  Columbia — Indian  Treaties  made  by  Stevens  and  Palmer — They 
Mislead  the  People  by  Publishing  Incorrect  Statements  of  what  they 
have  Accomplished — Discovery  of  Gold  in  the  Colville  Region — Sauce 
for  the  Goose  not  Sauce  for  the  Gander — Murder  of Mattice — Hegira 
from  Colville  and  Walla  Walla — Murder  of  Indian  Agent  Solon — 
Regulars  Invade  the  Yakima  Country — Defeat  of  Major  Holler — 
Major  Raines  Calls  for  Volunteers — Governor  Curry  Calls  for  Ten 
Companies — General  WooVs  Opinion  of  Governor  Curry's  Conduct 
— Another  Cause  Assigned  for  the  War — Excitement  in  Willamette 
Valley — The  "  Oregonian"  and  "Statesman" — Wars  and  Rumors  of 
Wars  Alarm  the  People. 

THE  greatest  Indian  war  known  on  the  Pacific  Coast  was  the  one 
—or,  more  properly  speaking,  the  three — which  raged  along 
the  Columbia,  around  Puget  Sound,  and  in  the  region  of  Rogue 
River  from  the  fall  of  1855  to  the  summer  of  1856.  No  less  than 
four  thousand  warriors  were  at  times  in  arms  against  the  whites, 
and  only  a  lack  of  hearty  and  intelligent  co-operation  on  the  part 
of  the  hostiles  saved  the  outlying  settlements  from  total  annihila 
tion,  and  the  more  populous  communities  of  the  Willamette  Valley 
from  all  the  horrors  of  barbaric  warfare. 

Petty  jealousies,  ancient  feuds,  tribal  antipathies,  and  a  lack  of 
confidence  in  the  honor  of  their  allies  has  always  prevented  the 


366  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

formation  or  long  existence  of  a  strong  combination  among  the  abor 
igines  of  America.  Treachery  is  the  predominating  trait  of  the 
Indian  character,  and  no  one  seems  better  aware  of  that  fact  than 
the  Indians  themselves.  No  matter  how  extensive  an  alliance  some 
powerful  and  enlightened  chief  might  be  able  to  effect,  tribal  jealous 
ies  and  distrust  soon  broke  in  pieces  his  rope  of  sand.  The  Indians 
of  America  have  been  compelled  to  contend  with  the  advancing  tide 
of  Caucasian  supremacy,  tribe  by  tribe,  as  the  wave  of  civilization 
reached  and  engulfed  it  and  then  rolled  on  to  the  next.  In  every 
struggle  they  have  made  to  breast  and  beat  back  this  mighty  flood, 
they  have  found  themselves  opposed  by  members  of  their  own  race, 
who  helped  to  render  futile  their  impotent  efforts.  Not  infrequently 
has  it  happened  that,  in  the  very  heat  of  the  campaign,  the  treach 
ery  of  allies  has  dashed  to  earth  the  fondest  hopes  of  some  great 
chief,  whose  voice  had  called  to  arms  the  warriors  of  neighboring 
tribes.  King  Philip,  Tecumseh,  Black  Hawk,  Osceola,  Captain 
Jack,  Chief  Joseph,  Egan,  and  even  Sitting  Bull,  each  in  his  turn, 
saw  members  of  his  own  race  raise  their  weapons  against  him  and 
aid  the  white  foe  to  crush  him  to  the  ground.  Had  it  been  other 
wise  the  picket  fires,  of  Caucasian  civilization  might  even  now  be 
burning  on  the  summit  of  the  Alleghenies,  and  the  settlements  on 
the  Atlantic  Coast  only  preserved  from  annihilation  by  a  continuous 
line  of  fortifications  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf.  A  people 
so  warlike,  so  brave,  so  intelligent,  and  so  numerous,  lacked  only 
the  ability  to  successfully  combine  to  have  checked  there  the  ad 
vancing  wave  of  conquest,  and,  possibly,  to  have  rolled  it  back  to 
the  shore  of  the  great  Atlantic  Sea. 

The  almost  simultaneous  beginning  of  hostilities  by  the  tribes  so 
widely  separated  as  those  of  Rogue  River  Valley  and  the  Plains  of 
the  Columbia,  was  at  the  time,  regarded  as  conclusive  evidence  of  an 
extensive  and  well -planned  combination  for  the  extermination  of 
the  settlements;  and  this  has  been  the  prevailing  opinion  to  the 
present  day.  To  one  who  looks  deeper  than  these  surface  indica 
tions,  and  studies  the  various  causes  which  led  to  the  beginning  of 
hostilities  in  the  different  regions,  the  question  presents  another 
aspect.  He  sees  that  totally  distinct  causes  were  in  operation  to 
produce  these  effects,  though,  primarily,  they  sprang  from  the  one 
great  fountain  head  of  all  our  Indian  wars — the  aggressiveness  of 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  367 

the  higher  civilization  and  the  natural  resistance  of  a  warlike  people 
to  the  encroachments  of  a  superior  race.  It  was  an  effort,  in  the 
one  case,  to  expel  white  intruders  from  the  home  of  their  ancestors, 
superinduced  by  special  acts  of  ill-treatment  by  the  invaders;  and  in 
the  other  case  an  attempt  to  ward  off  the  same  evils  they  saw  had 
befallen  the  tribes  of  other  regions.  The  only  combination  was 
among  the  tribes  living  along  both  sides  of  the  Columbia,  east  of 
the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  this  was  but  an  incoherent  union,  man 
ifested  chiefly  in  a  spasmodic  and  transient  co-operation,  brought 
about  by  a  community  of  interest  and  a  similarity  of  grievances. 
Had  there  been  as  thorough  a  union  and  as  perfect  a  blending  of 
forces  as  was  imagined,  the  consequences  to  the  settlements  in  the 
Willamette  would  have  been  fearful  to  contemplate.  The  uprising 
along  Rogue  River  was  distinct,  and  brought  about  by  local 
events,  but  occurring  at  the  same  time,  the  resources  of  the  Terri 
tory  were  severely  taxed  to  conduct  campaigns  in  two  regions  so 
remote  from  each  other — where  the  machinery  and  organization  of 
two  separate  and  distinct  armies  had  to  be  maintained.  This  con 
dition  of  affairs  served,  also,  to  divide  the  regular  troops  stationed 
here  by  the  Government  into  detachments  so  small  that  they  were 
totally  unable  to  cope  with  the  enemy.  The  outbreak  along  the 
southern  and  eastern  shores  of  Puget  Sound,  was,  no  doubt,  a  re 
sult  of  the  hostilities  across  the  mountains;  or,  to  better  define  it, 
the  Indians  of  the  Sound  took  advantage  of  this  favorable  oppor 
tunity  to  make  an  attempt  to  break  up  the  settlements  in  their 
midst,  while  warlike  tribes  living  to  the  north,  in  British  Columbia, 
made  hostile  incursions  in  their  war  canoes,  drawn  hither  by  the 
supposed  defenseless  condition  of  the  people. 

The  first  outburst  of  war's  destructive  flame  occurred  in  Rogue 
River  Valley,  and  was  bat  a  continuation  of  that  fierce  race  conflict 
which  began  with  the  first  advent  of  settlers  into  the  valley,  and 
ended  only  with  the  extermination  or  removal  of  the  native  pro 
prietors  of  the  soil.  Here,  more  than  at  any  other  place,  had  race 
prejudice  been  developed  to  its  extreme  pitch  by  four  successive 
years  of  conflict.  Indians  were  both  despised  and  hated.  The  least 
"insolence"  on  their  part  met  with  swift  retribution,  while  on  the 
other  hand,  indignities  put  upon  them,  even,  in  instances,  to  the 
taking  of  life,  went  uncondemned  by  the  better  portion  of  the  com- 


368  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLET. 

munity,  and  by  the  more  irresponsible  and  less  morally  developed, 
were  approved  as  being  "  good  enough  for  them."  There  were 
many  who  deprecated  this  condition  of  affairs;  but  when  they  led 
to  the  inevitable  outbreak,  the  relentless  ferocity  and  barbarous 
cruelty  of  the  savages  soon  united  the  whole  community  in  one  uni 
versal  demand  for  their  extermination.  When  their  property  was 
being  destroyed,  their  families  threatened  with  death,  and  all  the 
horrors  of  barbaric  warfare  were  hovering  over  their  homes,  there 
was  no  time  for  moral  philosophy,  no  time  to  inquire  into  the  causes 
that  had  produced  this  terrible  state  of  affairs.  The  natural  instinct 
of  self-preservation  and  a  spirit  of  vengeance  for  the  death  of  neigh 
bors  and  friend?  bound  them  together  in  a  demand  for  retribution, 
and  that  the  savage  perpetrators  of  these  horrible  deeds  be  either 
exterminated  or  placed  beyond  the  possibility  of  repeating  them. 
The  officers  of  the  regular  army,  whose  duty  it  was  to  protect  the 
people  and  keep  the  Indians  in  subjection,  were  inclined  to  inquire 
more  closely  into  the  origin  of  these  difficulties,  and  in  their  official 
reports  frequently  condemned  irresponsible  whites  for  precipitating 
the  uprising  which  they  were  called  upon  to  subdue.  It  was  so  in 
this  instance,  and  Captains  Judah  and  Smith  and  General  Wool 
were  severely  condemned  by  the  people  and  press  of  Oregon  for 
their  strictures  upon  the  ante-bellum  conduct  of  the  white  people; 
though  it  was  their  dilatory  action  and  half-hearted  method  of 
conducting  their  campaigns  which  drew  down  upon  them  the 
severest  criticism.  Much  of  this  was  undeserved,  yet  it  must  be 
admitted  that  General  Wool  allowed  himself  to  be  governed  too 
much  by  his  opinion  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  wars  and  not 
enough  by  the  critical  condition  of  affairs  after  hostilities  had 
actually  been  commenced.  Believing  firmly  that  the  whites  were 
responsible  for  the  outbreak,  he  considered  that  his  duty  only  re 
quired  him  to  defend  the  settlements  from  attack,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  people  demanded  of  him  an  aggressive  campaign. 
This  led  to  a  lack  of  harmonious  action  between  the  volunteers  and 
regulars  in  the  field,  and  to  much  abuse  and  misrepresentation. 
Passion,  pride  and  prejudice  seemed  to  hold  such  perfect  sway,  that 
newspaper  editorials  and  communications,  private  correspondence 
and  official  reports  all  passed  beyond  the  limits  of  reliability.  Had 
General  Wool  recognized  the  fact  that,  no  matter  what  was  the 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  369 

origin  of  hostilities,  the  future  security  of  the  people  required  that 
a  severe  castigation  be  administered  to  the  turbulent  tribes,  and  had 
he  promptly  entered  upon  the  vigorous  campaign  he  was  afterwards 
compelled  to  make,  his  name  wrould  now  be  revered  in  Oregon  as 
is  that  of  his  successor — the  noble  Colonel  Wright.  War  having 
once  been  begun  with  savages,  it  was  folly  to  adopt  a  defensive 
policy.  Nothing  but  an  aggressive  campaign,  ending  in  a  complete 
defeat  and  humiliation  of  the  enemy,  can  ever  conquer  a  lasting 
peace  with  such  a  foe.  General  Wool  should  have  known  this  and 
acted  accordingly.  He  was  right  in  condemning  the  conduct  of  the 
whites  in  drawing  down  upon  innocent  heads  the  vengeance  of 
savages,  but  he  was  wrong  in  permitting  this  to  interfere  with  that 
vigorous  discharge  of  his  duty  as  the  commanding  officer  of  this 
department,  which  the  proper  protection  of  those  innocent  heads 
demanded.  A  brief  summary  of  the  events  of  the  intercourse  be 
tween  the  two  races  in  the  Rogue  River  Valley,  between  the  close 
of  hostilities  in  1854  and  their  inauguration  again  the  following 
year,  will  show  that  the  severe  war  which  then  began  was  caused 
by  the  custom  both  the  whites  and  Indians  had  of  taking  revenge 
for  the  killing  of  any  of  their  number,  by  attacking  parties  not  only 
innocent,  but  entirely  ignorant,  of  the  deed  for  which  vengeance 
was  being  exacted.  This  habit,  and  especially  its  manifestation  in 
the  Lupton  affair,  explain  General  Wool's  strong  condemnation  of 
the  men  whom  he  charged  with  responsibility  for  the  war. 

There  were  a  few  detached  incidents  in  1854,  which  could  not 
be  said  to  be  associated  in  any  way  with  a  design  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians  to  make  war  or  commit  outrages,  yet  they  served  to  keep 
alive  the  general  feeling  of  insecurity  and  spirit  of  hostility  on  the 
part  of  the  whites.  About  the  middle  of  April  Edward  Phillips 
was  murdered  in  his  cabin  on  Applegate  Creek,  and  an  investiga 
tion  showed  that  Indians  had  committed  the  deed  for  the  purpose 
of  robbery.  Though  this  should  have  been  considered  an  individual 
crime,  as  it  would  have  been  had  the  perpetrators  been  white  men 
— and  such  acts  by  white  men  were  by  no  means  rare — it  was 
charged  to  the  general  Indian  account,  to  be  settled,  whenever  op 
portunity  occurred,  with  any  Indians  who  might  be  so  unfortunate 
as  to  be  selected  to  balance  the  score.  In  September  a  number  of 
people  were  killed  by  the  members  of  Tipsu  Tyee's  band.  An  im- 


370  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

migrant  named  Stewart  was  murdered  while  passing  with  his  wagon 
along  the  trail.  On  the  second  of  September  an  affray  occurred  in 
the  upper  part  of  Bear  Creek  Valley,  Jackson  County,  which  re 
sulted  in  the  death  of  a  white  man  and  the  wounding  of  two  others. 
A  few  days  previously  Indians  stole  some  horses  from  B.  Alberding. 
The  owner  summoned  his  neighbors  to  assist  in  recovering  them, 
and  a  very  small  company  set  out  on  the  quest.  Following  the  trail, 
they  walked  into  an  ambuscade  and  were  fired  upon.  Granville 
Keene  was  killed,  and  Alberding,  J.  Q.  Faber  and  another  man 
were  wounded.  The  party  hastily  retired,  leaving  the  body  of 
Keene  where  it  fell.  On  the  following  day  a  detachment  of  troops 
from  Fort  Lane  proceeded  to  the  scene  of  the  conflict  and  obtained 
the  much  mutilated  remains,  but  the  Indians,  of  course,  were  gone. 
The  next  event  occurred  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  September.  On 
the  previous  day  Harrison  B.  Oatman,  Daniel  P.  Brittain  and  Cal 
vin  M.  Fields  started  from  Phoenix,  each  driving  an  ox-team  loaded 
with  flour  destined  for  Yreka.  Camping  the  first  night  near  the 
foot  of  Siskiyou  Mountain,  the  train  started  up  the  ascent  in  the 
morning.  When  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  summit,  Brit- 
tain,  who  was  in  the  rear,  heard  five  shots  fired  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  men  in  the  advance.  Hurrying  up  the  rise  he  quickly  came  in 
sight  of  the  teams,  which  were  standing  still,  while  an  Indian  was 
apparently  engaged  in  stripping  a  fallen  man.  Turning  back,  Brit- 
tain  ran  down  the  mountain,  followed  by  a  bullet  from  the  Indian's 
rifle,  but  made  his  way  unhurt  to  the  Mountain  House,  three  miles 
from  the  scene  of  the  attack.  Six  men  hastily  mounted  and  re 
turned  to  the  summit.  Oatman,  meanwhile,  had  escaped  to  Hughes' 
house,  on  the  California  side,  and  obtained  help.  He  reported  that  a 
youth  named  Cunningham  was  passing  Oatman  and  Fields  when  the 
attack  was  made,  and  that  he  was  wounded  at  the  instant  Fields  fell 
dead.  The  latter's  body  was  lying  in  the  road,  stripped,  but  Cun 
ningham  was  only  found  the  next  day,  lying  dead  by  a  tree  behind 
which  he  had  taken  refuge.  On  the  following  day  Samuel  Warner 
was  murdered  on  Cottonwood  Creek,  not  far  from  the  scene  of  the 
other  tragedy,  and  most  likely  by  the  same  Indians.  These  repeated 
outrages  produced  a  very  considerable  degree  of  alarm,  but  no 
military  measures  of  importance  were  taken,  except  by  the  officials 
at  Fort  Lane,  who  sent  forty  mounted  troops  to  the  various  scenes  of 
bloodshed,  who  returned  without  having  effected  anything. 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY -FIVE.  371 

The  first  overt  act  in  1855  was  committed  by  a  party  of  Illinois 
Indians,  who  crossed  the  mountains  to  Klamath  River  and  robbed 
some  cabins  near  Happy  Camp,  and  then  proceeded  to  Indian 
Creek  and  killed  a  man  named  Hill,  or  Hull,  retreating  to  the  head 
of  Slate  Creek  with  cattle  they  had  stolen  from  Hay's  ranch.  This 
was  on  the  eighth  of  May,  and  on  the  following  day  Samuel  Frye 
set  out  from  Hay's  ranch  with  a  force  of  eight  men,  and  coming 
suddenly  upon  the  culprits,  killed  or  wounded  three  of  them.  He 
then  returned  for  reinforcements,  and  returning  with  them  the  next 
day  he  found  the  enemy  had  taken  advantage  of  the  respite  from 
attack  to  visit  Deer  Creek  and  kill  a  man  named  Philpot,  and 
seriously  wound  James  Mills.  Settlers  were  thrown  into  a  fever 
of  apprehension,  and  hastily  gathered  into  a  stockade  at  Yarnall's. 
Lieutenant  Switzer  hastened  from  Fort  Lane  with  a  detachment  of 
twelve  men,  and  soon  discovered  that  the  Indians  had  murdered 
Jerome  Dyer  and  Daniel  McCue,  on  Applegate  Creek,  and  escaped 
eastward.  They  were  followed,  captured  and  taken  to  Fort  Lane, 
where  they  were  placed  under  close  guard,  both  for  their  protec 
tion  from  the  enraged  citizens,  and  to  prevent  them  from  escaping. 

The  next  event  was  what  is  known  across  the  line  in  Siskiyou 
County  as  the  "  Humbug  War."  This  had  its  origin  in  a  shooting 
scrape  between  a  citizen  and  a  drunken  Indian,  and  consisted  of  the 
massacre  of  eleven  innocent  miners,  and  the  indiscriminate  killing  of 
many  innocent  and  inoffensive  Indians  by  the  whites  of  that  region. 
The  only  connection  it  had  with  Oregon  was  the  flight  of  a  band  of 
Indians,  among  them  the  originator  of  the  trouble,  to  Fort  Lane, 
and  their  pursuit  by  five  companies  of  volunteers  from  the  Cali 
fornia  side.  These  made  a  demand  upon  Captain  Smith  for  the 
fugitives,  but  the  officer  declined  to  surrender  them  to  any  one  ex 
cept  the  regular  authorities,  and  though  the  exasperated  volunteers 
threatened  to  take  them  by  force,  they  thought  better  of  that  rash 
project  and  returned  to  California. 

Our  account  now  approaches  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1855-6, 
by  some  thought  to  have  been  the  result  of  the  incidents  above  re 
counted.  It  is  truly  difficult  at  this  time  to  accord  these  circum 
stances  their  proper  influence  in  the  acts  which  followed.  It  is 
evident  that  the  people  of  Rogue  River  Valley,  toward  the  end  of  the 
summer  of  1855,  must  have  felt  an  additional  degree  of  insecurity, 


372  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

but  that  it  was  wholly  in  consequence  of  the  murders  which  had 
previously  taken  place  does  not  seem  probable,  inasmuch  as  these 
murders  were  committed  outside  the  valley,  and  the  most  aggra 
vated  ones  nearly  a  year  before.  Their  legitimate  results  could 
hardly  have  been  sufficient  to  stir  up  a  general  war  against  the 
Indians,  so  we  are  left  to  conjecture  the  growth  of  a  public  senti 
ment  determined  upon  war.  The  vast  majority  of  settlers,  wearied 
of  constant  anxiety,  heartily  and  unaffectedly  believed  that  the  re 
moval  of  the  Indians  was  desirable  and  necessary.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  exact  status  of  the  war  party,  and  whatever  the  in 
fluence  of  the  speculative  branch  of  it,  it  is  clear  there  was  no  out 
spoken  opposition,  such  as  would  have  been  created  by  a  general 
sentiment  in  favor  of  peaceful  methods.  Almost  the  only  outspoken 
advocate  of  Indians'  rights  was  compelled  to  leave  the  country  of 
his  adoption  from  fear  of  personal  violence.  Whoever  doubts  the 
acerbity  of  public  sentiment  at  that  date,  will  do  well  to  pause  here 
and  digest  that  statement,  comparing  with  it  the  tenor  of  the  edito 
rial  remarks  to  be  found  in  the  Jacksonville  Sentinel  at  that  time. 
If  such  publications  may  be  trusted  to  gauge  public  sentiment,  the 
feeling  of  absolute  enmity  against  the  natives  must  have  increased 
ten-fold  since  the  signing  of  the  Lane  Treaty.  This  feeling  of  hos 
tility  was  sufficient  to  cause  the  following  outrage  to  receive  the 
endorsement  of  a  large  portion  of  the  community;  and  this  was  the 
incident  which  General  Wool  so  freely  criticised  and  strongly  con 
demned,  and  for  doing  Avhich  he  was  so  roundly  abused  by  the  press 
of  Oregon. 

On  the  seventh  of  October,  1855,  a  party  of  men,  principally 
miners  and  men-about-town,  in  Jacksonville,  organized  and  armed 
themselves  to  the  number  of  about  forty  (accounts  disagree  as  to 
number),  and  under  the  nominal  leadership  of  Captain  Hays  and 
Major  James  A.  Lupton,  Representative -elect  to  the  Territorial 
Legislature,  proceeded  to  attack  a  small  band  of  Indians  encamped 
on  the  north  side  of  Rogue  River,  near  the  mouth  of  Little  Butte 
Creek,  a  few  miles  above  Table  Rock.  Lupton,  it  appears,  was  a 
man  of  no  experience  in  bush  fighting,  but  was  rash  and  headstrong. 
It  is  the  prevailing  opinion  that  he  was  led  into  the  affair  through 
a  wish  to  court  popularity,  which  is  almost  the  only  incentive  that 
could  have  occurred  to  him.  Certainly,  it  could  not  have  been 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  373 

plunder;  and  the  mere  love  of  fighting  Indians,  which  drew  the 
greater  part  of  the  force  together,  was,  perhaps,  absent  in  his  case. 
The  reason  why  the  particular  band  at  Butte  Creek  was  selected  as 
victims  also  appears  a  mystery,  although  the  circumstances  of  their 
location  being  accessible  and  their  numbers  small,  possibly  were 
the  ruling  considerations.  This  band  of  Indians  appear  to  have 
behaved  themselves  tolerably;  they  were  pretty  fair  Indians,  but 
beggars,  and,  on  occasion,  thieves.  They  had  been  concerned  in 
no  considerable  outrages  that  are  distinctly  specified.  The  attack 
ing  party  arrived  at  the  river  in  the  evening,  and  selecting  a  hiding 
place,  remained  until  daylight,  the  appointed  time  for  the  attack. 
The  essential  particulars  of  the  fight  which  followed  are,  when 
separated  from  a  tangle  of  contradictory  minutiae,  that  Lupton  and 
his  party  fired  a  volley  into*  the  crowded  encampment,  following  up 
the  sudden  and  totally  unexpected  attack  by  a  close  encounter  with 
knives,  revolvers,  and  whatever  weapon  they  were  possessed  of,  and 
the  Indians  were  driven  away  or  killed  without  making  much  re 
sistance.  These  facts  are  matters  of  evidence,  as  are  also  the  kill 
ing  of  several  squaws,  one  or  more  old  decrepit  men,  and  a  number, 
probably  small,  of  children.  Captain  Smith  reported  to  the  Gov 
ernment  that  eighty  Indians  were  slaughtered.  Others  place  the 
number  at  thirty.  The. exact  condition  of  things  at  the  fight,  or 
massacre,  as  some  have  characterized  it,  is  difficult  to  determine. 
Accounts  vary  so  widely  that  by  some  it  has  been  termed  a  heroic 
attack,  and  others  have  called  it  an  indiscriminate  butchery  of  de 
fenseless  and  peaceful  natives.  To  temporize  with  such  occurrences 
does  not  become  those  who  seek  the  truth  only,  and  the  world 
would  be  better  could  such  deeds  meet  at  once  the  proper  penalty 
and  be  known  by  their  proper  name.  Lupton  was  mortally 
wounded  by  an  arrow  which  penetrated  his  lungs,  and  a  young 
man  named  Shepherd  was  slightly  wounded.  As  usual,  the  storm 
of  barbaric  vengeance  fell  upon  the  heads  of  the  innocent  and  de 
fenseless.  Swift  and  cruel  was  the  revenge  of  the  Indians  for  this 
great  and  unexpected  outrage  which  had  been  committed  upon 
them,  and  the  massacre  of  defenseless  settlers,  unwarned  of  their 
danger,  is  one  of  the  saddest  pages  of  Oregon's  pioneer  history. 
Language  can  not  too  strongly  condemn  the  act  which  precipitated 
such  a  bloody  scene,  and  much  of  the  time  and  breath  spent  in 


374  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

abuse  of  General  Wool  and  execration  of  the  Indians  should  have 
been  devoted  to  the  denunciation  of  this  brutal  and  unwarranted  act. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  October  ninth,  two  days  after  this  affair 
on  Butte  Creek,  several  of  the  more  war-like  bands  gathered  about 
Table  Rock,  and  started  down  the  river  with  their  families,  arms, 
and  other  property,  bent  on  war.  Their  first  act  was  to  murder 
William  Goin,  or  Going,  a  teamster,  native  of  Missouri,  and  em 
ployed  on  the  reservation.  Standing  by  the  fire-place  in  conversa 
tion  with  Clinton  Schieffelin,  he  was  fatally  shot,  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  The  particular  individuals  who  accomplished  this 
killing  were,  says  Mr.  Schieffelin,  members  of  John's  band  of 
Applegates,  who  were  encamped  on  Ward  Creek,  a  mile  above  its 
mouth,  and  twelve  miles  distant  from  the  camp  of  Sam's  band. 
Hurrying  through  the  darkness  to  Jewett's  Ferry,  these  hostiles, 
now  reinforced  by  the  band  of  Limpy  and  George,  found  there  a 
pack-train  loaded  with  mill-irons.  Hamilton,  the  man  in  charge 
of  it,  was  killed,  and  another  individual  was  severely  wounded. 
They  next  began  firing  at  Jewett's  house,  within  which  were  several 
persons  in  bed.  Meeting  with  resistance,  they  gave  up  the  attack 
and  moved  to  Evans'  Ferry,  which  they  reached  at  daybreak.  Here 
they  shot  Isaac  Shelton,  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  en  route  for 
Yreka.  The  next  victim  was  Jones,  proprietor  of  a  ranch,  whom 
they  shot  dead  near  his  house.  The  house  was  set  on  fire,  and 
Mrs.  Jones  was  pursued  by  an  Indian  and  shot  with  a  revolver, 
when  she  fell  senseless,  and  the  savage  retired,  supposing  her  dead. 
She  revived  and  was  taken  to  Tufts'  place  and  lived  a  day.  O.  P. 
Robbins,  Jones'  partner,  was  hunting  cattle  at  some  distance  from 
the  house.  Getting  upon  a  stump  he  looked  about  him  and  saw 
the  house  on  fire:  Correctly  judging  that  Indians  were  abroad,  he 
proceeded  to  Tufts  and  Evans'  places.  The  former  place  the 
Indians  had  already  visited  and  shot  Mrs.  Tufts  through  the  body, 
but  being  taken  to  Illinois  Valley  she  recovered.  Six  miles  north 
of  Evans'  Ferry  the  Indians  killed  two  men  who  were  transporting 
supplies  from  the  Willamette  Valley  to  the  mines.  The  house 
of  J.  B.  Wagner  was  burned,  Mrs.  Wagner  being  previously  mur 
dered,  or,  as  an  unsubstantiated  story  goes,  was  compelled  to  remain 
in  it  until  dead.  This  is  refinement  of  horrors,  indeed.  For  a  time 
her  fate  was  unknown,  but  it  was  finally  settled  thus.  Mary,  her 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  375 

little  daughter,  was  taken  to  the  Meadows,  on  Lower  Rogue  River, 
some  weeks  after,  according  to  the  Indians'  own  accounts,  but  died 
there.  Mr.  Wagner,  being  away  from  home,  escaped  death.  Com 
ing  to  Haines'  house,  Mr.  Haines  being  ill  in  bed,  they  shot  him  to 
death,  killed  two  children  and  took  his  wife  prisoner.  Her  fate 
was  a  sad  one,  and  is  yet  wrapped  in  mystery.  It  seems  likely, 
from  the  stories  told  by  the  Indians,  that  the  unhappy  woman  died 
about  a  week  afterwards,  from  the  effects  of  a  fever  aggravated  by 
improper  food. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  A.  M.  the  savages  approached  the  house  of 
Mr.  Harris,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Evans',  where  dwelt  a  family 
of  four — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  and  their  two  children,  Mary, 
aged  twelve,  and  David,  aged  ten  years.  With  them  resided  T.  A. 
Reed,  an  unmarried  man.  Reed  was  some  distance  from  the 
house,  and  was  set  upon  by  a  party  of  hostiles  and  killed.  His 
skeleton  was  found  a  year  after.  David,  the  little  son,  in  all  like 
lihood,  was  taken  into  the  woods  by  his  captors  and  slain,  as  he 
was  never  after  heard  of.  Mr.  Harris  was  surprised  by  the  Indians, 
and  retreating  to  the  house,  was  shot  in  the  breast  as  he  reached 
the  door.  His  wife,  with  the  greatest  courage  and  presence  of 
mind,  closed  and  barred  the  door,  and  in  obedience  to  her  wounded 
husband's  advice,  brought  down  the  fire-arms  which  the  house  con 
tained — a  rifle,  a  double-barreled  shotgun,  a  revolver  and  a  single- 
barreled  pistol — and  began  to  fire  at  the  Indians  to  deter  them  from 
assaulting  or  setting  fire  to  the  house.  Previous  to  this  a  shot  fired 
by  the  Indians  had  wounded  her  little  daughter  in  the  arm,  and  the 
terrified  child  climbed  to  the  attic  of  the  dwelling  where  she  re 
mained  for  several  hours.  Throughout  all  this  time  the  heroic 
woman  kept  the  savages  at  bay,  and  attended,  as  well  as  she  was 
able,  the  wants  of  her  husband,  who  expired  in  about  an  hour 
after  he  was  shot.  Fortunately,  she  had  been  taught  the  use  of  fire 
arms  ;  and  to  this  she  owed  her  preservation  and  that  of  her  daughter. 
The  Indians,  who  could  be  seen  moving  about  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
house,  were  at  pains  to  keep  within  cover  and  dared  not  approach 
near  enough  to  set  fire  to  the  dwelling,  although  they  burned  the 
out-buildings,  first  taking  the  horses  from  the  stable.  Mrs.  Harris 
steadily  loaded  her  weapons  and  fired  them  through  the  crevices  be 
tween  the  logs.  In  the  afternoon  the  Indians  drew  off  and  left  the 


376  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

stout-hearted  woman  mistress  of  the  field.  She  had  saved  her  own 
and  her  daughter's  life,  and  added  a  deathless  page  to  the  record  of 
the  country's  history.  After  the  departure  of  the  savages,  the 
heroine,  with  her  daughter,  left  the  house  and  sought  refuge  in  a 
thicket  of  willows  near  the  road,  and  remained  there  all  night. 
Next  morning  several  Indians  passed,  but  did  not  discover  them. 

When,  on  the  day  of  the  massacre,  a  rider  dashed  into  Jackson 
ville  and  quickly  told  the  news,  great  excitement  prevailed.  Al 
most  immediately  a  score  of  men  were  in  their  saddles  and  pushing 
toward  the  river.  Major  Fitzgerald,  stationed  at  Fort  Lane,  went 
at  the  head  of  fifty -five  mounted  men,  and  these  going  with  the 
volunteers,  proceeded  along  the  track  of  ruin  and  desolation  left  by 
the  savages.  At  Wagner's  house  some  five  or  six  volunteers,  who 
were  in  advance,  came  upon  a  few  Indians  hiding  in  the  brush  near 
by,  who,  unsuspicious  of  the  main  body  advancing  along  the  road, 
challenged  the  whites  to  a  fight.  Major  Fitzgerald  came  up  and 
ordered  a  charge;  and  six  of  the  ured  devils"  were  killed,  and  the 
rest  driven  "on  the  jump"  to  the  hills,  but  could  not  be  overtaken. 
Giving  up  the  pursuit,  the  regulars  and  volunteers  marched  along 
the  road  to  the  Harris  house,  where  they  found  the  devoted  mother 
and  her  child  and  removed  them  to  Jacksonville.  A  company  of 
volunteers  led  by  Captain  Kinearson,  hastily  came  from  Cow  Creek 
and  scoured  the  country  about  Grave  Creek  and  vicinity,  finding 
quite  a  number  of  bodies  of  murdered  men.  On  the  twenty -fifth 
of  October  the  body  of  J.  B.  Powell,  of  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County, 
was  found  and  buried.  James  White  and  -  -  Fox  had  been  pre 
viously  found  dead.  All  the  houses  along  the  Indians'  route  had 
been  robbed  and  then  burned,  with  two  or  three  exceptions. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  picture  the  state  of  alarm  which  pre 
vailed  when  the  full  details  of  the  massacre  were  made  known. 
The  people  of  Rogue  River  Valley,  probably  without  exception, 
withdrew  from  their  ordinary  occupations  and  "  forted  up  "  or  re 
tired  to  the  larger  settlements.  Jacksonville  was  the  objective  point 
of  most  of  these  fugitives,  who  came  in  on  foot,  on  horse  or  mule 
back,  or  with  their  families,  or  more  portable  property  loaded  on 
wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  In  every  direction  mines  were  abandoned, 
farms  and  fields  were  left  unwatched,  the  herdsman  forsook  his 
charge,  and  all  sought  refuge  from  the  common  enemy.  The  in- 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  377 

dustries  were  brought  to  a  standstill,  and  trade  and  commerce  be 
came  instantly  paralyzed.  All  business  and  pleasure  were  forsaken 
to  devise  means  to  meet  and  vanquish  the  hostile  bands.  Nor  was 
this  state  of  affairs  confined  to  the  Rogue  River  country.  The 
people  of  the  Willamette  Valley  caught  the  infection,  and  for  a 
time  the  depressing  expectation  of  Indian  forays  racked  many  a 
breast.  The  Oregon  papers  of  that  date  were  full  of  matter  calcu 
lated  to  show  the  extreme  state  of  apprehension  existing  throughout 
the  State,  caused  by  these  events  and  outrages  committed  at  the 
same  time  by  Indians  north  of  the  Columbia.  It  will  be  believed 
that  there  was  ample  reason  for  such  a  feeling  among  those  who 
lived  south  of  the  Calapooias.  The  settlers  on  the  Umpqua  and  its 
tributaries  were  obviously  endangered.  They  retired  to  places  of 
safety  until  the  Indian  scare  had  settled  down  to  a  steady  warfare. 
At  Scottsburg,  more  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the  seat  of  war,  the 
inhabitants  thus  took  refuge.  On  Cow  Creek  on  the  twenty-fourth 
of  October,  Indians  made  an  attack  on  some  hog-drovers  from  Lane 
County,  who  were  traversing  the  road.  H.  Bailey  was  killed  in 
stantly,  and  Z.  Bailey  and  three  others  wounded.  The  Indians 
burned,  on  that  day,  the  houses  of  Turner,  Bray,  Fortune,  Redfield, 
and  one  other.  Mr.  Redfield  placed  his  family  in  a  wagon  and 
started  for  a  place  of  safety,  but  soon  his  horses  were  shot,  and  he 
took  his  wife  upon  his  back  and  carried  her  to  a  fortified  place,  be 
fore  reaching  which  she  was  wounded. 

It  should  be  remarked  that  the  situation  in  Southern  Oregon 
was  even  more  serious  than  was  thought  possible  by  those  who 
viewed  these  affairs  from  abroad,  or  through  the  distorting  medium 
of  the  newspapers.  The  people  were  beset  on  all  sides  by  savages, 
they  knew  not  how  numerous,  who  might  strike,  they  knew  not 
where.  The  extent  of  the  Indian  uprising  was  not  at  first  under 
stood.  The  Indians  were  well  supplied  with  ammunition,  and  had 
guns,  rifles,  revolvers  and  knives,  as  great  in  assortment  and  better 
in  quality  than  the  whites  themselves  were  provided  with.  Besides, 
of  the  several  thousand  Indians  who  inhabited  Southern  Oregon,  no 
one  could  tell  which  band  might  dig  up  the  hatchet  and  go  on  the 
war  path  in  imitation  of  those  who  were  already  so  actively  butch 
ering  and  burning.  The  Table  Rock  band,  steadfastly  friendly, 
withstood  the  temptation  to  avenge  their  undoubted  grievances,  and 


378  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

remained  upon  the  reservation,  thereby  diminishing  the  enemy's 
force  very  considerably.  The  Coast  Indians,  formidable  and 
dangerous  barbarians,  as  yet  had  not  been  influenced  to  join  the 
malcontents.  To  oppose  such  an  array  of  active  murderers  and  in 
cendiaries,  the  General  Government  had  a  small  number  of  troops, 
unfitted  to  perform  the  duties  of  Indian  fighting  by  reason  of  their 
unsuitable  mode  of  dress,  tactics,  and  their  dependence  upon  quar 
termaster  and  commissary  trains.  The  formation  of  volunteer  com 
panies  and  the  enrollment  of  men,  began  immediately  upon  the 
receipt  of  the  news  of  the  outbreak.  The  chief  settlements  became 
centers  of  enlistment,  and  to  them  resorted  the  farmers,  miners,  and 
traders  of  the  vicinity,  who,  with  the  greatest  unanimity,  enrolled 
themselves  as  volunteers  to  carry  on  the  war  which  all  now  saw 
to  be  unavoidable.  On  the  twelfth  of  October,  John  E.  Ross,  Col 
onel  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  of  Oregon  Militia,  assumed  command 
of  the  forces  already  raised.  Recognizing  the  need  of  mounted 
troops,  he  made  proclamation  calling  into  service  men  provided 
with  horses  and  arms,  and  in  two  days  had  increased  his  command 
to  nine  companies,  aggregating  five  hundred  men.  Several  of  these 
companies  had  been  on  duty  from  the  day  succeeding  the  massacre, 
so  prompt  did  their  members  respond  to  the  call  of  duty.  The  reg 
iment  was  increased  by  the  first  of  November  to  fifteen  companies, 
containing  an  average  of  fifty  men  each,  or  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
in  all.  It  is  justly  thought  remarkable  that  such  a  force  could  have 
been  so  quickly  raised  in  a  country  of  such  a  limited  population  as 
Southern  Oregon.  If  we  examine  the  muster-rolls  of  the  different 
companies  we  shall  be  struck  by  the  youth  of  the  volunteers — the 
average  age  being  not  beyond  twenty-four  years.  From  all  direc 
tions  they  came — these  young,  prompt  and  brave  men — from  every 
gulch,  hill-side  and  plain,  from  every  mining  claim,  trading  post  and 
farm  of  that  extensive  region,  and  from  the  sympathizing  towns  and 
mining  camps  of  Northern  California,  which,  also,  sent  their  contin 
gents.  Their  animals  were  gathered  from  pack-trains,  farms  and 
towns,  and  were  in  many  cases  unused  to  the  saddle.  But  the  exi 
gencies  of  war  did  not  allow  the  rider  to  hesitate  between  a  horse 
and  a  mule,  or  to  humor  the  whims  of  the  stubborn  mustang  or  in 
tractable  cayuse.  With  the  greatest  celerity  and  promptness  the 
single  organizations  had  hurried  to  the  rescue  of  the  outlying  settle- 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  379 

ments,  and  in  many  cases  preserved  the  lives  of  settlers  menaced  by 
Indians.  Captain  Rinearson,  at  Cow  Creek,  enrolled  thirty-five 
men  on  the  day  following  the  massacre,  and  by  nightfall  had 
stationed  his  men  so  as  to  effectually  guard  many  miles  of  the  road, 
leaving. men  at  the  Canyon,  at  Levens'  Station,  at  Turner's,  and 
a  strong  force  at  Harkness  and  Twogood's  Grave  Creek  House,  and 
sending  others  down  Grave  Creek  and  to  Galece  Creek.  By  this 
prompt  display  of  force  the  Indians  were  overawed,  and  refrained 
from  exposing  themselves  by  continuing  their  raids  in  the  valley; 
and  the  people,  seeing  such  an  armed  force  in  their  midst,  began  to 
regain  calmness  and  confidence. 

Having  considered  the  various  incidents  which  led  to  the  out 
break  in  Southern  Oregon,  we  will  leave  the  mustering  hosts  and 
turn  to  the  north  to  review  the  causes  of  the  war  along  the  Colum 
bia.  The  totally  different  condition  of  affairs  renders  it  self-evident 
that  hostilities  here  were  begun  without  the  slightest  reference  to 
what  was  being  done  to  the  south.  Their  concurrent  happening 
was  simply  a  coincidence,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
either  would  not  have  occurred  had  the  other  in  any  manner  been 
prevented.  Among  the  Yakimas,  Klickitats,  Des  Chutes,  Walla 
Wallas,  Cayuses,  Spokanes,  Palouses,  Snakes  and  kindred  tribes, 
the  hostility  to  Americans  was  deep-rooted  and  of  long  standing; 
and  even  the  Nez  Perces  were  beginning  to  imbibe  the  infection. 
The  cause  of  this  has  been  made  to  plainly  appear  in  the  preceding 
pages — the  fear  that  the  Americans  intended  to  take  their  lands. 
This  was  the  great  fundamental  cause  of  the  Whitman  tragedy  in 
1847,  and  was 'the  secret  of  the  ill  favor  with  which  a  "Boston'1 
met  in  the  eye  of  an  Indian  of  that  region.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  was  not  included  in  this  feeling  of  hostility  to  the  Ameri 
cans,  and  even  during  the  times  of  trouble  a  well-known  employee 
of  that  corporation  could  travel  among  the  hostile  tribes  in  perfect 
security.  The  Bostons  had  not  as  yet  taken  up  claims  in  that  re 
gion,  and  the  Indians  did  not  propose  to  permit  them  to  do  so  until 
the  land  was  purchased  and  paid  for.  Brooke,  Bumford  and  Noble 
had  a  claim  at  Waiilatpu,  and  H.  M.  Chase  on  the  Touchet.  Wil 
liam  C.  McKay,  son  of  Thomas  McKay,  and  looked  upon  as  a  com 
pany  man,  had  located  on  the  Uniatilla,  and  with  him  were  Jones 
E.  Whitney  and  family.  A  short  distance  below  them  was  the 


380  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

agency.  Louis  Raboin,  an  old  American  trapper  of  French  descent, 
was  living  on  the  Tukannon.  The  only  other  settlers  were  a 
number  of  French  Canadians  and  half-breeds,  former  servants  of 
the  company,  and  nearly  all  married  to  Indian  women,  the  greater 
number  living  along  the  Walla  Walla.  These  were  the  only  settle 
ments  in  the  Walla  Walla  region. 

As  early  as  February,  1855,  reports  of  a  hostile  spirit  being  ex 
hibited  by  the  Indians  east  of  the  mountains,  were  circulated,  and 
trouble  in  the  near  future  was  predicted.  One  of  the  incidents 
where  this  feeling  was  displayed  was  in  the  case  of  S.  M.  Hamilton 
and  T.  Pierce,  who,  about  that  time,  went  to  the  Simcoe  country 
to  locate  a  stock  ranch.  The  Yakimas  would  not  permit  them  to 
do  so,  and  informed  them  that  Americans  could  not  settle  in  their 
country  until  the  Government  had  bought  and  paid  for  the  land. 
In  consequence  of  this  feeling,  which  was  displayed  by  the  various 
tribes  on  different  occasions,  Governor  Stevens,  of  Washington 
Territory,  in  his  capacity  of  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and 
Joel  Palmer,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  for  Oregon,  started 
on  an  extended  trip  through  that  region,  intent  upon  forming 
treaties  with  the  tribes  and  extinguishing  the  Indian  title  to  the 
country.  After  a  long  conference  near  Fort  Walla  Walla,  they 
concluded  treaties  the  ninth  of  June,  with  seventeen  tribes,  by 
which  was  ceded  to  the  Government  nearly  all  the  region  embraced 
in  Klickitat,  Yakima,  Kittitas,  Spokane,  Lincoln,  Douglas,  Adams, 
Franklin,  Whitman,  Columbia  and  Walla  Walla  counties,  in  Wash 
ington  Territory,  and  a  portion  of  Union  and  Uniatilla  counties,  in 
Oregon,  excepting  the  Yakima  and  Uniatilla  reservations. 

The  area  thus  lost  to  the  Indians  was  a  little  over  twenty -nine 
thousand  square  miles,  for  which  they  were  to  be  paid  as  follows: 
The  fourteen  tribes  termed  the  "Yakima  Nation,'7  including  the 
Palouse  Indians,  with  Kaina-i-akun  as  head  chief,  were  to  be  given 
$200,000.  This  was  to  be  paid  in  yearly  installments — during  the 
first  five  $10,000,  the  next  five  $8,000,  then  $6,000  for  five  years, 
and  for  the  last  five  $4,000 — payments  to  commence  in  September, 
1856.  This  left  $60,000  which  were  to  be  expended  in  getting  these 
tribes  on  their  reservation,  for  fitting  it  up  and  to  aid  them  in  learn 
ing  the  art  of  husbandry.  In  addition  to  this  the  head  chief  of 
the  nation  was  to  have  a  house  built  for  him,  with  ten  acres  of  land 


THE  GEEAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  381 

enclosed  and  plowed,  and  he  was  to  be  paid  $500  per  year  for 
twenty  years  as  a  salary.  To  the  Indians  generally  this  was  a  glit 
tering  temptation,  but  Kaina-i-akun  was  hostile  to  the  transaction 
and  used  his  influence  against  it  without  avail.  From  that  time 
until  his  death  he  was  never  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  later  with 
drew  from  the  war-path  against  them  only  for  want  of  followers. 
Fourteen  chiefs  in  all  signed  this  agreement,  among  whom  was  the 
unwilling  Kama-i-akun.  The  Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses  and  Uma- 
tillas,  were  to  be  paid  $100,000  for  their  birth-right,  with  a  twenty 
years1  annuity  of  $500  to  the  head  chief  of  each  of  those  tribes. 
But  for  the  blood  stain  upon  their  hands  of  a  murdered  Whitman, 
the  Cayuses  would  not  have  sold  their  country  to  the  whites.  The 
Urnatillas,  knowing  they  were  not  guiltless  in  that  affair,  and  looking 
to  the  reward  offered  for  compliance,  placed  their  names  to  the  treaty. 
The  Walla  Wallas,  too  weak  for  resistance,  reluctantly  joined  in  the 
transfer  of  their  homes,  and  thirty -six  chiefs  from  among  the  three 
tribes  signed  the  conveyance.  Peu-peu-inox-mox,  chief  of  this  last 
mentioned  tribe,  was  sullen  and  would  not  talk.  He  remembered 
that  his  own  son  had  been  educated  at  the  mission;  had  visited 
California  by  invitation  of  Captain  J.  A.  Sutter;  had  been  as  wan 
tonly  and  maliciously  murdered  while  in  that  gentleman's  fort  as 
had  been  Dr.  Whitman  among  the  Cayuses;  and  he  no  longer 
courted  their  friendship  or  believed  in  their  promises.  A  special 
clause  was  placed  in  the  treaty  giving  this  chief  permission  to  build 
a  trading  post  at,  or  near,  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima  River,  which 
he  could  occupy  for  five  years  and  trade  with  the  whites.  He  was 
to  be  paid  his  first  year's  salary  on  the  day  he  signed  the  treaty,  and 
the  other  chiefs  had  to  wait.  A  house  was  to  be  built  for  his  liv 
ing  son,  around  which  five  acres  of  land  were  to  be  plowed  and  en 
closed,  and  he  was  to  be  paid  annually  $100  for  twenty  years.  In 
addition  to  all  this,  Peu-peu-mox-mox  was  to  be  given,  within  three 
months,  "  three  yoke  of  oxen,  three  yokes  and  four  chains,  one 
wagon,  two  plows,  twelve  hoes,  twelve  axes,  two  shovels,  one  sad 
dle  and  bridle,  one  set  of  wagon  harness,  and  one  set  of  plow  har 
ness."  None  of  the  other  chiefs  received  promise  of  like  privileges 
or  payments,  and  it  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  necessity  that 
existed  for  obtaining  the  influence  of  this  evident  leader  among  the 
tribes  at  the  council.  The  two  treaties  were  signed  on  the  ninth  of 


382  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

June,  1855,  at  Camp  Stevens  within  the  limits  of  what  now  is 
Walla  Walla  City.  Then  Stevens  and  Palmer  opened  negotiations 
with  the  Nez  Perces,  who  had  been  present  since  the  gathering  of 
the  tribes  at  this  great  council.  On  the  eleventh  of  that  same 
month  these  old  and  tried  friends  of  the  Americans,  who  had  been 
one  of  the  strong  powers  to  influence  the  other  tribes  to  cede  their 
lands  in  the  two  treaties  of  the  ninth,  conveyed  their  immense  do 
main  to  the  Government,  withholding  a  rather  extensive  reserve. 
Their  territory,  about  one-fourth  of  which  was  retained,  included 
over  eighteen  thousand  square  miles;  and  they  were  to  be  paid  for 
it  in  annuities  through  a  term  of  twenty  years,  a  total  of  $200,000. 
In  addition,  the  head  chief  was  to  be  paid  $500  per  year  for  twenty 
years,  and  the  tribe  was  to  receive  other  benefits  tending  toward 
civilization.  Fifty-eight  chiefs  signed  it,  among  whom  were  Law 
yer,  Looking  Glass,  and  Joseph.  At  the  close  of  this  council  at 
Walla  Walla  Governor  Stevens  started  for  Colville,  accompanied  by 
a  few  Americans  and  a  body-guard  from  this  tribe.  The  Indians 
in  that  region  refused  to  sell  their  lands.  The  Governor  passed 
over  the  Bitterroot  Mountains  and  concluded  a  treaty  with  the 
Flathead  Nation  on  the  sixteenth  of  July,  by  which  they  ceded 
over  twenty  thousand  square  miles  of  territory  to  the  Government, 
less  a  reservation.  The  tribes  constituting  the  Flathead  Nation  in 
cluded  the  Flathead,  Kootenai,  and  Upper  Pend  d'Oreilles.  In 
addition  to  the  $200,000  there  were  to  be  a  $500  salary  paid  to  the 
head  chief  of  each  of  those  tribes  annually  for  twenty  years,  and  the 
other  usual  advances  to  the  nation  for  educational  and  agricultural 
purposes.  Over  this  nation  the  Catholic  missionaries  had  an  almost 
unlimited  control,  and,  had  they  opposed  it,  no  treaty  could  have 
been  effected.  From  among  the  Flatheads,  Governor  Stevens  passed 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  treat  with  the  Blackfeet. 

When  the  treaties  had  been  signed  at  the  WTalla  Walla  council 
and  Governor  Stevens  had  started  north,  Joel  Palmer  returned  to 
The  Dalles,  where  he  induced  the  Wascoes,  Des  Chutes,  and  John 
Day  Rivers  to  cede  their  lands  to  the  Government,  on  the  twenty  - 
fifth  of  June,  for  $150,000.  Payment  was  to  be  divided  into  annu 
ities  that  would  reach  that  amount  in  twenty  years,  with  salaries  to 
chiefs  and  advances  for  improvements  similar  to  those  contained  in 
the  other  treaties.  The  land  ceded  by  these  tribes,  from  which 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  383 

should  be  deducted  their  reservation  at  the  eastern  base  of  Mount 
Jefferson,  included  over  sixteen  thousand  square  miles. 

Each  of  these  treaties  contained  the  following  clause:  uThis 
treaty  shall  be  obligator}7  upon  the  contracting  parties  as  soon  as 
the  same  shall  be  ratified  by  the  President  and  Senate  of  the  United 
States."  It  is  thus  seen  that  neither  the  whites  nor  Indians  were 
bound  by  the  provisions  of  the  treaties  until  they  had  been  so  rati 
fied,  and  the  usual  dilatoriness  of  Congress  postponed  that  event 
until  the  eighth  of  March,  1859.  Nevertheless  Governor  Stevens 
and  Superintendent  Palmer  caused  to  be  immediately  published  in 
the  Oregon  papers  an  official  announcement  that  they  had  "  con 
cluded  treaties,"  by  means  of  which  they  had  extinguished  the 
Indian  title  to  all  the  country  except  the  reserves,  whose  bounda 
ries  they  gave,  and  notifying  the  people  that  the  actual  settlements 
and  improvements  of  the  Indians  must  not  be  molested  until  such 
time  as  they  were  officially  removed  to  the  reservations,  which,  of 
course,  though  they  did  not  so  state,  could  not  be  done  until  the 
treaties  were  made  binding  upon  the  contracting  parties  by  formal 
ratification.  Mr.  Palmer  expressly  stated  in  a  notice  dated  July 
10,  1855,  that  all  the  country  east  of  the  summit  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  and  from  latitude  44°  north  to  Kettle  Falls,  excepting 
the  reservations,  was  "  open  to  settlement."  Such  was  not  the  case; 
and  for  thus  giving  the  people  an  incorrect  idea  of  what  had  been 
accomplished,  Governor  Stevens  and  Superintendent  Palmer  are 
justly  chargeable  with  a  large  share  of  responsibility  for  the  hostil 
ities  which  followed.  The  Indians  did  not  so  understand  it,  and 
their  views  were  correct.  The  effort  which  had  been  made  to  ac 
quire  their  lands  in  this  wholesale  manner  had  caused  universal 
dissatisfaction  among  them,  and  deepened  their  ill-will  toward  the 
Americans.  The  chiefs  had  signed  the  treaties  reluctantly,  and  their 
conduct,  though  acquiesced  in,  was  not  approved  by  their  followers. 
In  such  a  frame  of  mind  they  would  not  submit  to  any  infringement 
of  their  rights  under  those  documents,  and,  until  their  terms  had 
been  complied  with,  did  not  propose  to  permit  any  settlements  to  be 
made  on  the  ceded  lands.  They  even  determined  to  exclude  the 
Americans  from  the  privilege  previously  enjoyed  of  passing  through 
the  country.  The  people  were  thus  led  by  this  injudicious  con 
duct  of  pompous  officials,  to  claim  rights  they  did  not  possess  and 
which  the  Indians  would  not  admit,  and  trouble  naturally  followed. 


384  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Only  a  few  days  subsequent  to  the  signing  of  the  treaties  at 
Walla  Walla,  an  event  occurred  which  placed  the  relations  between 
the  whites  and  Indians  in  a  still  more  precarious  and  strained  con 
dition.  This  was  the  reported  discovery  of  gold  at  the  junction  of 
the  Columbia  and  Pend  d'Oreille  rivers,  thirty  miles  from  Fort 
Colville,  a  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  discoverers 
were  four  French  Canadians  who  had  gone  on  a  prospecting  trip  to 
that  region  from  French  Prairie  the  preceding  March,  induced  so  to 
do  by  one  of  their  number,  a  half-breed  named  Wau-ka,  who  had 
found  color  on  the  river.  Small  parties  began  leaving  for  the 
mines,  and  as  reports  of  the  richness  and  extent  of  the  diggings  be 
came  circulated,  the  number  of  these  adventurers  increased.  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.  sent  an  agent  to  examine  them,  and  his  report  was  to 
the  effect  that  the  mining  ground  was  very  extensive,  but  the  gold 
so  fine  that  it  could  not  be  panned  or  cradled  to  advantage;  sluices 
and  quicksilver  would  be  required;  also  that  the  water  in  the  river 
was  too  high  for  successful  mining  at  that  season  Exaggerated  re 
ports,  however,  continued  to  find  their  way  into  print,  and,  in  a  few 
weeks,  travel  to  the  Colville  Mines  became  quite  extensive.  Parties 
from  the  Willamette  Valley  went  by  way  of  The  Dalles  and  Simcoe 
Valley  at  first,  and  later  through  Walla  Walla  and  the  Palouse 
Country ;  while  those  from  the  Sound  crossed  the  mountains  by  the 
Natchess  Pass,  and  headed  direct  for  the  mines.  In  the  frame  of 
mind  in  which  the  Indians  then  were,  this  was  more  than  they 
could  stand.  The  treaties  had  not  been  ratified  and  were  not  yet 
in  force;  every  inch  of  the  country  belonged  to  the  native  proprie 
tors  as  completely  as  before  the  signing  of  the  compact.  Not  a 
plow  nor  a  hoe,  not  a  cow  nor  a  dollar  of  money,  had  they  received; 
and  yet  the  whites  were  streaming  through  their  country  and  talk 
ing  and  acting  as  though  the  Indians  had  no  rights  in  the  matter 
whatever.  General  Wool  charged  these  men  as  interfering  with 
the  Indian  women,  and  thus  precipitating  hostilities;  but  that 
charge  was  never  sustained,  though  such  conduct  as  that  has  been 
one  of  the  most  fruitful  causes  of  trouble  between  the  two  races. 
It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  account  for  the  war  in  that  manner, 
since  there  was  ample  cause  without.  The  ideas  the  Indians  enter 
tained  on  the  subject  of  white  occupation,  have  been  explained. 
The  Yakima  tribes,  under  the  leadership  of  Kama-i-akun,  now  de- 


THE  GKEAT  OUTBREAK   OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  385 

termined  that  no  white  men  should  reside  in,  or  pass  through,  their 
country  until  the  treaties  had  been  ratified  and  the  purchase  price 
of  their  lands  been  paid.  This  determination  they  made  known 
on  several  occasions.  About  the  middle  of  July  a  man  named  Me- 
Cormick,  who  had  a  claim  on  Klickitat  River  at  a  point  known  as 
"  St.  Charles  City,"  was  driven  from  his  place,  and  spent  a  day  and 
night  in  a  treetop  on  the  bank  of  the  Columbia,  when  the  steamer 
Mary  came  along  and  took  him  aboard.  The  Indians  sent  word 
that  whites  would  not  be  permitted  to  settle  on  their  lands  until 
they  had  been  paid  for.  About  the  same  time  Pierre  Jerome,  chief 
of  the  Indians  of  Kettle  Falls,  refused  to  permit  A.  F.  Wilson,  the 
man  whom  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  had  sent  to  inspect  the  mines,  to 
go  from  Colville  to  Pend  d'Oreille  River,  saying  that  Americans 
would  not  be  permitted  to  pass  through  or  mine  in  the  country 
until  the  land  was  paid  for  by  the  Government;  also  that  all  the 
tribes  named  would  hold  a  "big  talk"  in  August  on  the  subject. 
This  great  council  was  never  held,  but  that,  in  some  way,  the 
various  tribes  along  the  Columbia  arrived  at  a  mutual  under 
standing  of  what  they  would  do  in  certain  events,  was  made 
evident  by  their  conduct  a  few  months  later. 

The  people,  as  has  been  shown,  had  not  been  notified  that,  as 
yet,  the  treaties  were  not  in  force,  and  that  they  had  thereby  ac 
quired  no  rights  they  did  not  previously  enjoy.  On  the  contrary, 
they  looked  upon  the  hostile  position  assumed  by  the  Indians  as 
utterly  unjustifiable,  and  in  direct  violation  of  rights  conferred  by 
treaty.  This  idea  appears  prominently  in  all  contemporaneous 
writings  and  in  subsequent  discussions  of  the  war  and  its  causes, 
especially  in  those  evoked  by  the  unfavorable  reports  and  comments 
of  General  Wool.  Looking  at  it  from  this  stand -point,  they  were 
much  excited  in  August  when  the  Statesman  published  a  rumor 
that  seventy  men  had  been  killed  in  the  Colville  country,  though 
this  was  promptly  contradicted.  A  few  days  later,  when  the  news 
of  the  murder  of  Mattice  was  received,  they  became  still  more  so, 
and  charged  the  Indians  with  violating  treaty  obligations.  Mr. 
Mattice  was  a  resident  of  Olympia,  and  with  Judge  Yantis  and 
others,  crossed  the  mountains  in  August  on  his  way  to  the  mines. 
When  near  the  Columbia,  Mattice  became  separated  from  his  com 
panions  and  soon  fell  in  with  a  Spokane  Indian,  who  traveled 


386  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

with  him.  Not  long  afterwards  four  Isle  de  Pere  Indians  overtook 
them  and  shot  Mattice,  boasting  to  his  companion  that  they  had 
already  killed  three  Bostons  that  day.  News  of  the  tragedy  was 
taken  to  Colville  by  the  Spokane  and  did  not  reach  the  Willamette 
Valley  until  late  in  September.  Much  apprehension  was  felt  for 
the  safety  of  a  score  of  others  from  Puget  Sound,  who  were  known 
to  be  passing  through  the  hostile  country.  The  agent  of  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company  at  Fort  Colville,  Mr.  McDonald,  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  August,  sent  a  messenger  to  the  mines  notifying  the  Amer 
icans  of  the  death  of  Mattice  and  that  the  Indians  were  combining, 
and  advising  them  to  leave  the  mines  unless  they  were  prepared  to 
defend  themselves  against  large  numbers.  Many  had  previously 
started  upon  their  return,  disgusted  with  the  mines,  and  now  nearly 
all  of  the  remainder  took  McDonald's  advice  and  returned  by  the 
way  of  Walla  Walla,  reporting  the  Indians  along  the  route  as  being 
very  surly  and  threatening  in  their  conduct.  Whitney,  at  McKay's 
place  on  the  Uniatilla,  was  warned  by  Stick-as  and  Umhowlish, 
two  Cay  use  chiefs,  that  it  was  unsafe  for  him  to  remain,  and  was 
told  that  they  had  given  Dr.  Whitman  a  similar  warning  before  his 
death.  He  hastened  with  his  family  to  The  Dalles,  and  the  few 
other  Americans  in  tliat  region  did  the  same,  or  took  refuge  with 
the  friendly  Nez  Perces.  The  French  and  half-breed  settlers  re 
mained,  being  considered  Hudson's  Bay  Company  men,  and  some  of 
the  later  arrivals  from  Colville,  among  whom  were  McKay  and 
Vic.  Trevitt,  only  passed  safely  through  by  representing  themselves 
as  employees  of  the  company. 

In  the  absence  of  Governor  Stevens,  the  Secretary,  C.  H.  Mason, 
discharged  the  duties  of  executive.  On  the  twenty-second  of  Sep 
tember  he  addressed  a  communication  to  Major  G.  J.  Raines,  com 
mandant  at  Fort  Vancouver,  informing  him  of  the  murder  of  Mr. 
Mattice  and  the  reported  death  of  a  number  of  others,  and  request 
ing  him  to  dispatch  a  military  force  to  the  Yakima  country  to 
punish  the  aggressors  and  protect  the  small  parties  of  miners  travel 
ing  through  that  region.  A.  J.  Bolan,  Indian  Agent  for  Washing 
ton  Territory,  a  man  who  had  great  influence  among  the  Yakimas 
and  for  whom  they  entertained  great  respect,  started  for  that  region 
from  The  Dalles  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  first  hostile  acts,  and  as 
no  word  was  received  from  him  for  a  number  of  days  it  was  feared 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  387 

he  had  been  killed  by  his  wards.  Governor  Mason  had  hardly 
dispatched  his  letter  before  intelligence  was  received  at  Olympia 
that  two  citizens  of  that  place — Walker  and  Jamison — had  been 
killed  near  the  Natchess  Pass.  He  at  once  made  a  requisition  upon 
Captain  M.  Maloney,  commanding  Fort  Steilacoom,  for  a  detach 
ment  of  regulars  to  proceed  to  the  Yakirna  country  and  punish  the 
perpetrators  of  these  murders  and  protect  the  straggling  parties 
passing  through.  Lieutenant  W.  A.  Slaughter  was  detailed  for 
this  duty  with  forty  men;  and  departed  on  the  twenty -seventh  of 
September  with  forty  days'  rations.  Mason  addressed  a  second 
letter  to  Major  Raines  on  the  twenty -sixth,  informing  him  of  the 
new  developments,  and  requesting  him  to  send  a  military  force  to 
co-operate  with  Lieutenant  Slaughter.  To  this  Major  Raines  re 
plied  as  follows:— 

GOVERNOR— Your  letter  by  Mr.  Pearson  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge,  and 
have  ordered  into  the  field  a  company  of  eighty-four  men  from  Fort  Dalles,  O.  T., 
all  mounted,  and  with  provisions  on  pack  mules  for  one  month,  to  proceed  without 
delay  and  sweep  through  the  Yakinia  country  to  the  points  you  indicated,  co-oper 
ating  with  the  force  from  Steilacoom ;  also,  to  inquire  into  the  safety  of  Agent 
Bolan,  who  has  now  been  absent  an  unusual  length  of  time  ;  a  respectful  attention  to 
whose  views  are  enjoined— if  alive— for  there  are  grounds  to  fear  otherwise.  I  shall 
approve  of  the  action  of  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Steilacoom  in  the  premises, 
and  only  regret  that  the  forty  men  under  Lieutenant  Slaughter  were  not  a  full 
company.  I  have  also  located  an  officer  and  twenty  men  at  the  Cascades. 

This  expedition  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Major  G.  O. 
Haller,  a  brave  and  experienced  officer  who  had  just  returned  from 
a  successful  campaign  in  Southwestern  Idaho  against  the  Snake 
Indians  who  had  murdered  the  Ward  family  the  fall  before.  Pre 
vious  to  his  departure  the  fate  of  Agent  Bolan  was  settled.  Nathan 
Olney,  Sub -agent  in  Oregon,  had  dispatched  from  The  Dalles  a 
trusty  Indian  to  bring  him  intelligence  of  the  missing  man.  He  re 
turned  with  the  startling  report  that  seventeen  men  had  been  killed 
(never  substantiated),  and  that  Bolan  had  been  murdered.  The 
Agent  had  threatened  the  Indians  with  punishment  by  the  troops 
unless  they  refrained  from  molesting  the  whites  who  passed  through 
their  country.  When  he  left  to  return  he  was  followed  by  several  of 
them,  and  a  son  of  Show -ah- way,  an  influential  chief,  shot  him. 
His  throat  was  then  cut,  and  the  murderers  shot  his  horse  and  burned 
the  two  bodies  together.  About  the  same  time,  Werbannahan,  a 
Cascades  chief,  came  into  the  settlement  there  and  reported  that 


388  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLET. 

five  hundred  Yakimas  and  Klickitats  were  within  fifteen  miles  of 
White  Salmon,  and  at  once  the  military  detachment  located  there 
embarked  on  the  steamer  Wasco  and  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of 
that  river,  only  to  find  their  presence  there  useless,  and  at  once 
returned. 

On  the  third  of  October,  Major  Haller's  force,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  seven,  rank  and  file,  started  north  from  The  Dalles, 
dragging  with  them  a  mountain  howitzer.  News  of  this  movement, 
of  the  death  of  Bolan,  and  the  White  Salmon  canard,  reached  Port 
land  at  the  same  time  and  created  much  excitement  throughout  the 
Valley.  This  force  marched  north,  and  on  the  sixth  encountered  a 
strong  body  of  Indians  on  Simcoe  Creek.  By  a  dashing  charge  the 
savages  were  dislodged  from  the  brush  along  the  stream,  but  the 
fortunes  of  battle  soon  turned,  and  the  troops  were  forced  to  take 
refuge  on  the  crest  of  a  neighboring  hill,  where  they  were  imme 
diately  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  whose  number  was  estimated  at 
one  thousand  warriors.  A  courier  succeeded  in  slipping  through 
the  environing  savages,  and  after  two  days  of  fatigue  and  danger, 
reached  The  Dalles  with  intelligence  of  the  precarious  position  of 
the  troops.  Lieutenant  Day  at  once  started  to  their  relief  with 
forty-five  men  and  a  howitzer,  but  soon  met  the  troops  in  full  re 
treat.  Unable  to  maintain  their  position,  they  had  forced  a  passage 
through  the  enemy's  lines  and  fought  their  way  out  of  the  country, 
losing,  in  the  whole  fight,  five  of  their  number  killed  and  seventeen 
wounded. 

On  the  ninth  Major  Raines  made  a  requisition  upon  Governor 
Mason  for  two  companies  of  volunteers,  and  addressed  a  communi 
cation  to  Governor  George  L.  Curry,  of  Oregon,  containing  the 
following  language:— 

As  commanding  officer,  I  have  ordered  all  the  United  States  disposable  force  in 
this  district  into  the  field  immediately,  and  shall  take  the  command.  As  this  force 
is  questionable  to  subdue  these  Indians — the  Yakimas,  Klickitats,  and  may  be  some 
other  smaller  bands — I  have  the  honor  to  call  upon  you  for  four  companies  of  vol 
unteers,  composed,  according  to  our  present  organization,  of  one  captain,  one  first 
lieutenant,  one  second  lieutenant,  four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  two  musicians, 
and  seventy-four  privates.  This  number  of  companies  is  just  enough  for  a  major's 
command,  and  would  authorize  that  officer  also.  We  have  only  arms  enough  at 
this  post  for  two  companies,  so  i{  is  advisable  to  have  two  of  the  four  companies 
come  armed  with  rifles,  or  such  arms  as  can  best  be  obtained.  We  have  plenty  of 
ammunition,  however.  As  celerity  is  the  word,  we  want  as  many  of  the  volunteers 
as  can  be  immediately  obtained,  to  rendezvous  at  this  post,  and  proceed  with  the 
troops  to  Fort  Dalles.  They  can  be  mustered  here. 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  389 

Governor  Mason  at  once  issued  a  proclamation  for  two  com 
panies,  which  were  speedily  filled.  Governor  Curry  did  better. 
Instead  of  four  companies  he  called  for  eight — one  each  from  Mult- 
nomah,  Clackamas,  Washington,  Marion,  Polk,  Yamhill,  Lane  and 
Wasco— and  a  few  days  later  added  a  company  from  Benton  and 
another  from  French  Settlement,  in  Marion  County ;  the  last  being 
designed  for  scout  and  guide  duty.  Just  why  this  was  done  is  not 
perfectly  clear,  but  it  was  charged  at  the  time  that  he  proposed  to 
render  the  regulars  auxiliary  to  the  militia  instead  of  the  reverse, 
and  therefore  desired  companies  enough  to  require  a  colonel,  who 
would  outrank  Major  Raines.  It  was  also  charged  that  speculation 
was  an  important  factor  here  as  well  as  in  Southern  Oregon,  and 
that  ever  since  the  glorious  trip  of  the  year  before  "to  fight  the 
emigrants,"  the  powers  that  were,  and  their  friends,  looked  upon 
an  Indian  war  as  a  bonanza  of  considerable  proportions.  This  may 
be  doing  the  memory  of  the  executive  and  his  advisers  an  injustice, 
but  certain  it  is,  even  if  that  element  was  not  then  present,  it  cropped 
out  later,  and  with  sufficient  prominence  to  give  color  to  the  suspi 
cion  of  its  existence  from  the  very  beginning. 

It  is  proper  here  to  give  another  version  of  the  cause  of  hostili 
ties  and  the  reason  for  this  rather  wholesale  calling  to  arms  by 
Governor  Curry.  General  Wool,  in  a  letter  to  the  National  Intel 
ligencer,  under  date  of  April  2,  1856,  detailed  the  situation  in 
Oregon  from  his  stand -point.  This  is  one  of  the  letters  which 
drew  down  upon  his  devoted  head  such  a  storm  of  indignation, 
which  will  be  more  fully  referred  to  in  its  proper  place.  In  it  he 
says : — 

It  is  said  that  the  Yakimas  having  become  dissatisfied  with  the  treaty  made 
with  them  the  summer  before  by  Governor  Stevens,  determined  on  war.  This  was 
hastened,  as  it  would  seem,  by  some  miners  forcibly  carrying  away  and  ill  treating 
some  Yakima  squaws.  The  Yakimas,  according  to  their  own  story,  complained  of 
this  wrong  to  A.  J.  Bolan,  Sub-Indian  Agent,  who  was  at  that  time  in  the  Indian 
country,  and  demanded  redress.  An  altercation  took  place,  when  the  Indians 
threatened  revenge.  The  agent,  in  turn,  threatened  to  send  against  them  troops  of 
the  United  States.  It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  the  agent  and  the  Indians 
separated.  The  former,  however,  was  followed  and  overtaken  by  the  Yakinias, 
when  they  demanded  to  know  if  he  intended  to  send  the  troops  of  the  United 
States  against  them.  On  answering  them  in  the  affirmative,  as  the  Indians  say, 
they  killed  him,  and  afterwards,  as  reported,  some  miners  on  their  way  to  the  Col- 
ville  mines.  *  *  The  Major,  however,  partaking  somewhat  of  the 

alarm  pervading  the  country,  increased  and  stimulated  by  political  demagogues, 
called  upon  Acting-Governor  Mason  for  two  companies  of  volunteers,  which  was 


390  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

promptly  and  favorably  responded  to ;  and  upon  Governor  Curry,  of  Oregon,  for 
four  companies,  which  he  refused,  because,  as  he  said,  the  Oregonians  would  no^ 
serve  under  United  States  officers.  At  the  same  time  he  called  into  the  Territorial 
service  two  mounted  regiments — one  to  serve  against  the  Indians  of  Washington 
Territory,  and  the  other  against  the  Indians  in  Southern  Oregon.  Of  the  former, 
no  part  of  it,  in  any  sense  of  the  term,  was  necessary  to  defend  the  inhabitants  of 
Oregon  against  the  Indians  in  Washington  Territory,  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains, 
from  whom  they  had  no  danger  whatever  to  apprehend.  *  *  *  Such  have 
been  the  results  of  one  of  the  most  unwise,  unnecessary  and  extravagant  expedi 
tions  ever  fitted  out  in  the  United  States,  and  for  no  other  reason  than  to  plunder 
the  treasury  of  the  United  States  and  to  make  political  capital  for  somebody.  It 
could  not  have  been  projected  for  the  defense  of  the  inhabitants  of  Oregon,  nor  for 
the  protection  of  Oregonians  in  Washington  Territory,  for  none  resided  there.  What, 
then,  could  have  been  the  object?  Nothing  but  a  crusade  against  the  Indians,  and  a 
long  war  to  enrich  the  country.  If  such  was  not  the  object,  Governor  Curry,  instead 
of  sending  his  troops  against  the  Indians  of  Washington  Territory  and  beyond  his 
own  jurisdiction,  would  have  sent  them  all  to  Southern  Oregon,  where  the  war 
raged,  and  no  where  else  in  his  territory.  The  Oregoniaus  say  that  the  war  is  a 
Godsend  to  the  country.  *  *  *  It  is  said  by  intelligent  men  that  the 
expenses  of  Governor  Curry's  army  will  amount,  in  scrip,  to  three  or  four  millions 
of  dollars.  If  Congress  should  foot  the  bill,  some  Governor  of  another  Territory 
will  make  a  bill  of  ten  millions.  I  do  not  know  how  the  question  will  be  con 
sidered.  One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  that  it  is  an  example  which,  if  counte 
nanced  by  the  United  States  Government,  may,  when  least  expected,  lead  to  no  less 
embarrassing  than  disastrous  results. 

In  the  "  River  of  the  West/'  the  author,  who  evidently  was  in 
spired  by  the  communications  and  reports  of  General  Wool,  thus 
speaks  upon  this  subject:— 

But  when  at  last  the  call  to  arms  was  made  in  Oregon,  it  was  an  opportunity 
sought  and  not  an  alternative  forced  upon  them  by  the  politicians  of  that  Territory. 
The  occasion  was  simply  this:  A  party  of  lawless  wretches  from  the  Sound 
Country  passing  over  the  Cascade  Mountains  into  the  Yakima  Valley,  on  their  way 
to  the  Upper  Columbia  mines,  found  some  Yakima  women  digging  roots  in  a  lonely 
place  and  abused  them.  The  women  fled  to  their  village  and  told  their  chiefs  of 
the  outrage,  and  a  party  followed  the  guilty  whites  and  killed  several  of  them  in  a 
tight.  Mr.  Bolan,  the  Indian  Sub-Agent  for  Washington,  went  to  the  Yakima  vil- 
age,  and,  instead  of  judging  the  case  impartially,  made  use  of  threats  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States  Government,  saying  that  an  army  should  be  sent  to  punish  them 
for  killing  his  people.  On  his  return  home,  Mr.  Bolan  was  followed  and  murdered. 
The  murder  o£  an  Indian  Agent  was  an  act  which  could  not  be  overlooked.  Very 
properly  the  case  should  have  been  taken  notice  of  in  a  manner  to  convince  the 
Indians  that  murder  must  be  punished.  But,  tempted  by  an  opportunity  for  gain, 
and  encouraged  by  the  somewhat  reasonable  fears  of  the  white  population  of  Wash 
ington  and  Oregon,  Governor  G.  L.  Curry,  of  the  latter,  at  once  proclaimed  war, 
and  issued  a  call  for  volunteers,  without  waiting  for  the  sanction  or  assistance  of 
the  General  Government. 

Though  the  camas  incident  may  have  occurred,  it  has  not  been 
established  by  proof;  and  even  if  an  actual  occurrence  it  was  but 
an  incident  and  not  a  sole  cause  of  trouble.  For  this  contracted 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN- FIFTY-FIVE.  391 

and  superficial  view,  General  Wool,  who  was  a  stranger  and  un 
familiar  with  the  relations  the  whites  and  Indians  had  previously 
sustained  toward  each  other,  may,  perhaps,  be  considered  excusable. 
He  probably  acted  "  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  belief."  His 
course  was  certainly  better  than  the  other  extreme  adopted  by 
Governor  Curry. 

The  excitement  and  panic  created  in  the  Willamette  Valley  can 
hardly  be  appreciated  at  this  distant  day.  News  of  the  terrible 
straits  to  which  Major  Haller  was  reduced,  and  of  Major  Raines' 
call  for  aid,  was  followed  two  days  later  by  intelligence  of  the  ter 
rible  massacre  in  the  Rogue  River  Valley,  already  described.  It 
was  at  once  asserted,  and  generally  believed,  that  all  the  Indians  in 
Oregon  arid  Washington  had  combined  to  wage  a  war  of  extermina 
tion  against  the  settlements.  The  Oregonian  especially  was  a  panicy 
paper,  filling  its  columns  with  all  the  absurd  rumors  which  menda 
cious  schemers  or  timid  idiots  might  invent  or  conceive.  Other 
papers  seconded  the  hot-headed  Dryer  in  his  efforts  to  create  a  war 
feeling  among  the  people,  with  the  exception  of  the  Statesman',  and 
this  exception  was  caused  by  the  simple  fact  that  Bush,  its  editor, 
always  espoused  the  negative  of  any  question  upon  which  Dryer 
had  pronounced  in  the  affirmative.  It  was  somewhat  anomalous 
and  paradoxical  in  this  case,  since  the  Statesman  was  the  apostle  of 
Democracy,  and  the  Territorial  Government  was  completely  in  the 
hands  of  that  party,  which  would,  consequently,  control  all  appoint 
ments  and  the  letting  of  all  contracts — as  subsequent  events  proved 
that  it  did.  On  the  contrary  the  Oregonian,  as  the  organ  of  the 
W^hig,  or  American,  party,  could  hope  for  no  benefit  for  itself  or 
friends,  save  such  as  might  come  indirectly,  because  the  "  war  was 
a  Godsend  to  Oregon.11  By  warmly  advocating  the  war,  and  then  as 
hotly  criticising  its  management  by  the  Democratic  officials  and  con 
tractors,  while  not  forgetting  at  the  same  time  to  bestow  pnlimited 
praise  upon  u  the  brave  men  in  the  field,11  the  Oregonian  made 
itself  extremely  popular.  This  was  an  astute  piece  of  journalism, 
and  it  may  be  said  that  the  Oregonian  here  laid  the  foundation  for 
its  subsequent  greatness  and  prosperity. 

To  enumerate  the  various  rumors  which  flew  about  the  Valley, 
racking  the  nerves  of  the  timid  and  rousing  the  martial  ardor  of  the 
more  warlike,  would  be  impossible.  The  same  evening  the  start- 


392  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ling  intelligence  was  brought  into  Portland  that  Major  Haller  was 
defeated,  a  rumor  was  spread  that  the  Cascades  was  threatened  and 
that  six  hundred  Indians  were  opposite  St.  Helens.  Hastily  a  meet 
ing  was  called,  excited  and  warlike  speeches  made,  a  committee  of 
safety  appointed  "to  keep  an  eye  on  the  Indians  in  and  about  the 
city,"  and  another  to  enroll  the  names  of  volunteers.  Quite  a  com 
pany  was  raised  before  the  canard  was  exploded.  Throughout  the 
whole  valley  there  was  a  general  preparation  for  defense,  extending 
from  the  simple  inspection  of  fire-arms  to  the  building  of  stockades, 
according  as  the  panic  took  deep  or  shallow  hold  upon  the  in 
dividual.  The  Methodists  of  Tualatin  Plains,  in  Washington  County  ? 
apparently  more  exposed  to  annihilation  by  lightning  than  attack 
by  Indians,  constructed  a  stockade  around  their  church,  and  pre 
pared  for  a  defense  of  their  families  within  the  protecting  wall  of 
pickets.  The  following  extract  from  an  editorial  in  the  Statesman 
of  October  25,  two  weeks  after  the  excitement  began,  throws  much 
light  upon  the  subject:— 

*  *  *  The  idea  that  Indians  are  going  to  attack  the  Willamette  towns 
or  settlements  is  groundless  and  silly  in  the  extreme,  and  it  requires  more  patience 
than  we  possess  to  treat  it  soberly  and  without  ridicule.  *  *  *  Upon  what 
are  all  these  "dread  alarums  "  based  ?  Upon  silly  rumors,  dreams,  and  crazy  imagina 
tions  of  excited  and  half-crawly  brains.  And  how  rapidly  have  they  all  been  exploded 
in  their  order  !  First,  The  Dalles  and  Cascades  were  to  be  immediately  attacked ; 
next,  St.  Helens ;  then  Major  Haller  was  about  to  be  cut  off;  Lieutenant  Slaughter's 
command  was,  without  doubt,  murdered;  and  also  Governor  Mason,  who  followed, 
with  Stuart,  Trevitt,  Barnhart  and  McKay,  and  several  others,  too  numerous  to 
mention,  who  had  not  been  heard  of  for  twenty -four  hours  or  so.  They  have  all 
finally  turned  up  unharmed,  except  Haller's  command,  which  sustained  a  loss  of 
five  men.  *  *  Upon  the  heels  of  the  above  list  of  rumors  followed 

some  other  members  of  that  innumerable  family  to  the  effect  that  three  or  four 
hundred  Klamaths  were  at  the  head  of  the  Santiam,  armed,  and  threatening  an 
attack  upon  the  neighborhood,  Salem,  Albany,  and  probably  Corvallis.  No  Indians 
could  be  found  there  ;  and  then  rumor  located  a  still  larger  and  more  dreadful  band 
on  the  Calapooia,  with  the  intention  of  sweeping  the  country  and  burning  Eugene 
City.  But  nary  Indian  was  found  there,  and  we  heard  nothing  of  madam  rumor 
for  two  or  three  hours,  when  she  came  in  breathless  and  reported  the  Tillamook 
Indians  as  being  in  an  awful  fiz,  and  about  to  blow  out  Lafayette  and  Yamhill.  A 
party  started  over  to  Tillamook  to  surprise  the  red  rascals  and  head  off  their  dire  in 
tentions;  in  due  time  they  returned,  without  any  scalps,  and  not  very  much  fright 
ened  for  their  lives.  They  probably  conveyed  to  those  Indians  the  first  intelligence 
they  had  of  the  combination  of  all  the  tribes  against  the  whites.  *  *  * 
Now,  nothing  remains  of  the  rumors  from  that  quarter  (the  north)  but  the  report  of 
a  combination  of  tribes,  and  a  purpose  of  giving  battle  to  the  whites.  We  have 
noticed  that  in  times  past,  upon  the  occurrence  of  Indian  hostilities,  it  is  at  once  re 
ported  that  there  is  a  combination  of  all  the  tribes  in  the  section  where  the  dis 
turbance  exists ;  and  we  have  noticed,  also,  that  when  it  waa  over  and  the  facts 


THE  GREAT  OUTBREAK  OF  EIGHTEEN  FIFTY-FIVE.  393 

obtainable,  that  there  was  no  general  combination,  and  do  preconcerted  purpose  of 
war.  There  may  be  a  general  combination  of  tribes  north  of  us.  We  hope  not ;  and 
we  have  seen  no  evidence  that  such  is  the  case,  and  do  n  ot  believe  that  it  is. 

The  troops  under  the  command  of  Major  Raines  were  portions 
of  the  4th  Infantry.  Immediately  upon  receiving  the  Major's  re 
port  of  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  Columbia,  as  well  as  intelli 
gence  of  the  Rogue  River  complications,  Major  General  Wool,  com- 
xmandant  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Pacific,  with  headquarters 
at  San  Francisco,  forwarded  all  the  troops  at  his  disposal,  together 
with  stores,  ammunition,  etc.  He  also  made  a  requisition  upon  the 
Government  for  reinforcements,  in  response  to  which  the  9th  Infantry 
was  sent  to  the  Coast;  but  owing  to  the  insufficient  means  of  com 
munication  and  travel,  the  regiment  did  not  arrive  until  the  follow 
ing  spring. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Governor  Curry  Calls  for  Two  Battalions  of  Volunteers  —  Siege  of 
Galice  Creek — Battle  of  Hungry  Hill — A  Poor  Commissariat,  and 
Jealousy  between  Regulars  and  Volunteers  Cause  Disaster — Organi 
zation  of  the  Two  Battalions — They  Arrange  with  t/ie  Regulars  for 
a  Joint  Campaign — The  First  Meadows  Campaign  —  Invasion  of 
the  Rice  Settlement — Massacre  of  Peaceable  Umpguas  in  Looting- 
Glass  Valley — Attack,  on  the  Camps  of  Jake  and  John — The  Siege 
on  Applegate  Creek — Fight  on  Murphy  Creek — Close  of  the  Cam 
paign  for  the  Winter. 

THE  narrative  now  turns  back  to  the  Rogue  River  Valley,  whose 
stirring  events  Will  be  considered  while  Major  Raines  and 
Governor  Curry's  troops  are  preparing  for  their  expedition  against 
the  Yakinias.  Upon  the  news  being  received  at  Corvallis,  the  tem 
porary  seat  of  Government,  that  the  flame  of  war  had  burst  out 
afresh  in  Southern  Oregon,  Governor  Curry,  immediately  after  his 
proclamation  for  troops  to  fight  the  Northern  Indians,  issued  a 
second  call  for  volunteers  to  quell  the  uprising  in  the  South.  He 
called  for  two  battalions,  to  be  designated  as  the  u  Northern  Bat 
talion  "  and  "Southern  Battalion."  The  former  was  to  consist  of 
five  companies,  two  from  Lane  County,  and  one  each  from  Douglas, 
Linn  and  Umpqua,  and  was  to  rendezvous  at  Roseburg  and  elect 
a  Major  to  command  it.  The  latter  was  to  consist  of  four  compa 
nies,  all  from  Jackson  County,  to  assemble  at  Jacksonville,  and  also 
choose  a  Major  as  commander. 

While  the  work  of  organizing  the  forces  was  going  on,  the  Indian 
marauders  retired  to  the  neighborhood  of  Grave  Creek,  Cow  Creek 
and  Galice  Creek,  on  each  of  which  were  important  settlements. 
On  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  of  October  the  united  bands  of 


THE  FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH.  395 

Limpy,  George,  John  and  Tenas  Tyee  made  an  attack  on  the  head 
quarters  of  the  volunteers  on  Galice  Creek,  and  the  fight  ensued 
which  has  been  celebrated  as  the  "  Siege  of  Galice  Creek.''  Cap 
tain  William  B.  Lewis,  in  command  of  a  company  of  about  thirty- 
five  men,  was  stationed  at  the  creek.  On  the  day  mentioned  Ser 
geant  Adams  was  fired  upon  by  hostiles,  who  appeared  in  strong 
force  on  the  hill  overlooking  the  houses  used  as  headquarters. 
Several  volunteers  who  were  standing  near  were  also  fired  upon, 
and  Private  J.  W.  Pickett  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  shot  through 
the  body,  and  died  during  the  clay.  The  headquarters  consisted  of 
two  board  houses,  situated  some  twenty  yards  apart,  and  about  an 
equal  distance  from  the  stream.  Some  four  or  five  men  took  a 
position  in  a  ditch  which  had  been  cut  for  defensive  purposes ;  others 
took  shelter  within  a  log  corral  adjoining  one  of  the  houses,  while 
within  the  latter  the  remainder  were  installed.  The  enemy  were 
hidden  behind  natural  obstructions  in  all  directions  from  the  de 
fenses.  Very  soon  the  men  were  driven  from  the  ditch,  and  took 
refuge  in  the  houses.  While  retreating  toward  the  house,  Private 
Israel  D.  Adams  was  shot  and  fell,  mortally  injured,  near  the  house, 
being  assisted  into  it  by  Private  Allen  Evans,  who,  while  thus  en 
gaged,  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  jaw.  The  Indians  imme 
diately  occupied  the  ditch  to  the  number  of  twenty  or  more,  and 
kept  up  a  fire  on  the  houses,  within  which  the  volunteers  were  erect 
ing  defences  by  digging  up  floors,  piling  up  blankets,  etc.  Umpqua 
Joe,  a  friendly  Indian  who  was  taking  part  with  the  whites,  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  wounded;  and  a  bullet  penetrated  the  thin  walls 
of  the  house  and  struck  Private  Samuel  Sanders  in  the  head,  killing 
him  instantly.  Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  enemy  to  set  fire 
to  the  houses,  and  Chief  George  particularly  distinguished  himself 
by  attempting  to  throw  burning  faggots  upon  the  roofs.  The  en 
gagement  lasted  nearly  all  day,  the  Indians  at  nightfall  retiring  from 
the  scene.  When  they  had  disappeared,  the  volunteers  went  to  work 
to  strengthen  their  defences  by  extending  their  ditch,  at  which  they 
occupied  themselves  nearly  all  night.  In  the  morning  some  Indians 
appeared,  and  seeing  from  the  preparations  that  the  whites  were 
ready  to  receive  them,  fired  their  guns,  retreated,  and  were  not 
again  seen  on  Galice  Creek.  Besides  those  mentioned,  Benjamin 
Tufts,  severely  wounded,  died  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  November 


396  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

following.  Captain  Lewis,  First  Lieutenant  W.  A.  Moore,  and 
Privates  John  Erixson,  Louis  Dunois,  and  Milton  Blacklidge  were 
wounded.  How  great  the  Indian  loss  was  could  not  be  determined, 
but  common  opinion  was  that  it  was  about  equal  to  that  of  the 
whites. 

A  few  days  subsequently,  and  while  the  whereabouts  of  the 
Indians  was  unknown,  an  opportune  circumstance  revealed  their 
place  of  abode.  Lieutenant  (since  General)  A.  V.  Kautz,  of  the 
regular  army,  set  out  from  Port  Orford  with  a  guard  of  ten  soldiers 
to  explore  the  country  lying  between  that  place  and  Fort  Lane. 
Leaving  the  river  near  the  mouth  of  Grave  Creek,  he  ascended  the 
neighboring  hills,  and,  much  to  his  surprise,  came  upon  a  very 
large  band  of  Indians.  As  they  proved  hostile,  there  was  no  re 
source  but  to  run  for  it,  and  losing  one  man  by  the  savages1  fire, 
the  men  escaped  to  Fort  Lane.  Having  now  been  made  aware  of 
the  Indians'  exact  whereabouts,  Colonel  Ross  and  Captain  Smith, 
combining  forces  as  well  as  the  mutual  jealousies  of  regulars  and 
volunteers  would  permit,  began  to  plan  an  active  campaign.  All 
the  disposable  troops  at  Fort  Lane  consisted  of  eighty -five  men  and 
four  officers.  These  set  out  on  the  twenty -seventh  of  October,  and 
on  arriving  at  the  Grave  Creek  House  were  joined  by  Colonel  Ross1 
command,  of  about  two  hundred  and  ninety  men,  besides  a  portion 
of  Major  Martin's  force  from  Deer  Creek.  From  this  point  the 
combined  forces  moved,  on  October  thirtieth,  to  the  Indian  camp, 
arriving  at  daybreak  at  a  point  where  Captains  Harris  and  Bruce 
were  deployed  to  the  left,  while  Captain  Smith,  with  the  regulars, 
took  the  ridge  to  the  right,  with  the  expectation  of  arriving  in  the 
rear  of  the  position.  Captains  Williams  and  Rinearson  followed  in 
Captain  Smith's  tracks.  The  country  not  being  perfectly  known 
by  the  whites,  several  mistakes  followed  in  consequence,  and  Harris 
and  Bruce  came  directly  upon  the  Indian  encampment,  and  were  in 
full  view  of  the  savages,  before  any  strategic  movement  could  be 
made,  and  no  opportunity  for  surprising  the  enemy  offered  itself. 
The  time  was  sunrise,  and  Captain  Smith  had  gained  his  rear  posi 
tion  and  had  built  fires  for  his  men's  refreshment,  at  the  place  where 
Lieutenant  Kautz  had  been  attacked.  By  these  fires  the  Indians 
were  warned  of  the  party  in  their  rear,  and  prepared  themselves 
accordingly.  The  regulars  descended  into  a  deep  gorge,  climbed 


THE  FALL   CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH.  397 

up  the  other  side  and  directly  were  eugaged  with  the  Indians,  who 
advanced  to  meet  them.  From  the  crest  of  the  hill  for  a  mile  or 
more  in  the  rear  of  the  Indians,  was  a  dense  thicket;  on  the  right 
and  left  were  precipitous  descents  into  a  gorge  filled  with  pines  and 
undergrowth,  in  which  the  natives  concealed  themselves  almost  per 
fectly  from  the  view  of  the  whites,  who  possessed  no  resources  suffi 
cient  to  dislodge  them.  The  ridge  being  bare  on  top,  the  men  were 
necessarily  exposed,  and  some  casualties  resulted.  Movements  were 
made  to  get  in  the  rear  of  this  new  position,  but  such  attempts  were 
futile.  Several  charges  were  made  by  the  regulars,  but  ineffectually, 
although  the  men  were  for  considerable  periods  within  ten  or  twenty 
yards  of  the  hostiles.  The  latter  fought  bravely  and  steadily,  pick 
ing  off  the  whites  by  a  regular  fire  from  their  rifles,  which  were 
pitted  against  the  inferior  weapons  of  the  troops,  or  at  least  of  the 
regulars,  two-thirds  of  whom  had  only  the  "  musketoon,"  a  short, 
smooth-bore  weapon,  discharging  inaccurately  a  heavy  round  bullet, 
whose  range  was  necessarily  slight.  About  sunset  the  commanders 
concluded  to  retire  from  the  field,  and  encamped  for  the  night  at 
Bloody  Spring,  as  it  was  then  named,  some  distance  down  the  hill. 
On  the  following  morning  Lieutenant  Gibson,  of  the  regulars, 
with  ten  men,  proceeded  up  the  hill  to  the  battlefield,  to  secure  the 
dead  body  of  a  private  of  his  detachment,  and  when  returning  with 
it  was  pursued  by  the  savages,  who  came  down  and  attacked  the 
camp  in  force.  No  damage  was  done  except  the  wounding  of  Lieu 
tenant  Gibson,  and  after  a  time  the  savages  were  driven  off.  No 
further  attempt  against  the  Indians  was  made,  and  after  advising 
with  their  officers,  the  two  commanders  decided  to  remove  their 
troops  from  the  vicinity.  The  total  loss  was  thirty-one,  of  whom 
nine  were  killed,  and  twenty -two  wounded.  Several  of  the  latter 
died  of  their  injuries.  The  volunteers  killed  were  Privates  Jacob 
W.  Miller,  James  Pearcy  and  Henry  Pearl,  of  Rinearson's  company; 
John  Winters,  of  Williams';  and  Jonathan  A.  Pedigo,  of  Harris'. 
The  wounded  were  Privates  William  H.  Crouch,  Enoch  Miller  and 
Ephrairn  Tager,  of  Rinearson's ;  Thomas  Ryan  and  William  Stamms, 
of  Williams^;  L.  F.  Allen,  John  Goldsby,  Thomas  Gill,  C.  B.  Hin- 
ton,  William  M.  Hand,  William  I.  Mayfield,  William  Purnell  and 
William  White,  of  Harris';  C.  C.  Goodwin,  of  Bruce's;  and  John 
Kennedy,  of  Welton's.  The  latter  died  on  the  seventh  of  Novem- 


398  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ber,  and  C.  B.  Hinton,  in  endeavoring  to  make  his  way  alone  to 
the  Grave  Creek  House,  lost  his  road  and  perished  from  exposure. 
This  fight  is  known  by  the  several  names  of  the  u  Battle  of  Bloody 
Springs,"  "Battle  of  Hungry  Hill,"  and  "  Battle  in  the  Grave  Creek 
Hills,"  and  was  practically  a  defeat. 

Inclemency  of  the  weather  and  inadequate  clothing  and  accoutre 
ments  are  ascribed  as  reasons  for  the  failure  of  this  campaign ;  but 
more  especially  an  utter  failure  of  the  commissariat.  The  commis 
sary  and  quartermaster  departments  were  at  fault,  nor  do  they  ap 
pear  to  have  been  efficiently  administered  at  any  time  during  the 
war,  although  their  expenses  (duly  charged  to  the  United  States) 
were  preposterously  great.  Figures  are  at  hand  to  show  that  the 
expense  of  the  latter  department  exceeded,  for  a  time,  eight  hundred 
dollars  per  day!  And  this  for  transportation  alone.  A  large 
number  of  Mexicans  were  borne  on  the  rolls  as  packers,  whose 
daily  pay  was  six  dollars,  and  who  had  the  care  and  management 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  pack  animals,  which  were  used  in 
carrying  supplies  from  Jacksonville  or  Crescent  City  to  the  seat  of 
war.  They  belonged  to  the  volunteer  service,  and  were  entirely 
distinct  from  the  trains  by  which  the  regulars  at  Fort  Lane  were 
supplied.  It  was  to  this  mismanagement  the  failure  of  the  cam 
paign  was  attributed,  and  apparently  with  considerable  justice.  As 
was  customary  at  that  date,  a  great  deal  of  blame  was  cast  upon 
the  volunteers  for  their  alleged  failure  to  properly  second  the  efforts 
of  the  Government  troops.  This  charge  is  retorted  upon  Captain 
Smith's  soldiers  by  counter- charges  of  similar  tenor;  and  as  neither 

i/  O 

side  in  the  controversy  is  supported  by  any  but  interested  evidence, 
we  can  not,  at  this  date,  satisfactorily  discuss  the  question.  The 
matter,  however,  is  connected  with  the  invariable  tendency  to  an 
tagonism,  which  shows  itself  on  every  similar  occasion. 

These  preliminary  engagements  were  followed  by  a  complete 
organization  of  the  hastily  collected  companies  as  designated  in  the 
proclamation  of  Governor  Curry.  John  K.  Lamerick  was  appointed 
Acting  Adjutant  General  for  the  Southern  Battalion,  and  reached 
Jacksonville  a  few  days  subsequent  to  the  battle  of  Hungry  Hill. 
About  a  dozen  companies,  of  from  twenty  to  eighty  men  each,  ap 
plied  to  be  mustered.  Of  these  four — Bruce,  Williams,  Wilkin 
son,  and  Alcorn's — were  mustered  at  Vannoy's  Ferry  on  the  tenth  of 


sJIV 

*£dL': 

THE   FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH.  399 

November,  the  others  being  disbanded.  The  battalion  elected 
James  Bruce  Major,  his  only  competitor  being  Captain  R.  L. 
Williams.  The  Northern  Battalion  perfected  its  organization  some 
what  earlier  at  Roseburg,  electing  William  J.  Martin  Major  on  the 
twentieth  of  October.  M.  M.  McCarver,  who  had  been  appointed 
Quartermaster  General,  established  his  headquarters  at  Roseburg. 
Major  Martin's  force  consisted  of  five  companies  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  men  each,  considerably  in  excess  of  the  number  assigned  in 
the  proclamation.  The  company  from  Douglas  County  was  com 
manded  by  Samuel  Gordon;  Jonathan  Keeney  was  in  command  of 
the  one  from  Linn,  W.  W.  Chapman  was  Captain  of  the  Umpqua 
company,  and  Joseph  Bailey  and  -  -  Buoy  of  the  two  from  Lane. 
Major  Martin  established  headquarters  at  Camp  Leland,  seven  miles 
north  of  Grave  Creek,  and  stationed  detachments  of  his  men  at  suit 
able  points  for  the  general  protection  of  the  whole  region  north  of 
Rogue  River — in  Cow  Creek  Valley,  Canias  Valley,  the  Canyon, 
North  Umpqua,  and  at  Scottsburg.  Detachments  of  the  Southern 
Battalion  were  stationed  at  Evans'  Ferry,  Bowden's,  on  Grave 
Creek,  and  other  points. 

This  disposition  of  the  troops  effectually  prevented  the  Indians 
from  reaching  the  more  important  settlements,  and  the  savages,  find 
ing  all  avenues  closed  to  the  eastward,  left  Bloody  Springs  and 
passed  down  Rogue  River,  taking  refuge  in  a  region  almost  inac 
cessible  because  of  its  steep  mountains,  deep  gorges  and  dense 
underbrush.  The  two  battalions  were  mutually  independent,  though 
expected  to  co-operate.  Their  commanders  arranged  with  Captain 
Smith  for  a  joint  campaign  againt  the  Indians,  whose  location  on 
Rogue  River  had  been  discovered.  Major  Fitzgerald  and  his  com 
pany  of  dragoons  had  been  ordered  to  report  for  duty  at  Vancou 
ver,  much  reducing  the  force  of  regulars  at  Fort  Lane. ,  Captain 
Judah,  who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Jones,  was  sent,  by  Captain 
Smith,  to  accompany  the  volunteers  with  all  the  troops  which  could 
be  spared  from  those  two  posts.  Here  was  the  most  unmilitary 
spectacle  of  three  separate  and  distinct  commands  starting  out  upon 
a  campaign,  with  no  commander -in -chief  and  no  definitely  outlined 
plan  of  operations. 

The  line  of  march  was  taken  up  by  Major  Martin,  Major  Bruce, 
and  Captain  Judah  on  the  twentieth  of  November,  the  latter  taking 


400  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

with  him,  with  infinite  difficulty,  a  clumsy  mountain  howitzer.  A 
day  or  two  later  they  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  Whiskey  Creek, 
and  found  traces  of  Indians.  Proceeding  down  the  river  the  next 
morning,  keeping  along  the  high  lands  back  a  mile  or  two  from  the 
stream,  they  found  the  Indians  in  strong  force  in  the  woods  border 
ing  the  river.  It  was  deemed  proper  to  cross  to  the  south  side  of 
the  stream,  and  for  this  purpose  Major  Bruce  proceeded  with  his 
battalion  down  the  river,  being  then  near  the  mouth  of  Jackass 
Creek,  and  attempted  to  cross.  There  was  no  discipline  whatever. 
The  commands  were  but  newly  organized,  and  each  private  con 
sidered  his  judgment  as  good  as  that  of  his  officers.  The  men  were 
scattered  out  over  the  bar,  some  engaged  in  constructing  rafts  and 
others  in  prospecting  for  gold.  No  effort  was  made  to  keep  them 
in  order  by  their  officers,  though  they  were  almost  in  the  presence 
of  the  enemy.  The  consequence  was  that  when  the  Indians  began 
firing  upon  them  from  out  of  the  dense  thicket  on  the  opposite 
bank,  the  men  made  a  wild  rush  for  shelter  in  the  forest  above  the 
bar.  Although  some  of  the  officers  made  a  vain  effort  to  halt  them 
and  form  a  line,  they  preferred  to  take  the  advice  of  a  fleeing  Lieu 
tenant  and  "  break  for  the  brush."  While  this  was  being  done  the 
commands  of  Martin  aftd  Judah  lay  upon  the  hill  above  and  several 
miles  distant,  while  the  latter  trained  his  piece  in  the  direction  of  the 
enemy  and  awoke  the  echoes  with  its  harmless  bang.  After  con 
tinuing  this  amusement  for  some  time  the  martial  toy  was  strapped 
upon  the  back  of  a  lusty  mule,  and  the  three  commands  inarched 
back  to  their  camps  at  Vannoy's  Ferry,  Fort  Lane  and  Camp  Le- 
.land.  Thus  ended  the  First  Meadows  Campaign.  William  Lewis,  of 
Kenney's  company,  was  killed,  five  other  volunteers  were  wounded, 
and  one  Indian  scalp  was  tal^en  home  by  the  retiring  troops. 

The  various  companies  were  now  detailed  for  guard  duty  at  the 
more  exposed  places,  and  no  regular  campaign  was  again  under 
taken  until  spring.  Though  comparatively  inactive,  they  served  as 
a  bulwark  of  safety  to  the  settlements  along  Rogue  River  and  the 
Umpqua.  There  were,  however,  a  few  war-like  incidents  before 
the  close  of  the  year,  which  served  to  show  that  the  Indians  were 
still  hostile,  and  that  the  spirit  of  promiscuous  extermination  had 
not  forsaken  the  whites.  The  first  of  these  was  the  descent  of  some 
twenty  or  thirty  Indians  upon  the  Rice  Settlement,  at  the  mouth  of 


THE  FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH.  401 

Looking  Glass  Creek,  eight  miles  south  of  Roseburg.  The  hostiles 
burned  Rice's  house,  captured  some  fire-arms,  and  did  other  damage. 
A  small  company  of  men,  commanded  by  J.  P.  Day,  went  from 
Deer  Creek  to  the  scene  and  engaged  and  defeated  the  Indians  on 
the  second  of  December,  killing  three.  The  stolen  guns,  horses, 
etc.,  were  re-captured.  Castleman,  a  member  of  the  company,  was 
slightly  wounded.  The  Indians  were  probably  Cow  Creeks  who 
had  not  formally  joined  the  forces  of  Limpy  and,  George  on  the 
banks  of  Rogue  River.  Some  few  of  the  peaceable  Umpquas 
resided  in  and  around  the  pleasant  vale  of  Looking  Glass.  When 
war  broke  out  on  Rogue  River,  these  inoffensive  people  were  gath 
ered  in  Looking  Glass  Valley,  occupying  a  rancheria  on  the  creek, 
where  they  lived  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  and  ignorant  and 
careless  of  everything  outside  of  their  own  little  sphere.  In  an  evil 
hour  certain  white  people  of  that  vicinity,  who  imagined  that  they 
were  dangerous  neighbors,  organized  themselves  into  a  company, 
and  fell  suddenly  upon  the  helpless  little  community,  and  scattered 
them  to  the  four  winds.  Several  men  and  an  old  squaw  were 
killed. 

The  people  on  Butte  Creek,  in  Jackson  County,  had,  with  the 
first  alarm  of  war,  sought  safety  in  a  camp  of  log  houses  on  Felix 
O'Neal's  donation  claim.  Alcorn's  company  was  recruited  among 
the  hardy  settlers  thereabouts,  and  subsequent  to  their  return  from 
the  First  Meadows  Campaign,  were  posted  in  part  at  this  fortified 
camp.  Jake,  a  well-known  chief  of  a  small  band  of  Indians,  with 
his  braves,  had  long  inhabited  that  portion  of  the  country  and  had 
refused  to  go  on  the  reservation.  On  the  night  of  December  twen 
ty-fourth  Captain  Alcorn  marched  to  their  rancheria  and  camped 
within  a  mile  of  it,  in  the  cold  and  snow.  At  daybreak  the  next 
morning  the  troops  moved  within  rifle  range,  and  began  to  shoot. 
This  they  kept  up  until  the  natives  were  killed  or  dispersed,  their 
loss  being  eight  "  bucks  "  killed,  and  the  remainder  wounded.  One 
squaw  was  wounded  in  the  jaw,  and  two  men  were  captured.  A 
similar  affair,  similarly  managed,  occurred  at  the  same  date  between 
a  detachment  of  Captain  Rice's  company  and  the  Indians  of  a  ranch 
eria  four  miles  north  of  Rogue  River,  and  just  below  the  mouth  of 
Big  Butte  Creek.  The  Indians  were  taken  by  surprise,  and  after 
several  hours'  fighting,  eighteen  males  were  killed,  twenty  squaws 


402  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  children  captured  and  the  rancheria  burned.  On  the  same  day 
twenty  men  of  Bushey's  company  set  out  on  a  scouting  tour  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Williams'  Creek,  where  a  portion  of  Old  John's 
band  were  busying  themselves  in  many  a  hostile  way,  much  raised 
in  self-esteem  by  the  partial  success  of  their  bold  leader  since  the 
war  began.  On  the  fourth  day  a  detachment  of  seven  men  came 
upon  the  camp,  and  immediately  attacked  it,  killing  three  braves 
and  putting  the  others  to  flight. 

Toward  the  last  of  December  some  scouts,  near  the  forks  of  the 
Applegate,  discovered  that  a  body  of  Indians  had  taken  possession 
of  two  deserted  miners1  cabins,  and  had  gone  into  winter  quarters 
there,  preparing  themselves  for  a  state  of  siege  by  excavating  the 
floors  and  piling  the  dirt  against  the  walls.  A  body  of  sixty  or 
more  from  Sterling  went  immediately  to  watch  the  cabins  and 
prevent  the  Indians  from  escaping,  while  word  was  sent  to  various 
military  companies.  Captain  Bushey  arrived,  and  finding  the 
position  too  strong  for  his  small  force,  awaited  the  arrival  of 
others.  Capt.  Smith  sent  Lieutenants  Hagen  and  Underwood  with 
twenty -five  regulars  and  the  inevitable  howitzer;  but  the  mule 
carrying  the  ammunition  was  so  heedless  as  to  fall  into  a  deep 
creek  and  be  killed,  while  the  powder  was  ruined.  More  ammu 
nition  was  sent  for,  and  Lieutenant  Switzer,  with  sixteen  regulars, 
brought  it  on  a  mule.  The  regulars  then  tired  a  shell,  which 
passed  into  or  through  a  cabin  and  killed,  as  the  records  say,  two 
savages.  Before  the  howitzer's  arrival  the  Indians  had  killed  one 
man  and  wounded  five.  After  the  shell  was  fired,  the  regulars 
postponed  further  operations  until  the  morrow,  as  night  was  near. 
When  they  arose  the  next  morning  the  birds  had  flown  and  their 
cages  were  empty.  A  much  regretted  event  occurred  during  the 
day;  this  was  the  killing  of  Martin  Angell,  of  Jacksonville,  who 
set  out  to  accompany  the  regulars  to  the  scene  of  the  siege.  When 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  Jacksonville,  Angell  and  Walker,  who 
were  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  advance,  were  fired  on 
by  Indians  concealed  in  the  brush  beside  the  road.  Angell  was 
killed  instantly,  four  balls  passing  through  his  head  and  neck.  On 
the  same  day  (January  2)  Charles  W.  Hull  was  hunting  on  the 
divide  between  Jackson  and  Jackass  creeks,  and  becoming  sepa 
rated  from  his  friends,  was  waylaid  and  murdered  by  Indians. 


THE  FALL  CAMPAIGNS  IN  THE  SOUTH.  403 

After  it  was  found  that  the  Indians  had  made  their  escape  from 
the  cabins,  the  regulars  returned  to  the  seclusion  of  Fort  Lane, 
while  Major  Bruce,  who  had  arrived  upon  the  field,  set  out  a  few 
days  later,  with  a  portion  of  Rice,  Williamson  and  Alcorn's  com 
panies,  to  follow  the  trail  of  the  fleeing  Indians  to  the  west.  The 
scouts  came  suddenly  upon  a  single  brave,  who  ran  at  the  top  of 
his  speed  directly  to  his  camp.  The  savages,  warned  by  the  shout 
ing  of  the  pursued,  prepared  for  a  fight,  and  for  quite  a  while  re 
sisted  that  part  of  Brace's  command  which  came  into  action,  killing 
one  man,  Wiley  Cash,  of  Alcorn's  company,  and  seriously  wound 
ing  Private  Richardson,  of  O'Neal's  company.  Some  ten  or  twelve 
horses,  left  unguarded  by  the  whites,  were  taken  by  the  Indians, 
and  several  more  were  shot.  This  fight  occurred  on  the  twenty - 
first  of  January,  the  locality  being  Murphy's  Creek,  tributary  to  the 
Applegate.  Only  twenty-five  men  participated  at  first,  but  Lieu 
tenant  Armstrong  came  up  with  a  small  reinforcement,  and  after  a 
most  plucky  fight  succeeded  in  saving  the  lives  of  the  detachment. 
The  total  number  of  Indians  engaged,  under  the  leadership  of  John, 
was  probably  about  fifty.  No  further  active  campaign  was  made 
until  spring. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS. 

Troops  Concentrate  at  The  Dalles — Conflict  of  Authority — An  Incident 
at  Vancouver — -Block  House  Built  at  The  Cascades— Efforts  to  Equip 
the  Volunteers — Regulars  and  Volunteers  March  North  from  The 
Dalles— Plan  of  the  Campaign — -The  Eight  on  the  Banks  of  the 
Yakirtia  and  at  the  "  Buttes" — Burning  of  the  Catholic  Mission 
Ends  the  Campaign — Efforts  to  Treat  with  Peu-peu-mox-mox — Pre 
lude  to  the  Walla  Walla  Campaign — Fort  Henrietta — Regulars 
Refuse  their  Aid  in  a  Useless  Winter  Campaign—  Unfitness  of  the 
Volunteers  for  such  a  Campaign — Colonel  Kelly  Marches  Against 
the  Walla  Wallas — Capture  of  Peu-peu-mox-mox  Under  a  Flag  of 
Truce — A  Night  of  Suspense  and  Excitement — A  Fruitless  Ante- 
Breakfast  March — Battle  of  Walla  Walla — Killing  of  Peu-peu- 
mox-mox  and  other  Prisoners — Ears  and  Scalp  of  the  Chief  Ex 
hibited  in  the  Willamette  Valley — The  Situation  after  the  Battle- 
Killed  and  Wounded — Great  Excitement  in  the  Willamette  when  the 
News  is  Received — Oregonian  Editorials  on  the  Situation — General 
Wool  Condemned — His  Opinion  of  the  War  and  the  Peopled  Opinion 
of  Him — Governor  Stevens  Prefers  Charges  Against  General  Wool- 
Incidents  Attending  the  Return  of  Governor  Stevens  from  the  Black- 
foot  Country— The  Charges  of  the  Irate  Governor  Pigeon-holed— 
The  Situation  During  the  Winter —  Unpleasant  Experiences  of  the 
Volunteers — Reinforcements  sent  to  Walla  Walla — Colonel  Cornelius 
Resumes  the  -Offensive- — Horse  Meat  Causes  a  Mutiny— J^o  Enemy 
Being  Eound,  the  Command  Abandons  the  Walla  Walla  Country — 
Farewell  Courtesies  of  Kama-i-akun — The  Volunteers  Disband 
Without  Official  Recognition  of  their  Services — Honors  Received 


YAKIMA,  WALLA   WALLA  AND  PUGKT  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        405 

from  the  People — Two  Companies  raised  to  Guard  the  Columbia— 
Refrain  of  the  u  Hf»rse-fed  Volunteer*'-— The  Political  and  Specula- 
tire  Aspect  of  the  Campaign — Governor  Curry  goes  to  Washington  to 
Counteract  the  fnfuence  of  General  Wool,  and  Secure  an  Appropri 
ation  to  Defray  the  Expenses  of  the  War. 

THE  ten  companies  called  for  by  Governor  Curry  for  service  in 
the  north  were  quickly  recruited,  and  hastened  to  the  general 
rendezvous  at  The  Dalles,  Colonel  J.  W.  Nesmith  in  command. 
The  regulars  also  concentrated  there,  commanded  by  Major  G.  J, 
Raines,  of  the  4th  United  States  Infantry.  The  conflict  of  authority 
began  at  once.  Major  Raines  notified  Governor  Curry  that  he  stood 
ready  to  muster  four  companies  into  the  United  States  service,  to 
be  commanded  by  officers  of  their  own  selection.  This  was  the 
number  he  had  requested.  He  said  that  he  could  not  take  the  re 
sponsibility  of  enlisting  a  larger  force,  deeming  it  not  required,  nor 
could  he  arm  and  equip  any  of  them  unless  regularly  mustered  into 
the  service.  His  proposition  was  rejected,  and  the  effort  to  place  the 
volunteers  on  a  war  footing  was  continued.  The  two  companies 
called  for  by  Governor  Mason  were  quickly  raised,  one  at  Vancouver 
and  one  at  Olympia.  Both  were  mustered  into  the  regular  service, 
the  former  under  the  command  of  William  Strong  and  the  latter 
of  Gilrnore  Hays.  The  acting  executive  of  Washington  Territory 
pursued  an  opposite  course  to  that  taken  by  Governor  Curry,  and 
sought  in  every  way  to  sustain  and  aid  the  regular  army  officers, 
instead  of  opposing  them  and  endeavoring  to  conduct  an  independ 
ent  campaign.  To  offset  the  supposed  superiority  of  rank  of  the 
commander  of  the  Oregon  regiment,  he  commissioned  Major  Raines 
as  Brigadier -General  of  Militia  in  AVashington  Territory.  This 
conflict  of  rank,  however,  cut  but  a  small  figure,  the  two  commands 
acting  entirely  independently,  though  co-operating,  to  a  degree,  in 
the  first  campaign. 

While  these  preparations  were  progressing,  an  incident  occurred 
at  Vancouver  which  called  for  the  services  of  Captain  Strong's 
company.  There  was  a  village  of  a  branch  band  of  the  Klickitat 
tribe  at  the  mouth  of  Lewis  River,  opposite  St.  Helens,  which  was 
a  source  of  apprehension  to  the  people.  A  number  of  the  warriors 


406  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

were  known  to  have  crossed  the  mountains  to  join  the  hostile 
Yakimas;  and  as  a  precautionary  measure,  a  party  of  thirty  men 
from  Vancouver  went  to  the  rancheria  and  escorted  the  thirty 
remaining  warriors  arid  their  families  back  to  that  city,  where  they 
were  disarmed  and  instructed  to  remain  in  peace.  This  party  was 
headed  by  T.  H.  Smith,  Special  Indian  Agent.  On  the  eighth  of 
November  the  captives,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
stampeded  for  the  Yakima  country,  and  were  pursued  by  Captain 
Strong's  company  and  a  few  regulars.  In  about  ten  days  they 
were  all  brought  back,  except  Umtux,  the  chief,  who  had  been 
killed  in  some  mysterious  way,  no  one  being  able  to  tell  "how  it 
happened."  At  the  same  time  a  block-house  was  built  at  the  Cas 
cades  by  Captain  Wallan,  who  mounted  upon  it  a  six-pound  cannon 
and  garrisoned  it  with  a  detachment  of  ten  men  from  his  company. 
Colonel  Nesmith  had  command  of  the  Oregon  volunteers  by 
virtue  of  his  rank  as  Brigadier  General  of  Militia;  but  soon  after 
the  companies  reached  The  Dalles  an  election  was  held  for  line  offi 
cers,  in  accordance  with  instructions  from  Governor  Curry.  This 
resulted  in  the  choice  of  J.  W.  Nesmith,  Colonel;  J.  K.  Kelly, 
Lieutenant- Colonel;  A.  N.  Armstrong,  First  Major;  M.  A.  Chiim, 
Second  Major.  Colonel  Nesmith's  election  was  almost  unanimous — 
the  vote  standing  five  hundred  and  eighty -three  to  forty -one — and 
undoubtedly  his  equal  could  not  have  been  found  in  the  Territory. 
With  infinite  difficulty  and  persevering  energy  he  secured  arms, 
ammunition,  horses,  supplies,  etc.,  and  was  prepared  to  move  al 
most  as  soon  as  the  regulars,  who  encountered  no  such  difficulties. 
An  application  to  Major  Raines  for  arms  and  equipments  was  re 
fused,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  not  authorized  to  issue  them  to 
any  but  troops  in  the  United  States  service.  Major  Raines  was, 
however,  very  anxious  that  something  should  be  accomplished,  and 
partially  supplied  them  under  the  militia  law  of  the  country,  which 
entitled  every  Territory  to  draw  a  certain  amount  of  arms  and  am 
munition  from  the  Government.  Still  they  were  not  ready  to  take 
the  field.  Major  Raines,  as  a  last  effort  at  a  compromise,  offered  to 
muster  the  whole  force  into  the  regular  service,  with  Colonel  Nes- 
rnith  in  command  as  Major,  and  equip  them  from  the  Government 
stores,  but  the  offer  was  declined.  He  then  began  his  march  into 
the  Yakima  country  with  the  regulars,  informing  Colonel  Nesmith 


VAKIMA,   WALLA   WALLA   AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.         407 

that  if  his  command  was  defeated  by  reason  of  its  inferior  numbers, 
the  blame  would  rest  with  the  volunteers,  who,  by  refusing  to  be 
mustered  into  the  service,  prevented  themselves  from  being  equipped 
and  taking  part  in  the  campaign.  A  few  days  later  Colonel  Nes- 
mith  was  so  far  prepared  with  a  portion  of  his  command  as  to  feel 
justified  in  taking  the  field  for  a  short  campaign.  He  accordingly 
hastened  to  overtake  Major  Raines  with  some  four  hundred  men, 
leaving  the  remainder  at  The  Dalles  under  command  of  Major 
Chinn.  The  volunteers  and  regulars  were  united  on  the  third  of 
November,  and  continued  the  march  together. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  embraced  an  invasion  from  two  di 
rections.  Besides  the  force  marching  north  from  The  Dalles,  Cap 
tain  Maloney  was  instructed  to  enter  the  Yakima  country  by  way 
of  the  Natchess  Pass  with  his  company  of  the  4th  Infantry  and 
Captain  Hays'  company  of  volunteers,  and  to  form  a  junction  with 
Major  Raines.  The  movements  of  Captain  Maloney's  command 
will  be  detailed  later.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  this  force  did  not 
participate  in  the  Yakima  campaign,  though  its  supposed  move 
ments  served  to  complicate  matters  considerably,  and  caused  much 
needless  anxiety.  As  the  united  forces  passed  through  the  Indian 
country  they  found  and  destroyed,  or  used,  about  ten  thousand 
pounds  of  provisions  the  enemy  had  secreted,  chiefly  dried  salmon 
and  carnas.  On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  of  November  Captain 
Cornelius,  with  seventy  men,  made  a  detour  to  the  left  from  the 
night's  camp  on  Simcoe  Creek.  Towards  evening  the  main  body 
reached  the  Yakima  and  went  into  camp,  the  regulars  some  two 
miles  in  advance.  Major  Raines  soon  discovered  Indians  in  the 
bushes  on  the  .opposite  bank  of  the  stream,  and  opened  upon  them, 
at  the  same  time  dispatching  a  courier  to  Colonel  Nesmith.  The 
latter  dashed  away  to  the  front  at  the  head  of  sixty  men,  where  he 
found  the  regulars  and  Indians  passing  leaden  compliments  with 
the  river  flowing  between  them.  He  at  once  commenced  searching 
for  a  ford,  found  it,  crossed  the  stream,  and  dislodging  the  savages, 
followed  them  ineffectually  until  they  took  refuge  in  the  direction 
of  the  "  Buttes "  to  the  northeast.  He  then  withdrew  and  went 
into  camp.  Lieutenant  Phil.  Sheridan,  at  the  head  of  some  twenty 
United  States  dragoons  followed  the  force  under  Colonel  Nesmith 
across  the  river,  and  gallantly  joined  the  successful  advance.  That 


408  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

evening  Captain  Cornelius  reached  Nesmith's  camp,  having  been 
engaged  during  the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon  with  a  large  body 
of  Indians,  in  which  three  of  his  men  and  several  horses  had  re 
ceived  wounds. 

On  the  morning  of  November  9,  the  entire  force  moved  in  the 
direction  of  a  gap  in  the  hills  through  which  flows  the  Yakima 
River,  at  a  point  known  as  the  "Two  Buttes."  The  advance  guard 
consisted  of  companies  commanded  by  Captains  Cornelius,  Hem- 
bree  and  Bennett.  These  drove  the  Indians  from  their  lurking 
places  in  the  bushes  along  the  river  until  all — some  three  hundred- 
had  fallen  back  and  taken  possession  of  their  rude  fortifications 
upon  the  "  Buttes."  At  first  a  howitzer  was  tried,  but,  for  want  of 
sufficient  elevation,  it  failed  to  reach  the  enemy.  Then  Major  Hal- 
ler  and  Captain  (now  General)  Augur  with  their  commands,  aided 
by  a  force  of  volunteers,  charged  up  the  rugged,  broken  face  of  the 
mountain,  the  Indians  fleeing  down  the  opposite  side.  The  savages 
had  made  no  resistance;  consequently  no  one  was  hurt.  That  night 
the  whites  camped  at  the  base  of  the  u  Buttes,"  and  the  Indians  re- 
occupied  the  abandoned  heights;  but  in  the  morning  they  were 
again  dislodged  with  a  loss  of  two  killed.  The  capture  of  their 
entire  force  at  this  time  only  failed  through  the  misconception  of 
orders  by  Lieutenant  D.  B.  Hannah.  The  Indians  at  once  aban 
doned  that  section  of  country,  and  there  was  no  more  fighting,  save 
a  little  skirmishing  with  a  few  straggling  bands  in  the  valley.  At 
night  the  troops  bivouacked  by  the  Atahnum  River,  some  two 
miles  east  of  the  Catholic  Mission. 

Up  to  this  time  no  communication  had  been  received  from  Cap 
tain  Maloney,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  the  entire  force  of 
Indians  had  gone  in  the  direction  of  the  Natchess  Pass  for  the  pur 
pose  of  overwhelming  him  by  numbers.  Colonel  Nesmith,  with 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  among  whom  were  Phil.  Sheridan  and 
his  dragoons,  started  on  the  morning  of  November  11,  with  a  view 
of  rendering  assistance  to  Captain  Maloney  if  he  needed  it,  or  at 
least  to  open  communication  with  him.  A  violent  snow  storm  set 
ting  in,  he  was  forced  to  return;  and,  after  an  absence  of  three 
days,  his  tents  were  pitched  at  the  old  Catholic  Mission,  where  the 
main  force  under  Major  Raines  had  preceded  him.  While  stationed 
there  the  troops  "  accidentally"  burned  the  mission  building,  a  rude 


.YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA   AND  PTTGET   SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        409 

structure  formed  of  poles  and  mud.  On  the  fifteenth  a  council  of 
war  decided  unanimously  that  the  reduced  commissary  supplies 
warranted  an  immediate  return  to  The  Dalles,  and  the  line  of 
march  was  at  once  taken  up.  Thus  ended  the  Yakinia  campaign. 
While  the  troops  were  first  assembling  at  The  Dalles  an  effort 
had  been  made  to  placate  the  great  and  influential  chief  of  the 
Walla  Wallas,  whose  signature  to  the  treaty  had  been  secured  only 
after  great  concessions  to  him  individually,  and  whose  former 
friendship  for  Americans  had  been  changed  to  hatred  by  the  un 
provoked  murder  of  his  son  at  Sutter's  Fort,  in  California,  a  few 
years  before.  The  chief  cause  of  anxiety  was  the  small  party  of 
Governor  Stevens,  which,  in  the  event  of  the  joining  of  the  Walla 
Wallas  and  Cayuses  in  the  war,  would  be  cut  off  from  any  avenue 
of  return  which  did  not  lead  through  a  hostile  country.  It  is 
doubtful,  however,  if  he  would  have  been  molested  had  the  subse 
quent  campaign  in  that  region  not  been  undertaken.  To  accom 
plish  the  desired  end  Nathan  Olney,  the  Indian  Agent,  started  from 
The  Dalles  with  five  hundred  dollars  in  silver  and  some  presents  of 
goods  to  pay  Peu-peu-mox-mox  the  first  installment  due  him  under 
the  treaty.  He  was  accompanied  on  the  journey  only  by  Ta-be-bo, 
a  half-breed,  and  A.  P.  Woodard.  On  their  arrival,  October  12, 
at  Old  Fort  Walla  Walla,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  that  name, 
they  were  cordially  received  by  James  Sinclair,  who,  with  three  or 
four  men,  had  charge  of  the  fort  as  representative  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  Peu-peu-rnox-mox  was  sent  for  and  told  that  the 
promised  money  and  goods  awaited  him,  but  he  returned  a  sullen 
and  defiant  reply.  He  repudiated  the  treaty ;  said  he  would  accept 
neither  presents  nor  money  from  the  Government,  and  wanted  the 
whites  to  leave  his  country.  A  council  between  the  Agent  and 
Sinclair  resulted  in  a  determination  to  abandon  the  fort.  The  sur 
plus  ammunition,  stored  there  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was 
taken  out  in  a  boat  and  dumped  in  the  Columbia  River,  to  prevent 
its  falling  into  the  hands  of  Indians.  Then  the  settlers,  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  men,  and  a  number  of  miners  who  had  reached  this  point 
from  Colville,  started  for  The  Dalles,  leaving  the  hostile  country 
east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  untenanted,  save  by  a  few  old  em 
ployees  of  the  company  who  were  married  to  Indian  women.  Nar- 
cisse  Remond,  who  enjoyed  immunity  from  molestation  because  of 


410  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

his  former  connection  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was  com 
missioned  by  Mr.  Olney  to  remain  and  report  upon  the  conduct  of 
the  suspected  tribes.  This  wholesale  abandonment  of  the  country 
was  accepted  by  the  Indians  as  an  invitation  to  do  as  they  pleased 
with  what  had  been  left  behind.  They  burned  the  Umatilla  Mis 
sion,  in  which  had  been  stored  a  quantity  of  supplies  by  Governor 
Stevens,  plundered  McKay's  house  and  other  places,  drove  the  cattle 
of  Brooke,  Bumford  and  Noble  away  from  Waiilatpu,  and  took 
possession  of  and  pillaged  Fort  Walla  Walla.  This  was  done  b}^ 
Yakima  and  Palouse  Indians,  assisted  by  certain  factions  of  the 
Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses  and  Umatillas.  Howlish-AVanipoo,  head 
chief  of  the  Cayuses,  endeavored  in  vain  to  prevent  the  Yakimas 
and  Palouses  from  driving  the  cattle  away  from  Waiilatpu.  The 
Walla  Walla  affair  was  the  work  of  Peu-peu-mox-mox  and  his  fol 
lowers.  On  the  whole  these  acts  can  hardly  be  considered  as  a 
sufficient  cause  for  an  invasion  of  their  country  by  the  forces  of 
Governor  Curry,  at  an  expense  of  millions  of  dollars  to  the  Gen 
eral  Government.  If  protection  of  the  settlers  in  the  Willamette, 
along  the  lower  Columbia  and  on  Puget  Sound,  was  desired,  that 
object  could  have  been  more  effectually  accomplished  by  guarding 
the  lines  of  approacli.  By  leaving  these  open  and  invading  the 
Indian  country,  they  not  only  invited  the  danger  they  apprehended, 
but  showed  that  on  the  part  of  the  leaders,  at  least,  the  war  was 
an  offensive,  and  not  a  defensive,  one.  Even  if  an  invasion  were 
in  any  event  to  be  feared,  it  certainly  could  not  be  made  until 
spring,  the  routes  through  the  mountains  being,  with  the  aid  of  a 
few  troops,  sufficiently  guarded  from  approach  by  the  icy  hand  of 
winter.  Furthermore,  this  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  was 
not  known  until  after  the  campaign  had  been  decided  upon  and  a 
force  dispatched  from  The  Dalles  to  begin  its  execution.  The 
rescue  of  Governor  Stevens  from  possible  attack  by  the  disaffected 
Walla  Wallas  or  Cayuses,  then,  could  be  the  only  excuse  for  send 
ing  an  armed  force  into  the  Walla  Walla  country;  but  this  object 
in  itself  by  no  means  required  so  long  a  campaign — continuing 
some  months  after  the  Governor's  return — nor  the  employment  of 
so  large  an  army  at  such  an  enormous  outlay.  The  safe  return  of 
His  Excellency  could  have  been  accomplished  at  a  comparatively 
trifling  expense. 


YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.       411 

Without  waiting  for  the  information  expected  from  Mr.  Remond, 
Governor  Curry  decided  to  invade  the  Walla  Walla  country  in 
force.  He  dispatched  two  companies  on  the  seventh  of  November 
to  reinforce  Colonel  Nesmith  in  the  Yakirna  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  sending  orders  for  him  to  proceed  directly  to  Fort  Walla 
Walla,  where  he  would  be  joined  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
from  The  Dalles.  The  reinforcements  lost  their  way,  and  failed  to 
reach  Colonel  Nesmith  until  they  met  him  on  the  seventeenth  in 
the  Simcoe  Mountains,  on  his  way  back  to  The  Dalles.  It  was 
then  impossible  to  obey  the  Governor's  instructions,  and  Colonel 
Nesmith  continued  his  homeward  march  to  The  Dalles.  Mean 
while,  on  the  twelfth,  Major  Chinn  started  with  two  companies  for 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia.  On  the 
night  of  the  seventeenth  they  encamped  at  Well  Springs,  where 
they  were  joined  by  two  couriers  from  Narcisse  Remond  with  intel 
ligence  from  the  Walla  Walla  country,  the  substance  of  which  has 
been  previously  given.  This  information  caused  Major  Chinn  to 
abandon  the  march  for  Fort  Walla  Walla,  and  to  proceed  to  the 
site  of  the  burned  Catholic  Mission  on  the  Umatilla,  to  await  rein 
forcements,  for  which  he  dispatched  a  courier.  He  there  erected 
defensive  works,  and  on  the  twenty-first  sent  another  courier  asking 
for  two  more  companies  and  some  artillery.  He  thus  describes  Fort 
Henrietta:  "We  have  an  abundance  of  timber  and  water,  and 
tolerable  grass  for  stock.  We  have  picketed  in  with  large  split 
timber  one  hundred  feet  square  of  ground,  and  erected  two  bastions, 
of  round  logs,  on  two  of  the  angles ;  and  from  the  rails  found  here 
made  two  corrals  for  the  horses  and  cattle.  This,  as  a  defence,  is 
good  against  any  body  of  Indians." 

Considerable  excitement  was  created  at  The  Dalles  by  the  intel 
ligence  brought  in  from  Major  Chinn.  It  was  at  once  assumed  that 
his  command  was  in  a  perilous  situation,  and  must  be  immediately 
reinforced  to  preserve  it  from  disaster.  The  companies  of  Captains 
Munson,  Wilson  and  Cornoyer,  consisting  of  some  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  men,  were  at  once  sent  forward,  accompanied  by  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  James  K.  Kelly,  who  was  to  take  command  of  the 
whole  battalion.  Application  was  made  by  Colonel  Nesmith  to 
Major  Raines  for  two  howitzers  and  artillerymen  to  man  them, 
stating  that  he  had  preferred  a  similar  request  to  General  Wool,  at 


412  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Vancouver,  but  could  not  delay  action  for  a  reply.  In  this  letter 
lie  quoted,  with  telling  effect,  a  few  lines  which  had  been  addressed 
to  him  by  Major  Raines,  as  he  started  upon  the  Yakima  campaign, 
reproaching  him  for  obstructing  the  movements  of  his  allies  and 
permitting  them  to  encounter  the  enemy  unaided.  General  Wool 
had  arrived  from  San  Francisco  a  few  days  before,  bringing  sixty 
regulars,  two  thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  three  hundred  tons  of 
stores  and  ammunition.  He  was  in  ill -health,  and  did  not  visit  the 
seat  of  operations  at  The  Dalles,  but  remained  at  headquarters  in 
Vancouver.  He  received  the  reports  of  his  subordinates  as  to  the 
cause  of  hostilities  and  the  present  situation,  and  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  a  war  and  no  need  of  a  win 
ter  campaign.  With  the  regular  troops  to  occupy  the  Columbia 
there  was  no  danger  of  invasion  of  the  Willamette,  and  all  that  was 
required  to  end  the  war  was  for  the  volunteers  to  return  home  and 
disband.  Such  was  the  opinion  of  the  commander  of  the  depart 
ment,  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  was,  in  the  main,  correct. 
Such  a  line  of  conduct  would  have  saved  the  lives  of  a  score  of 
brave  volunteers  and  the  Government  many  thousands  of  dollars, 
though,  to  be  sure,  not  so  profitable  to  the  contractor  and  those 
whose  patriotism  was  'confined  to  questionable  dealings  with  the 
commissary  department.  With  troops  stationed  at  The  Dalles, 
Cascades,  Vancouver,  and  suitable  points  on  Puget  Sound,  no  attack 
need  be  feared  from  the  Eastern  Indians  until  spring,  even  assum 
ing  that  they  were  disposed  to  risk  an  invasion  of  the  settlements 
at  all.  A  whole  regiment  of  regulars  was  on  the  way  and  would 
arrive  in  ample  time  to  participate  in  a  campaign  in  the  spring,  if 
one  should  prove  to  be  necessary.  It  was  certainly  the  duty  of 
Governor  Curry  to  recall  Major  Chinn  and  disband  the  volunteer 
army,  or,  at  least,  the  greater  portion  of  it.  If  necessary,  the  safe  re 
turn  of  Governor  Stevens  could  have  been  provided  for  by  sending 
him  an  armed  escort  to  accompany  him  home  after  he  had  reached 
the  friendly  Nez  Perces.  General  Wool,  consequently,  refused  to 
furnish  howitzers,  or  to  participate  in  the  proposed  campaign  in  any 
way,  and  withdrew  his  forces  to  winter  quarters  at  Vancouver, 
including  the  Washington  Territory  volunteers. 

The  absurdity  of  undertaking  a  winter  campaign  so  far  away 
from  the  base  of  supplies  becomes  still  more  apparent  by  the  fol- 


YAKIMA,  WALLA   WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        413 

lowing  quotation  from  the  report  of  Colonel  Nesmith  of  the  condi 
tion  of  his  command  upon  their  return  from  only  three  weeks'  cam 
paigning  in  the  Yakima  country: 

Many  of  the  men  were  frost-bitten  on  the  late  expedition,  and  can  hardly  be 
said  to  be  fit  for  duty.  An  inspection  of  horses  has  been  had  at  camp,  and  about 
one-fourth  of  the  whole  number  were  found  fitted  for  present  duty.  About  one- 
half  of  the  men  composing  the  whole  command  desire  their  discharge.  I  have 
given  a  few  discharges  upon  the  written  report  of  the  surgeon,  stating  that  the  men 
were  unfit  for  duty.  I  have,  also,  granted  furloughs  to  a  few  of  the  men  who  have 
urgent  business  requiring  their  personal  attention  for  short  periods ;  and  am  now 
anxiously  awaiting  orders  for  the  disposition  of  the  remainder  of  the  command. 
*  The  right  column,  which  was  under  my  immediate  command, 

suffered  intensely  during  the  campaign,  for  want  of  tents  to  protect  them  from  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather.  My  requisition  for  tents  is  still  unfilled.  There  is 
much  justifiable  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  men,  by  reason  of  their  exposed  con 
dition. 

On  the  twenty -eighth  he  forwarded  to  Colonel  Kelly  the  com 
panies  of  Captains  Bennett  and  Cornelius,  increasing  the  force  in 
the  field  to  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  men,  besides  two  com 
panies  under  Major  Armstrong,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Des  Chutes 
and  John  Day  rivers.  He  then  started  for  the  Willamette  Valley 
for  a  temporary  absence,  leaving  Captain  Farrar  in  command  at 
The  Dalles,  but  soon  after  reaching  Portland  resigned  his  commis 
sion  and  retired  to  private  life.  While  preparations  were  being 
made  for  this  campaign  the  Oregonian  editorially  commented  upon 
the  selfishness,  greed  and  want  of  patriotism  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  who  demanded  enormous  prices  for  everything  furnished 
for  the  use  of  the  troops. 

Colonel  Kelly  reached  Fort  Henrietta  on  the  twenty-ninth  of 
November,  and  learning  that  the  Indians  were  in  force  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Walla  Walla,  determined  to  march  upon  them 
without  delay.  His  command  moved  on  the  fifth  of  December  in 
two  divisions.  Major  Chinn,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and 
all  the  baggage,  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Touchet  River, 
while  Colonel  Kelly,  with  two  hundred  men,  unincumbered,  moved 
up  the  stream  for  the  purpose,  as  his  subsequent  report  declares, 
u  of  attacking  the  Walla  Wallas,"  who  were  supposed  to  be  en 
camped  there.  As  they  proceeded  up  the  Touchet,  Captain  Cornoyer 
and  a  few  of  his  company  of  scouts  marched  a  long  distance  in  ad 
vance.  Suddenly,  while  approaching  the  summit  of  a  hill,  several 
Indians  appeared  in  his  immediate  front,  advancing  from  the  oppo- 


414  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

site  side  of  the  crest.  In  an  instant  the  Captain's  gun  was  leveled 
upon  the  one  in  advance,  but,  before  he  could  fire,  a  flag  of  truce 
was  discovered  in  the  hand  of  the  savage;  and  the  Captain's  com 
panions  cried  out,  "Don't  shoot!  don't  shoot!  it's  Peu-peu-inox- 
mox!"  A  parley  followed;  but,  while  it  was  going  on,  the  Captain 
discovered  a  band  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  on  horse 
back,  advancing  in  the  direction  from  which  the  chief  had  come. 
In  a  twinkling  his  gun  again  covered  Peu-peu-mox-mox,  who  was 
told  that  if  his  followers  continued  to  approach,  his  own  life  would 
pay  the  forfeit;  and,  at  a  signal  accompanied  by  a  peculiar  cry,  the 
advancing  party  halted  as  if  by  magic,  every  one  of  whom  dis 
mounted  and  stood  by  his  horse.  The  Chief  asked  if  Nathan  Olney? 
the  Indian  Agent,  was  with  the  soldiers;  and  on  being  told  that  he 
was,  expressed  a  desire  to  see  him.  He  stated  that  he  wanted  no 
fighting;  that  he  had  determined  at  first  to  make  war  on  the  whites, 
but,  after  reflection,  had  concluded  that  it  was  not  policy  for  his 
people  to  do  so ;  that  he  was  willing  to  make  all  amends  that  lay 
in  his  power  for  what  his  tribe  had  done;  and  was  anxious  to  se 
cure  a  permanent  peace.  The  Captain  sent  one  of  his  men  back  to 
report,  asking  Colonel  Kelly  to  come  with  Olney  and  meet  the  flag 
of  truce  party.  Accordingly,  the  volunteers  were  halted  in  plain 
sight  of  the  little  squad  on  the  hill,  while  the  parties  indicated,  with 
John  McBean  for  interpreter,  went  forward  to  meet  the  redoubtable 
chief. 

Considerable  time  was  consumed  in  the  conference;  and,  as  it 
passed,  gradually  the  main  body  of  both  Indians  and  volunteers 
approached  the  central  group  until  all  were  together,  the  soldiers 
surrounding  the  flag  party  with  the  main  force  of  Indians  on  the 
outside.  Finally,  the  entire  body  moved  toward  the  Indian  village, 
until  it  was  discovered  that  the  trail  they  were  following  passed 
through  a  dangerous  canyon,  when  another  halt  was  made.  A 
portion  of  the  troops  had  already  entered  the  canyon,  among  whom 
was  Captain  Cornoyer,  who,  on  turning  back  to  learn  what  caused 
the  delay,  found  that  fears  were  entertained  by  some  of  the  oificers 
that  treachery  was  intended  by  Peu-peu-mox-mox.  Captains  Cor 
noyer,  Bennett,  and  others  were  of  a  different  opinion;  they  said 
treachery  on  his  part  would  cost  him  his  life,  and  he  knew  it.  "  Put 
him  in  my  charge,"  said  Captain  Cornoyer,  "  he  will  then  know  that 


YAKIMA.,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        415 

the  first  gun  fired  upon  our  ranks  will  be  a  signal  of  his  own  death, 
and  there  will  be  no  danger.  Let  us  go  to  their  village  to-night, 
and  the  peace  he  promises  will  be  a  certainty,  for  we  will  have  them 
all  in  our  power."  This  advice  was  not  taken.  Colonel  Kelly  arid 
Nathan  Olney  insisted  that  if  his  professions  were  in  good  faith, 
they  could  be  carried  out  the  next  day  just  as  well  as  to  run  the 
risk  of  a  dangerous  pass  that  evening;  and  it  was  determined  to 
move  back  on  the  trail  a  short  distance  and  camp,  supperless,  for 
the  night.  The  flag  of  truce  Indians  were  taken  with  them,  under 
close  guard,  as  disarmed  prisoners,  held  as  hostages  for  the  good 
conduct  of  the  others  until  the  next  day,  the  chief  being  informed 
that  he  must  so  remain  with  them  or  his  village  would  at  once  be 
attacked . 

That  night  the  camp  and  its  vicinity  were  the  scene  of  stormy 
councils  and  of  stormy  elements.  The  volunteers  were  tired,  hun 
gry  and  dissatisfied,  while  the  inhospitable  elements,  shedding  their 
fleecy  carpet  of  snow  upon  the  ground  for  the  soldiers  to  lie  upon, 
made  them  angry  and  almost  mutinous,  in  their  belief  that  it  was 
the  prisoner's  fault  that  had  placed  them  in  their  disagreeable 
position.  "  Shoot  the  damned  Indians !"  was  a  cry  frequently 
heard  from  different  parts  of  the  camp,  and  the  captives  became 
restless  and  ill  at  ease,  believing  that  their  lives  were  in  danger. 
The  chief  requested  to  be  given  his  freedom,  and  some  of  the  officers 
were  in  favor  of  permitting  him  to  go,  while  others  were  not. 
Finally,  an  Indian  appeared  on  an  adjacent  hill  who  desired  to  talk 
with  the  chief,  but  would  not  come  in  ;  and  Captain  Cornoyer  went 
out  to  talk  with  him,  accompanied  by  several,  among  whom  was 
John  McBean,  the  interpreter.  The  interview  was  unsatisfactory, 
as  the  Indian  seemed  only  desirous  of  being  heard  by  the  captive 
chief,  and  talked  in  a  very  loud  voice.  What  he  said  was  not 
made  clear  to  the  Captain  and  his  associates,  and,  concluding  that 
all  was  not  right,  they  took  the  loud-voiced  messenger  back  with 
them  a  prisoner  into  camp.  At  different  times  in  the  night  In 
dians  came  around  upon  the  hills  and  shouted  communications  to 
the  chief,  who  told  his  captors  that  his  people  were  becoming 
frightened  for  their  own  safety  and  his.  Morning  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  camp  had  been  surrounded  during  the  night  by  a 
cordon  of  mounted  Indians,  who  evidently  had  listened  to  the 


416  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

threats,  dissensions,  and  unfriendly  talk  in  the  volunteer  camp, 
which  was  enough,  in  combination  with  the  fact  that  their  chief 
was  a  prisoner,  to  make  them  fear  treachery  on  the  part  of  the 
whites. 

All  existing  evidence  goes  to  prove  that  this  great  Walla 
Walla  leader  came  to  sue  for  peace  in  good  faith  ;  that  his  ad 
vances  were  received  with  mistrust  ;  that  he  was  taken  prisoner 
while  under  a  flag  of  truce,  to  make  sure  that  he  would  do  what  he 
affirmed  a  willingness  to  do  ;  and  that  the  actions  and  talk  in  camp 
that  night  made  both  him  and  his  followers  fear  treachery  from  the 
whites,  which  caused  the  Indians  to  alter  their  plans.  This  change 
in  policy  was  evidently  made  known  to  Peu-peu-mox-mox  by 
those  who  shouted  messages  to  him  from  the  surrounding  hills. 
In  doing  this  they  used  the  Cayuse  tongue,  a  language  unknown  to 
the  interpreter,  and  one  not  in  general  use,  even  by  the  Cayuse 
tribe  themselves,  Nez  Perce  being  the  common  language  of  all 
these  Indians.  The  next  morning  the  captive  chief,  in  pursuance 
of  the  new  plans,  secured  a  delay  in  moving,  by  urging  that  his 
people  needed  time  to  prepare  breakfast  for  so  many  men.  Shortly 
before  noon  the  march  was  taken  up,  the  dangerous  canyon  passed, 
and  the  village  reached  ;  but  no  smoking  repast  or  cordial  welcome 
awaited  them.  The  village  was  deserted,  and  as  the  hungry  and 
disappointed  men  gathered  around  the  still  smoldering  camp-fires, 
they  knew  that  a  battle  must  be  fought.  Straggling  Indians  could 
be  seen  on  the  surrounding  hills,  and  three  of  them,  one  a  son  of 
the  captive  chief,  came  within  speaking  distance  and  demanded  to 
see  the  prisoner.  The  son  was  persuaded  to  enter  the  camp,  upon 
assurance  of  safety,  and  when  he  did  so  the  father  told  him  he 
wanted  his  people  all  to  come  in  and  make  peace.  The  young  man 
went  away  saying  that  he  would  do  as  requested,  but  nothing  fur 
ther  was  heard  from  him ;  and,  finally,  Colonel  Kelly  proceeded  to 
march  his  hungry  command  uto  the  mouth  of  the  Touchet,  with  a 
view  of  going  from  thence  to  some  spot  near  Whitman's  Station, 
where  I  had  intended  to  form  a  permanent  camp  for  the  winter." 
His  report  continues  thus  :  uOn  the  morning  of  the  seventh,  com 
panies  H  and  K  crossed  the  Touchet,  leading  the  column  on  the 
route  to  Whitman's  Valley,  and  when  formed  on  the  plain  were 
joined  by  Company  B.  A  few  persons  in  front  were  driving  our 


YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.       417 

cattle,  and  a  few  were  on  the  flanks  of  the  companies  and  near  the 
foot  of  the  hills  that  extend  along  the  river.  These  persons,  as 
well  as  I  can  ascertain,  were  fired  on  by  the  Indians."  It  is  as 
serted,  however,  by  members  of  Company  B,  that  one  of  the  flank 
ers  of  that  company,  a 'man  called  "  Jont,"  fired  the  first  shot,  which 
was  returned  by  the  savages.  Companies  A  and  F  were  detailed 
to  guard  the  baggage,  and  the  remainder  of  the  command  made  an 
immediate  attack  upon  the  enemy.  The  Indians  were  pursued  a 
distance  of  seven  miles  across  the  hills  and  up  the  Walla  Walla 
River,  a  running  fight  being  kept  up,  until  they  made  a  temporary 
stand  on  Dry  Creek.  They  again  fled  ;  but  four  miles  beyond  Dry 
Creek  they  made  a  determined  stand,  near  the  cabin  of  a  French 
Canadian  named  uLa  Rocque,"  where  a  desperate  battle  occurred. 
Their  line  extended  from  the  hills  across  the  flat  to  the  river. 
Along  the  stream  was  a  thick  growth  of  cotton  wood  and  under 
brush,  while  the  flat  was  covered  with  sage  brush  and  sand  knolls. 
These  all  furnished  a  good  screen  for  Indians  on  foot,  while  mounted 
ones  lined  the  hillsides.  The  report  says  :  — 

When  the  volunteers  reached  this  point  there  were  not  more  than  forty  or  fifty 
men,  being  those  mounted  upon  the  fleetest  horses.  Upon  these  the  Indians  poured 
a  murderous  fire  from  the  brushwood  and  willows  along  the  river,  and  from  the 
sage  bushes  along  the  plain,  wounding  a  number  of  the  volunteers.  The  men  fell 
back.  The  moment  was  critical.  They  were  commanded  to  cross  the  fence  which 
surrounds  La  Rocque's  field  and  charge  upon  the  Indians  in  the  brush.  In  execut 
ing  this  order  Lieutenant  Burrows,  of  Company  H,  was  killed,  and  Captain  Mun- 
son,  of  Company  I,  Isaac  Miller,  Sergeant-Major,  and  G.  W.  Smith,  of  Company  B, 
were  wounded.  A  dispatch  having  been  sent  to  Captain  Wilson,  of  Company  A, 
to  come  forward,  he  and  his  company  came  up  on  a  gallop,  dismounted  at  a  slough, 
and  with  fixed  bayonets  pushed  on  through  the  brush.  In  the  course  of  half  an 
hour  Captain  Bennett  was  on  the  ground  with  Company  F,  and  with  this  accession 
the  enemy  were  steadily  driven  forward  for  two  miles,  when  they  took  possession 
of  a  farm  house  and  close  fence  (Tellier's),  in  attempting  to  carry  which  Captain 
Bennett,  of  Company  F,  and  Private  Kelso,  of  Company  A,  were  killed.  A  howit 
zer  found  at  Fort  Walla  Walla,  under  charge  of  Captain  Wilson,  by  this  time  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  enemy.  Four  rounds  were  fired  when  the  piece  bursted, 
wounding  Captain  Wilson.  The  Indians  then  gave  way  at  all  points  ;  the  house 
and  fence  were  seized  and  held  by  the  volunteers  and  the  bodies  of  our  men  were 
recovered.  These  positions  were  held  by  us  until  nightfall,  when  the  volunteers 
fell  slowly  back  and  returned  unmolested,  to  camp  around  the  cabin  of  La  Rocque 
during  the  night. 

While  the  battle  was  progressing,  there  was  enacted  a  scene 
which  furnished  General  Wool  with  material  for  one  of  the  most 
telling  of  his  reflections  upon  the  spirit  evinced  by  the  people  in 


418  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  conduct  of  the  war.  This  was  the  killing  of  Peu-peu-niox-mox 
while  a  prisoner,  held  in  duress  in  defiance  of  the  rules  of  civilized 
war  which  guarantee  the  sanctity  of  a  flag  of  truce.  The  details  of 
this  affair,  as  related  by  several  eye-witnesses  and  participants,  were 
as  follows:  The  surgeons  had  decided  to  ifse  LaRocque's  cabin, 
where  the  Indians  had  made  their  first  stand,  as  a  hospital  for  the 
wounded.  Near  it  the  unfortunate  Lieutenant  J.  M.  Burrows  lay 
dead,  and  several  wounded  were  being  attended  to.  The  combatants 
had  passed  on  up  the  valley,  and  the  distant  detonation  of  their 
guns  could  be  heard.  The  flag  of  truce  prisoners  were  there  under 
guard,  and  every  one  seemed  electrified  with  suppressed  excitement. 
A  wounded  man  came  in  with  his  shattered  arm  dangling  at  his  side, 
and  reported  Captain  Bennett  killed  at  the  front.  This  added  to 
the  excitement,  and  the  attention  of  all  was  more  or  less  attracted 
to  the  wounded  man,  when  some  one  said,  "Look  out,  or  the  Indi 
ans  will  get  away!"  At  this,  seemingly,  every  one  yelled,  "Shoot 
'ern!  Shoot  "em!"  and  on  the  instant  there  was  a  rattle  of  musketry 
on  all  sides.  It  was  over  in  a  minute,  and  three  of  the  five  pris 
oners  lay  dead,  another  was  rendered  insensible  by  a  blow,  but  re 
covering  in  a  few  moments  was  shot  to  end  his  misery;  the  fifth, 
being  a  Nez  Perce,  was  spared,  and  the  fact  that  they  were  able  to 
control  their  excitement  sufficiently  to  make  this  nice  discrimination 
shows  there  was  a  "  method  in  their  madness."  Some  of  the  wit 
nesses  say  the  shooting  was  caused  by  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  prisoners  to  escape,  but  the  greater  number  state  that  a  refusal 
by  Peu-peu-mox-mox  to  be  tied  led  to  a  struggle  which  ended  as 
above.  The  men  were  angry  and  preferred  the  excitement  of  the 
fight  to  the  unpleasant  duty  of  guarding  Indians,  and  took  the  first 
good  opportunity  which  offered  to  rid  themselves  of  their  incurn- 
brances.  Only  one  had  an  opportunity  given  him  to  fight  for  his 
life.  This  was  a  Willamette  Indian  named  "  Jim  "  or  "  Wolf  Skin," 
who  had  a  knife  upon  his  person.  Drawing  this  he  fought  des 
perately  until  he  was  laid  low  with  a  blow  on  the  head  from  a 
musket  in  the  hands  of  a  soldier  who  had  approached  him  from 
behind.  The  dead  prisoners  were  scalped  in  true  barbaric  style. 
This  was  not  the  end ;  the  scalp  and  ears  of  the  great  "  Yellow 
Bird "  were  taken  to  the  Willamette  Valley  as  trophies  of  war, 
though  at  this  late  date  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  the  ears  of  a 


YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.         41 9 

slain  prisoner,  who  had  been  captured  under  a  flag  of  truce,  could 
be  looked  upon  in  the  light  of  honorable  trophies  of  war.  There 
is  no  question  about  this  fact,  and  there  are  living  in  Oregon  to-day 
many  before  whose  eyes  these  trophies  were  displayed.  The  Ore- 
gonian  of  January  5,  1856,  records  the  fact  that  on  the  thirty-first 
of  December  Dr.  Shaw,  Assistant  Surgeon  O.  M.  V.,  arrived  in 
Portland,  having  in  his  possession  the  ears  of  Peu-psu-mox-inox, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Story,  of  Company  A,  who  displayed  the  same 
chiefs  scalp.  It  can  well  be  imagined  with  what  telling  effect 
General  Wool  related  this  incident  in  his  official  report,  his  various 
newspaper  communications  and  private  letters. 

The  battle  was  renewed  the  following  day  and  lasted  four  days 
longer.  The  incidents,  as  reported  by  Colonel  Kelly,  were  as 
follows : — 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  eighth  the  Indians  appeared  with  increased  forces, 
amounting  to  fully  six  hundred  warriors.  They  were  posted  as  usual  in  the  thick 
brush  by  the  river — among  the  sage  bushes  and  sand  knolls,  and  on  the  surround 
ing  hills.  This  day  Lieutenant  Pillow  with  Company  A,  and  Lieutenant  Hannon 
with  Company  H,  were  ordered  to  take  and  hold  the  brush  skirting  the  river  and 
sage  bushes  on  the  plain.  Lieutenant  Fellows  with  Company  F  was  directed  to 
take  and  keep  the  possession  of*the  point  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  Lieutenant  Jef 
fries  with  Company  B,  Lieutenant  Hand  with  Company  I,  and  Captain  Cornoyer 
with  Company  K,  were  posted  on  three  several  points  on  the  hills  with  orders  to 
maintain  them  and  to  assail  the  enemy  on  other  points  of  the  same  hills.  As  usual, 
the  Indians  were  driven  from  their  position,  although  they  fought  with  skill  and 
bravery.  On  the  ninth  they  did  not  make  their  appearance  until  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  then  in  somewhat  diminished  numbers.  As  I  had  sent  to 
Fort  Henrietta  for  Companies  D  and  E,  and  expected  them  on  the  tenth,  I  thought 
it  best  to  act  on  the  defensive  and  hold  our  positions  which  were  the  same  as  on 
the  eighth,  until  we  could  get  an  accession  to  our  forces  sufficient  to  enable  us  to 
assail  their  rear  and  cut  off  their  retreat.  An  attack  was  made  during  the  day  on 
Companies  A  and  H  in  the  brushwood,  and  upon  B  on  the  hill,  both  of  which  were 
repulsed  with  great  gallantry  by  those  companies,  and  with  considerable  loss  to  the 
enemy.  Companies  F,  I  and  K  also  did  great  honor  to  themselves  in  repelling  all 
approaches  to  their  positions,  although  in  doing  so  one  man  in  Company  F  and  one 
in  Company  I  were  severely  wounded.  Darkness  as  usual  closed  the  combat,  by 
the  enemy  withdrawing  from  the  field.  Owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  night  the 
companies  on  the  hill  were  withdrawn  from  their  several  positions,  Company  B 
abandoning  its  rifle  pits  which  were  made  by  the  men  of  that  company  for  its  pro 
tection.  At  early  dawn  on  the  next  day  the  Indians  were  observed  from  our  camp 
to  be  in  possession  of  all  points  held  by  us  on  the  preceding  day.  Upon  seeing 
them  Lieutenant  Me AulifF  of  Company  B  gallantly  observed  that  his  company 
had  dug  those  holes  and  after  breakfast  they  would  have  them  again,  and  well  was 
his  declaration  fulfilled,  for  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  the  enemy  was  driven  from 
the  pits  and  fled  to  an  adjoining  hill  which  they  had  occupied  the  day  before.  This 
position  was  at  once  assailed.  Captain  Cornoyer  with  Company  K,  and  a  portion 
of  Company  I,  being  mounted,  gallantly  charged  the  enemy  on  his  right  flank, 


420  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

while  Lieutenant  McAuliff  with  Company  B  dismounted,  rushed  up  the  hill  in 
face  of  a  heavy  fire  and  scattered  them  in  all  directions.  They  at  once  fled  in  all 
directions  to  return  to  this  battlefield  no  more,  and  thus  ended  our  long  contested 
fight. 

The  bravery  of  the  volunteers  and  their  gallant  conduct  in 
charging  and  dispersing  the  enemy  time  after  time,  is  worthy  the 
highest  praise.  Veteran  troops  could  not  have  done  better  service. 
The  report  says  that  it  was  learned  from  friendly  Indians  that  the 
battle  was  participated  in  by  Walla  Wallas,  Uinatillas,  Cayuses, 
Palouses,  and  Stock  WMtley's  band  of  Des  Chutes ;  and  that  after 
their  defeat  some  of  them  went  to  Grand  Roude  and  others  crossed 
to  the  north  side  of  Snake  River,  while  Stock  Whitley,  disgusted 
with  the  manner  in  which  the  others  had  fought,  took  his  band  to 
the  Yakima  country  to  join  Kama-i-akun.  The  Indians  were  pur 
sued  a  distance  towards  Snake  River,  and  much  provisions  and 
cattle  were  captured.  Narcisse  Remond  and  the  other  French 
Canadians  on  the  Walla  Walla,  appealed  for  protection,  and  were 
escorted  to  the  temporary  camp  where  they  were  exempt  from 
danger  of  molestation.  The  report  concludes  :— - 

We  have  now  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  country  south  of  Snake  River, 
and  I  would  suggest  the  propriety  of  retaining  this  possession  until  such  time  as  it 
can  be  occupied  by  the  regular  troops ;  *  *  *  but  I  would  suggest  the 
propriety  of  following  up  the  Indians  with  all  possible  speed,  now  that  their  hopes 
are  blighted  and  their  spirits  broken.  Unless  this  is  done  they  will  perhaps  rally 
again.  I  must  earnestly  ask  that  supplies  may  be  sent  forward  to  us  without  delay. 
For  the  last  three  days  none  of  the  volunteers,  except  the  two  companies  from  Fort 
Henrietta,  have  had  any  flour.  None  is  here,  and  but  little  at  that  post.  We  are 
now  living  on  beef  and  potatoes,  which  are  found  en  cache,  and  the  men  are  be 
coming  much  discontented  with  this  mode  of  living.  Clothing  for  the  men  is  much 
needed  as  the  winter  approaches.  To-morrow  we  will  remove  to  a  more  suitable 
point,  where  grass  can  be  obtained  in  greater  abundance  for  our  worn-out  horses. 
A  place  has  been  selected  about  two  miles  above  Whitman  Station,  on  the  same 
(north)  side  of  the  Walla  Walla,  consequently  I  will  abandon  this  fort,  named  in 
honor  of  Captain  Bennett  of  Company  ]?,  who  now  sleeps  beneath  its  stockade,  and 
whose  career  of  usefulness  and  bravery  was  here  so  sadly  but  nobly  closed. 

The  losses  sustained  by  the  volunteers  in  the  five  days'  conflict 
were  comparatively  slight,  only  twenty  being  injured  in  any  way. 
The  list  is  as  follows :  Killed,  Captain  Charles  Bennett,  Company 
F  ;  Lieutenant  J.  M.  Burrows,  Company  H ;  Private  S.  S.  Van 
Hagerman,  Company  I.  Mortally  wounded,  Privates  Kelso  and 
Joseph  Flemming,  Company  A  ;  Henry  Crow,  Company  H  ;  Joseph 
Sturdevant,  Company  B.  Wounded,  Captain  Lyman  B.  Monson, 
Company  I ;  Captain  A.  V.  Wilson,  Company  A  ;  Captain  Davis 


YAKIMA,  WALLA   WALLA  AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        421 

Layton,  Company  H ;  Privates  Casper  Snook,  T.  J.  Payne,  F. 
Crabtree,  Nathan  Fry,  Isaac  Miller  and  A.  M.  Addington,  Com 
pany  H  ;  J.  B.  Gervais,  Company  K  ;  G.  W.  Smith,  Company  B  ; 
Franklin  Duval,  Company  A  ;  and  Sergeant  Major  Isaac  Miller. 
The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  placed  by  Colonel  Kelly  at  about 
seventy-live,  his  report  stating  that  thirty-nine  bodies  had  been 
found  by  the  volunteers.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  the  reason 
for  such  a  marked  contrast  in  the  losses  sustained  by  the  two  sides, 
especially  since  the  volunteers  acted  on  the  offensive  and  the  In 
dians  only  fought  when  protected  by  natural  defenses.  The  ten 
dency  to  over-estimate  the  loss  of  the  defeated  enemy  is  not  confined 
to  Oregon  ;  it  is  as  widespread  as  the  earth's  green  carpet.  The 
total  footing  of  the  estimated  loss  of  the  enemy  reported  by  the 
commanders  of  the  opposing  forces  during  the  Rebellion,  was  far 
in  excess  of  the  actual  number  of  killed,  wounded  and  captured  in 
both  the  Confederate  and  Union  armies,  including  the  deaths  from 
disease,  to  which  can  be  charged  fully  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  mortality 
of  war. 

News  of  the  battle  of  Walla  Walla  reached  The  Dalles  at  the 
time  General  Wool  was  removing  the  regulars  to  Vancouver.  The 
courier  who  brought  the  first  intelligence  had  left  the  scene  of  con 
flict  while  the  fight  of  the  second  day  was  raging,  and,  consequently, 
could  only  say  that  a  great  battle  was  in  progress,  several  volun 
teers  had  been  killed,  and  the  result  was  yet  in  doubt.  Adhering 
to  his  determination  to  let  the  volunteers  conduct  their  operations 
—needless,  in  his  opinion — unaided  by  the  regular  troops,  the  com 
mander  apparently  paid  no  attention  to  the  startling  intelligence  of 
the  courier,  who  took  passage  from  The  Dalles  upon  the  very  boat 
which  conveyed  the  troops  to  Vancpuver.  Not  so  the  people.  Ex 
citement  was  raised  to  a  high  pitch,  and  many  uncomplimentary 
remarks  were  made  about  the  indifferent  conduct  of  the  troops. 
The  Oregonian  was  especially  bitter  in  its  denunciations,  calling 
attention  to  the  circumstances  of  the  courier  and  troops  being  upon 
the  same  steamer,  in  the  following  language:— 

It  looks  bad,  to  say  the  least,  that  a  steamer  should  be  loaded  with  U.  S.  troops 
coming  out  of  the  Indian  country  at  the  same  time  that  news  was  being  brought 
down  of  a  severe  and  bloody  conflict  of  five  days'  duration,  between  the  volunteers 
and  a  large  body  of  Indians ;  particularly  so  when  the  volunteers  were  nearly  out 
of  provisions,  short  of  ammunition,  and  entirely  destitute  of  other  necessary  articles 


422  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

to  carry  out  the  war;  and,  withal,  fur  in  the  Indian  country,  and,  for  aught  any 
body  knew,  surrounded  by  the  enemy  and  in  danger-of  being  cut  off' entirely.  Are 
the  people,  the  civilians,  to  protect  themselves  and  defend  the  country  from  barba 
rian  marauders,  while  those  who  have  contracted  for  that  service  remain  idle  and 
listless  in  their  winter  quarters,  eating,  drinking,  and  making  merry? 

Also  appeared  the  following  remarks  on  the  state  of  the  war:— 

How  goes  on  the  war?  We  answer,  that  the  U.  S.  troops,  who  are  paid  for  fight 
ing,  and  who  have  been  sent  here  at  the  expense  of  the  General  Government  to  pro 
tect  the  people,  are  all  housed  up  in  good  winter  quarters,  eating,  drinking,  and 
making  merry,  while  a  few  bare-footed,  half-starved  volunteers,  who  came  here  at 
their  own  expense,  are  in  the  field  fighting  the  battles  of  their  country.  In  every 
fight  north,  they  came  out  first  best.  Thus  goes  the  war.  Volunteers  can  go  bare 
footed,  can  sleep  without  blankets,  eat  their  horses,  if  need  be,  while  the  "carpet 
knights"  [he  would  have  called  them  "Dudes"  in  this  age  of  more  ample  epithet- 
ical  vocabularly]  of  the  regular  service  must  be  well  fed,  well  shod,  and  well 
blanketed,  and  have  howitzers,  withal,  or  they  can  not  take  the  field.  The  car 
casses  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dead  Indians  at  Walla  Walla  plains  show  how  goes 
on  the  war. 

Mr.  Dryer,  thinking  Colonel  Kelly's  estimate  of  the  number  of 
"  good  Indians,"  made  at  Walla  Walla,  too  modest,  multiplied  it 
by  two.  It  was  a  little  reckless  under  the  circumstances,  but  such 
was  the  style  of  that  paper  when  under  that  enthusiastic  gentle 
man's  management.  These  uncomplimentary  remarks  were  brought 
to  the  attention  of  General  Wool,  and  the  old  veteran  replied  to 
the  effect  that  he  professed  to  do  his  duty  as  he  understood  it ;  that 
the  people  of  Oregon  might  say  what  they  pleased,  it  was  not  the 
first  time  he  had  had  dogs  barking  at  his  heels.  This  was  too 
much  for  the  Oregonian;  it  smote  General  Wool  hip  and  thigh  ; 
said  he  was  in  his  dotage,  was  an  old  woman,  had  insulted  the 
people  and  called  them  clogs.  The  object  of  these  fierce  tirades 
made  no  reply,  yet  it  may  well  be  imagined  that  they  only  served 
to  make  him  more  set  in  his  purpose  to  pay  no  attention  whatever 
to  the  movements  of  Governor  Curry's  army,  but  to  act  entirely 
upon  his  own  responsibility  at  his  own  chosen  time.  He  had 
decided  to  occupy  the  Indian  country  with  a  strong  force  in  the 
spring,  and  was  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  9th  regiment  to  enable 
him  to  do  so.  In  January  he  ordered  Captain  (now  General)  Ord's 
company  of  dragoons  to  San  Francisco,  and  was  abused  for  send 
ing  troops  out  of  the  country  and  depriving  the  people  of  the  pro 
tection  they  had  a  right  to  expect  from  the  Government.  These 
complaints  were  soon  silenced  by  the  arrival  of  the  9th  regiment,  six 
hundred  of  whom  were  landed  at  Vancouver  the  last  week  in  January 


YAKIMA,    WALT  A    WALLA    AND   PUGET   SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.        423 

by  the  steamers  Oregon  and  Republic,  two  hundred  more  being  sent 
to  the  Sound.  The  San  Francisco  papers  published  interviews  with 
the  General,  who  had  returned  to  that  city,  in  which  he  was  made  to 
state  that  the  troubles  in  Oregon  were  caused  in  both  cases  by  the 
whites,  and  that  alonsr  the  Columbia  there  was  no  war  other  than 
that  created  by  the  unwarranted  conduct  of  Governor  Curry  in 
sending  Oregon  troops  into  Washington  Territory,  at  great  expense 
to  the  Government,  to  attack  Indians  from  whom  the  people  of 
Oregon  had  no  reason  to  apprehend  any  danger  to  themselves 
whatever.  This  drew  out  two  columns  of  the  "  Oregon  style" 
from  the  exasperated  editor  of  the  Oregonian,  was  severely  com 
mented  upon  by  the  other  papers,  and  caused  much  indignation 
among  the  people  generally.  It  was  at  this  time  General  Wool 
wrote  the  letter  to  the  National  Intelligencer,  which  has  been 
referred  to,  giving  a  history  of  the  cause  and  progress  of  the  war, 
and  laying  particular  stress  upon  the  killing  and  mutilation  of 
Peu-peu-rnox-mox.  It  was  several  months  before  a  copy  of  this 
reached  Oregon,  but  when  it  did  another  baptism  of  wrath  was 
showered  upon  the  gray  hairs  of  the  Mexican  hero.  On  the  ninth 
of  February  the  Oregon  Legislature  addressed  a  memorial  to  the 
President,  requesting  the  removal  of  General  Wool  from  command 
of  this  department.  About  the  same  time.  Governor  Stevens,  who 
had  returned  in  safety,  addressed  a  long  communication  to  the  Sec 
retary  of  War,  stating  his  personal  grievances  and  preferring  charges 
against  General  Wool.  He  made  it  appear  that  his  immediate  and 
safe  return  was  the  great  question  of  the  hour,  and  in  neglecting,  or 
refusing,  to  provide  for  this  the  commanding  officer  had  been 
guilty  of  a  most  heinous  crime.  General  Wool  had  taken  the  view- 
that  Governor  Stevens1  party  was  able  to  look  out  for  itself  ;  that 
if  the  executive  of  Washington  Territory  did  not  return  to  the  seat 
of  Government  for  six  months,  the  material  interests  of  the  Terri 
tory  would  not  be  in  the  least  jeopardized  ;  at  least  the  necessity 
of  his  immediate  return  was  not  great  enough  to  justify  him  in 
making  an  invasion  of  the  Indian  country  in  the  dead  of  winter. 
Governor  Stevens'  opinion  of  his  own  importance  seems  to  have 
been  somewhat  greater  than  this.  From  this  letter  of  the  Governor 
are  gleaned  the  incidents  attending  his  return  journey.  At  the 
Hellgate  he  was  met  by  fourteen  Nez  Perces,  among  whom  were 


424  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Spotted  Eagle,  Looking  Glass  and  Three  Feathers,  who,  after  a 
brief  council,  invited  him  to  go  to  their  country,  where  a  large  force 
of  braves  would  escort  him  to  The  Dalles.  They  united  with  his 
party,  and  all  crossed  the  Bitterroot  Mountains  on  the  fourteenth 
of  November,  passing  through  three  feet  of  snow,  and  reached  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  Mission  on  the  twenty-fifth.  Here  he  heard  con 
tradictory  and  vague  rumors  of  the  events  happening  below,  and  of 
the  condition  of  affairs,  nothing  appearing  certain  except  the  fact 
that  the  Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses  and  Umatillas  cherished  a  hostile 
spirit,  rendering  it  dangerous  for  him  to  attempt  to  pass  through 
that  region  without  a  strong  escort.  He  pushed  on  to  the  Spokane 
country,  where  he  held  a  council  with  the  three  tribes  of  Spokanes, 
Coeur  d'Alenes  and  Colvilles,  Mr.  McDonald,  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany  agent  at  Fort  Colville,  and  the  Jesuit  Fathers  stationed  at 
that  point,  being  present.  The  Indians  were  much  excited  and 
were  wavering  between  peace  and  war.  "After  a  stormy  council 
of  several  days/'  so  says  the  communication,  "the  Spokanes,  Cceur 
d'Alenes  and  Cclvilles  were  entirely  conciliated,  and  promised 
they  would  reject  all  overtures  of  the  hostile  Indians,  and  continue 
the  firm  friends  of  the  whites."  He  augmented  his  party,  and 
made  a  forced  march  to  the  Clearwater,  at  Lapwai,  where  the  Nez 
Perces  were  assembled.  He  was  there  informed  that  the  Walla 
Walla  country  was  occupied  by  hostile  Indians,  and  it  would  be 
unsafe  to  attempt  a  passage  through  unguarded.  While  nego 
tiations  were  in  progress  for  a  body  guard  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
braves  to  escort  him  to  The  Dalles,  news  was  received  that  the 
hostiles  had  been  driven  out  of  the  country  by  the  volunteers  ;  and 
the  next  day  he  started  with  sixty -nine  well  armed  Nez  Perces,  and 
reached  Walla  WTalla  without  encountering  any  opposition.  There 
he  found  the  Oregon  volunteers  encamped,  also  the  French  settlers 
before  alluded  to,  the  friendly  Indians,  and  B.  F.  Shaw,  Colonel  of 
Washington  Territory  Militia  and  Special  Indian  Agent.  The 
Governor  placed  him  in  command,  with  instructions  to  fortify  and 
maintain  his  ground  in  case  the  Oregon  troops  should  return  home. 
He  then  disbanded  his  Nez  Perce  auxiliaries,  and  continued  his 
journey  to  the  seat  of  government  at  Olympia.  The  communica 
tion  concludes  with  the  following  specific  charges  : — 


YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PtJGET  SOtTNTD  CAMPAIGNS.       425 

MR.  SEC RETARY— Major  General  Wool,  commanding  the  Pacific  Division,  neg 
lected  and  refused  to  send  a  force  to  the  relief  of  myself  and  party,  when  known  to 
be  in  imminent  danger,  and  believed  by  those  who  were  not  less  capable  of  judging, 
to  be  coming  on  to  certain  death,  and  this  when  he  had  at  his  command  an  efficient 
force  of  regular  troops.  He  refused  to  sanction  the  agreement  made  between  Gov 
ernor  Mason  and  Major  Raines  for  troops  to  be  sent  to  my  assistance,  and  ordered 
them  to  disband.  It  was  reserved  for  the  Oregon  troops  to  rescue  us.  The  only 
demonstration  made  by  Major  Raines  resulted  in  showing  his  utter  incapacity  to 
command  in  the  field.  As  has  heretofore  been  said,  his  expedition  against  the 
Yakimas  effected  nothing  but  driving  the  Indians  into  the  very  country  through 
which  I  must  pass  to  reach  the  settlements.  I  therefore  prefer  charges  against 
General  Wool.  I  accuse  him  of  utter  and  signal  incapacity,  of  criminal  neglect  of 
my  safety.  I  ask  for  an  investigation  into  the  matter,  and  for  his  removal  from 
command. 

Until  this  epistle  saw  the  light,  it  was  the  general  opinion 
that  Major  Raines  and  Colonel  Nesmith  had  accomplished  consid 
erable  when  they  invaded  the  Yakima  country  and  compelled 
the  hostile  bands  of  Kama-i-akun  to  evacuate  it;  but  Governor 
Stevens,  viewing  it  simply  in  the  light  of  the  effect  it  had  upon 
him  personally,  and  not  with  regard  to  the  punishment  of  the  In 
dians  or  the  safety  of  the  people  generally,  charged  Major  Raines 
with  "  utter  incapacity,"  because  he  drove  "  the  Indians  into  the 
very  country  through  which  I  must  pass."  He  also  accused  General 
Wool  of  u  utter  and  signal  incapacity,"  because  of  a  "  criminal  neg 
lect  of  my  safety."  It  is  no  wonder  that  neither  the  President  nor 
the  Secretary  of  War  paid  the  least  attention  to  such  frivolous 
charges  so  gravely  made.  Nor  did  a  memorial  voted  by  the  Ore 
gon  Legislature  on  the  ninth  of  February,  asking  the  removal  of 
General  Wool,  receive  any  better  treatment. 

The  condition  of  affairs  up  to  this  time  had  been  much  compli 
cated  by  the  hostile  attitude  of  Indians  living  along  Puget  Sound. 
When  Major  Haller  started  from  The  Dalles  upon  his  unfortunate 
invasion  of  the  Yakima  country,  it  will  be  remembered  that  Lieu 
tenant  W.  A.  Slaughter  undertook  to  go  from  Ft.  Steilacoom 
through  the  Natchess  Pass  with  forty  men,  and  form  a  junction 
with  him.  Haller  was  defeated  and  Slaughter  fell  back  to  White 
River,  where  he  was  joined  by  Captain  M.  Maloney  with  seventy- 
five  men.  On  the  twenty -fourth  of  October  Captain  Gilmore  Hays 
joined  him  with  a  company  of  volunteers  from  Olympia,  and  the 
whole  force  took  up  its  march  for  the  Natchess  Pass,  expecting  to 
co-operate  with  Major  Raines  and  Colonel  Nesmith.  who  were  about 
to  invade  the  Yakima  country  in  force.  A  few  days  later,  having 


426  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

been  informed  by  courier  that  Major  Raines  would  not  start  for 
some  weeks,  his  provisions  beginning  to  run  low,  and  the  lateness 
of  the  season  threatening  soon  to  blockade  the  mountains  with 
snow,  he  deemed  it  judicious  to  return  to  Ft.  Steilacoom,  especially 
as  the  Sound  Indians  were  evincing  a  hostile  spirit,  and  the  invasion 
of  warlike  tribes  from  British  Columbia  was  feared.  These  North 
ern  Indians,  like  the  Saxons,  Danes  and  Norsemen  of  old,  were  ac 
customed  to  make  long  coasting  voyages  in  their  immense  war  ca 
noes,  and  iuvade  whatever  region  they  might  see  fit.  Ptiget  Sound 
Indians  and,  after  its  settlement,  the  whites,  were  frequent  sufferers 
from  these  plundering  raids.  While  returning,  Maloney  and  Hays 
were  attacked  by  Indians  on  White  River,  and  a  severe  engage 
ment  followed,  resulting,  as  reported,  in  the  death  of  one  regular, 
the  wounding  of  one  volunteer,  and  the  killing  of  forty  Indians. 
The  force  continued  its  retreat  to  Ft.  Steilacoom.  The  greatest 
alarm  prevailed  among  the  settlers  of  that  region.  They  hastened 
to  points  of  safety  with  their  families,  and  built  stockades  and 
block-houses  for  their  protection.  Many  of  the  abandoned  cabins 
were  destroyed  by  the  Indians. 

This  was  the  condition  in  which  Governor  Stevens  found  things 
when  he  reached  Olynipia  on  the  nineteenth  of  January.  Three 
days  later  he  issued  a  call  for  six  companies  of  volunteers  to  serve 
on  the  Sound,  and  three  companies  to  be  recruited  along  the  Co 
lumbia  for  service  east  of  the  mountains.  He  also  made  arrange 
ments  with  Captain  Gansevoort,  of  the  United  States  steamer  Active, 
to  cruise  on  the  Sound  below  Seattle,  on  the  lookout  for  Northern 
Indians;  and  requested  Governor  Douglas,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  to  keep  a  vessel  cruising  in  the  vicinity  of  Victoria,  and 
warn  him  of  the  approach  of  war  canoes.  A  few  days  later  the 
Indians  attacked  Seattle,  burned  and  destroyed  everything  in  King 
County,  except  Seattle  itself,  and  the  little  settlement  of  Alki. 
About  this  time  the  force  under  Colonel  Wright  arrived  from  San 
Francisco,  and  Lieutenant -Colonel  Casey  was  sent  to  Puget  Sound 
with  two  hundred  men.  The  organized  forces  on  the  Sound  were 
divided  into  three  battalions — "Northern,"  "Central"  and  "South 
ern  "•  —which  established  separate  headquarters,  and  constructed  a 
chain  of  block-houses  from  Yelni  Prairie  to  Bellingham  Bay.  The 
central  position  of  the  regulars  was  at  Muckleshoot  Prairie.  The 


•YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA  AND  PTJGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.     427 

naval  forces  were  stationed  at  Seattle,  and  were  commanded  at  this 
time  by  Captain  Swartwout.  Thus  was  the  Sound  guarded  while 
Governor  Stevens  was  making  preparations  for  an  invasion  of  the 
country  east  of  the  mountains.  A  return  to  the  Oregon  volunteers 
left  in  winter  camp  at  Walla  Walla  is  now  necessary. 

The  Oregon  troops  held  possession  of  the  Walla  Walla  country 
during  the  winter,  occasionally  moving,  for  convenience,  to  a  new 
camping  ground.  Though  the  route  to  The  Dalles  was  open  and 
comparatively  free  from  danger  of  attack  upon  trains  of  supplies, 
but  limited  quantities  of  those  necessaries  reached  the  front.  The 
troops  depended  chiefly  upon  meat,  procured  by  killing  captured 
stock,  and,  at  times,  being  reduced  to  an  uninviting  fare  of  horse 
meat.  The  officers  of  the  commissary  department  were  too  busy 
running  up  big  bills  of  expense  for  the  Government  to  pay,  to  give 
much  attention  to  the  suffering  men  in  the  field.  Warmly  clad  and 
bountifully  fed  at  The  Dalles,  how  could  they  be  expected  to  ap 
preciate  the  necessities  of  the  ragged  and  half-starved  volunteers, 
bravely  enduring  the  rigors  of  winter  in  the  enemy's  country? 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Walla  Walla,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kelly 
proceeded  to  the  Willamette  Valley  temporarily,  arid  during  his 
absence  an  election  occurred  to  fill  the  vacancies  caused  by  the  res 
ignation  of  Colonel  Nesmith  and  Major  Armstrong,  in  pursuance 
of  instructions  from  headquarters.  This  resulted  in  the  choice  of 
Captain  Thomas  R.  Cornelius,  Colonel,  and  Captain  N.  A.  Cor- 
noyer,  Major.  About  the  middle  of  January  Governor  Curry  issued 
a  proclamation  calling  for  five  companies — one  each  from  Linn, 
Marion,  Polk,  Yamhill,  and  Clackamas — to  take  the  place  of  those 
disbanded,  also  forty  men  to  recruit  Cornoyer's  company  of  scouts 
from  French  Prairie.  These  were  in  due  time  recruited,  mustered 
in,  and  marched  to  the  camp  at  Walla  Walla.  The  French  settlers 
and  friendly  Indians  were  sent  to  The  Dalles,  and  on  the  tenth  of 
March  Colonel  Cornelius  marched  with  his  entire  command  in  search 
of  the  enemy.  In  two  days  they  reached  Snake  River  at  Fish-hook 
Bend.  On  the  opposite  side  was  an  Indian  village,  whose  inhabi 
tants,  thinking  the  stream  could  not  be  crossed,  were  very  insulting 
and  defiant,  until  the  most  demonstrative  one  was  laid  low  with  a 
bullet.  At  the  same  time  the  volunteers  launched  the  boats  they 
had  prepared,  and  the  savages  fled  in  terror.  They  were  pursued 


428  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

i 

by  scouting  parties,  who  overtook  them  as  they  were  about  cross 
ing  the  Columbia  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima,  and  succeeded  in 
killing  one  of  them  and  capturing  some  horses.  On  the  fourteenth 
the  entire  command  moved  up  Palouse  and  Snake  rivers,  and  en 
camped  three  miles  above  the  falls.  Here  they  remained  several 
days  and  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  subsisting  upon  horse 
meat.  So  poorly  was  the  commissary  department  administered, 
that  even  in  their  winter  camp  they  had  been  for  weeks  at  a  time 
without  receiving  supplies;  and  now  that  they  were  on  the  move 
their  chances  for  being  fed  upon  regular  rations  were  much  less. 
A  few  days  of  Cayuse  diet  were  all  the  fresh  levies  could  stand. 
They  had  heard  of  some  of  the  privations,'  including  the  equine 
provender,  which  the  men  at  the  front  had  endured;  but  it  was  as 
a  "  tale  that  is  told,"  and  made  slight  impression  upon  their  minds. 
Here,  however,  was  the  actual  reality  experienced  in  their  own 
proper  persons,  and  the  impression  was  on  their  stomach  and  more 
vivid  and  lasting.  They  mutinied,  and  declared  an  intention  to 
march  back  to  The  Dalles  at  once.  They  were  told  of  the  disgrace 
of  turning  back  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  of  the  hardships  of  cold 
and  hunger  the  veterans  had  endured,  and  were  promised  a  remod 
eling  of  the  bill  of  'fare  as  quickly  as  possible.  They  finally  con 
sented  to  give  the  commissary  department  one  day  of  grace,  and  be 
fore  that  time  expired  provisions  arrived  and  the  mutiny  was  at  an 
end.  The  command  marched  to  White  Bluffs,  on  the  Columbia, 
without  encountering  any  Indians.  On  the  sixth  of  April  they 
crossed  to  the  west  side  of  the  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakiina, 
and  followed  the  stream  down  to  a  point  opposite  Fort  Walla 
Walla.  Here  a  limited  amount  of  supplies  was  received,  and  the 
homeward  march  to  The  Dalles  was  taken  up  by  way  of  the 
Yakima  country. 

About  the  sixteenth  of  April,  the  force  reached  the  mouth  of 
Satas  Creek  on  the  Yakima  River,  and  went  into  camp.  A  divid 
ing  ridge  only  shut  out  from  them  a  view  of  the  valley  of  the  reser 
vation,  where  they  had  found  plenty  of  cattle  the  fall  before. 
Since  leaving  the  Palouse  Falls,  one-half  their  subsistence  had  been 
upon  horse  meat  and  they  yearned  for  the  fresh  meat  of  the 
Yakimas.  In  the  morning  Captain  Hembree,  with  five  or  six  men, 
crossed  the  creek,  and  commenced  ascending  the  bluffs  to  the  north. 


YAKIMA,  WALLA  WALLA   AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.       429 

He  was  going  a  short  distance  to  see  if  any  beef  cattle  could  be 
discovered,  and,  while  passing  to  the  right  of  a  hill,  the  volunteers 
in  camp  discovered  some  forty  loose  horses  galloping  around  the 
opposite  side  of  it  towards  him.  Suddenly,  as  those  horses  reached 
a  point  between  the  camp  and  the  Captain,  every  one  of  them  was 
found  to  have  an  Indian  rider  ;  and  the  next  instant,  with  a  savage 
yell,  the  Yakimas  charged  upon  the  little  squad  of  whites.  Cap 
tain  Hembree  fell  from  his  horse,  and  in  a  minute  wa's  scalped  and 
lifeless.  Two  of  the  assailants  were  shot  by  him  in  the  brief 
struggle,  and  another  was  killed  by  one  of  the  soldiers,  all  of  whom 
broke  through  the  lines  and  escaped.  The  Indians  carried  off  their 
dead,  but  afterwards  acknowledged  the  loss  of  two  braves  in  the 
death  struggle  with  the  white  chief.  Upon  the  instant  that  the 
attack  was  discovered  the  alarm  was  given  in  camp,  and  Major 
Cornoyer,  with  a  few  hastily  gathered  men,  dashed  across  to  the 
rescue.  They  had  hardly  started  when  firing  was  commenced  on 
the  south  side  of  the  creek  by  the  Indians,  who  were  making  a 
general  move  to  stampede  the  soldiers'  horses.  Captain  Hembree 
was  found  stretched  upon  the  ground,  naked,  mutilated,  dead.  The 
effort  to  stampede  the  horses  failed,  and  the  Indians  disappeared 
as  suddenly  as  they  had  come.  That  day  Major  Cornoyer,  in  com 
mand  of  several  companies  of  the  regiment,  followed  the  enemy, 
and  an  engagement  ensued  that  resulted  in  driving  the  Indians 
from  their  fortified  stronghold,  and  the  killing  of  six  of  them  with 
no  loss  to  the  whites.  The  ensuing  day  saw  the  line  of  march  for 
The  Dalles  resumed  by  the  entire  force,  bearing  with  them  the 
body  of  the  gallant  Hembree.  Without  incident,  other  than  the 
killing  of  two  Indians  who  were  met  in  the  trail,  the  volunteers 
reached  Klickitat  Valley,  and  camped  to  recruit  their  stock,  and 
received  orders  for  mustering  out  of  service.  While  occupying 
this  camp,  April  28th,  a  band  of  some  fifty  hostiles  made  a  dash 
upon  the  grazing  stock  of  the  command,  and  stampeding  them, 
captured  three  hundred  and  ninety  head  of  horses,  which  left  the 
Oregon  volunteers  dismounted.  The  regulars  at  The  Dalles  came 
to  their  assistance,  but  having  no  orders  to  pursue  the  enemy, 
Kama-i-akun  was  left  to  fall  back  slowly  to  the  north  unmolested. 
Thus  ended  the  campaign,  and  the  volunteers  who  had  so 
gallantly  fought  in  the  field  and  endured  uncomplainingly  so 


430  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

many  unnecessary  privations,  were  mustered  out,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  company  from  Clackamas,  and  found  their  way  home 
ward  without  even  a  word  of  thanks  from  the  Governor,  at  whose 
call  they  had  left  their  homes  and  business.  They  were  poorer  in 
purse,  poorer  in  flesh  and  poorer  still  in  their  faith  in  humanity, 
but  they  had  gained  a  vast  fund  of  experience.  The  people, 
however,  were  more  generous  in  their  conduct.  The  citizens  of 
Yamhill  gave  a  grand  banquet  to  the  volunteers  from  that  county, 
at  Lafayette,  on  ihe  fifteenth  of  May  ;  and  the  Washington  county 
troops  were  entertained  at  Hillsboro  on  the  thirty-first.  Governor 
Curry  called  for  two  companies  to  guard  the  south  side  of  the 
Columbia,  and  on  this  subject  the  Oregonian  remarked  :— 

None  of  those  in  the  field  were  willing  to  volunteer  for  the  required  service, 
showing  too  plainly  that  their  previous  hardships  had  taken  from  them  all  desire 
to  run  any  risk  by  a  second  campaign.  Colonel  Cornelius  and  his  command  have 
done  all  that  it  was  possible  to  do;  they  nobly  responded  to  the  call;  they  left  home 
when  their  services  were  needed  ;  they  endured  the  exposure  and  fatigue  of  a  cold, 
inclement  winter;  they  were  left  (by  somebody)  to  provision  themselves.  *  *  * 
They  are  left  to  thank  themselves  for  the  important  services  rendered  the  country. 
No  executive  official  is  present  to  welcome  them  back,  and,  in  the  name  of  the 
people,  thank  them  for  having  so  nobly  done  their  duty.  They  arrive  arid  are 
mustered  out  like  so  many  heathen. 

The  two  companies  were  raised  and  left  Portland  on  the  four 
teenth  of  June  for  The  Dalles,  commanded  by  Captains  Wilson  and 
Wilbur. 

The  mal-administration  of  affairs  in  the  commissary  department 
was  the  subject  of  much  controversy  at  the  end  of  the  campaign. 
Frequent  complaints  had  been  made  during  the  winter,  but  the  fol 
lowing  somewhat  disconnected  and  incoherent,  but  easily  compre 
hended,  cornrmmication,  sent  to  the  Oregonian  from  The  Dalles  on 
the  twenty -first  of  April  and  signed  "  A  Horse-fed  Volunteer,"  was 
the  signal  for  a  war  of  words  and  printer's  ink:— 

It  has  become  my  painful  duty  to  announce,  through  your  paper,  to  the  citizens 
of  the  Willamette,  the  treatment  the  volunteers  have  received,  and  their  apprecia 
tion  of  the  same.  Six  months  ago  they  volunteered  in  good  faith,  to  fight  their 
country's  foe.  They  expected  to  meet  with  ordinary  hardships  and  privations,  but 
they  did  not  expect  to  starve,  to  eat  poor  old  mares  and  colts.  *  *  Our 

business  has  been  neglected,  on  account  of  which  we  have  sustained  heavy  losses, 
our  property  has  been  sold  to  pay  taxes,  and  all  by  the  well-wishers  of  the  Willam 
ette;  and  now,  when  discharges  are  called  for,  the  Governor  says,,*  "  The  country 
must  be  protected,"  and  that,  too,  by  us.  If  we  had  been  treated  as  we  should  have 
been,  we  would  willingly  remain  in  the  field  till  the  close  of  the  war.  But  since 
the  congregated  wisdom  of  Oregon  Territory  convened  at  Salem,  decreed  that  a 


YAKIMA,  WALLA   WALLA   AND  PUGET  SOUND  CAMPAIGNS.       431 

Cayuse  horse  was  worth  as  much  as  a  volunteer  and  should  receive  the  same  pay  ; 
notwithstanding,  the  pack  masters,  last  winter,  would  load  them  down  to  the 
guards,  one-half  with  oats  and  the  other  half  with  whisky,  neither  of  which  ever 
reached  the  half-clad,  half  starved  volunteers,  and  the  quartermaster  politely  prom 
ises  to  pay  to  a  transcendentally  patriotic  Jew  $24  00  per  dozen  for  hickory  shirts, 
which  cost  that  noble  man  from  $3.50  to  $4.00;  the  volunteers  to  pay  $2  0!)  for  each 
shirt.  Now  there  are  boys  here  who  have  the  blood  of  '76  coursing  through  their 
veins  with  railroad  velocity,  who  say  the  country  must  and  shall  be  protected,  but 
they  can  not,  and  will  not,  endure  such  treatment;  that  they  will  come  home  and 
take  the  desperate  chances  with  tho  citizens,  at  least  till  they  can  settle  their  ac 
counts  and  outfit  themselves  for  a  new  campaign,  not  being  willing  to  trust  to  the 
Departments  for  the  same. 

The  discussion  was  very  warm  and  was  conducted  on  a  political 
basis.  Early  in  the  campaign,  the  previous  November,  the  acute 
sense  of  propriety  possessed  by  Mr.  Bush,  editor  of  the  Statesman, 
and  other  leaders  of  the  Democracy,  was  shocked  by  the  knowledge 
that  a  few  Whigs  and  Know-nothings  held  positions  in  the  army. 
There  was  a  loud  outcry  at  this  infringement  of  the  undisputed 
right  of  the  party  in  possession  of  the  government  to  hold  all  the 
offices  and  enjoy  all  the  emoluments  and  perquisites.  Spirited^ 
communications  appeared  in  the  Statesman,  in  which  the  motto, 
"To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils,'1  was  frequently  quoted  as  hav 
ing  the  authority  of  law  and  the  gospel.  A.  M.  Belt,  Surgeon 
General,  was  specially  singled  out  for  attack,  and  the  Governor  was 
informed  that  competent  surgeons  were  to  be  found  in  the  Demo 
cratic  ranks.  Finally,  a  petition  was  circulated  through  the  Valley, 
which  received  so  many  signatures  that  the  Governor  did  not  dare 
to  longer  remain  unmindful  of  the  wishes  of  his  political  support 
ers.  A  clean  sweep  was  made  in  every  office  occupied  by  a  Whig 
where  the  executive  possessed  the  appointing  power,  from  the  ob 
noxious  Surgeon  to  the  officers  and  clerks  in  the  commissary  de 
partment,  contractors,  and  inule  drivers,  and  a  good  Democrat  given 
the  position.  This  done,  they  deeply  lamented  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  commissioned  officers  in  the  field  were  Whigs,  but,  being 
elected  to  their  positions,  could  not  be  removed  except  for  cause. 
Too  much  attention  was  paid  to  politics  and  securing  the  spoils,  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  the  men  in  the  field.  When  the  contro 
versy  arose  the  officers  at  The  Dalles  reported  to  the  Governor  that 
there  had  always  been  an  ample  supply  of  provisions  on  hand,  but 
that  they  could  get  no  escorts  for  their  safe  transportation  to  the 
front.  This  Colonel  Cornelius  denied,  and  demanded  a  court  of 


432  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

inquiry,  which  Governor  Curry  declined  to  order,  taking  care  in 
his  letter  of  refusal  to  state  that  the  failure  of  supplies  could  not  be 
attributed  to  any  fault  or  carelessness  of  Colonel  Cornelius,  and  to 
highly  compliment  him  for  his  conduct  during  the  campaign.  Thus 
the  officer  was  mollified  and  the  dangerous  breakers  of  an  investi 
gation 'were  avoided.  Governor  Curry  then  sailed  for  the  East  to 
look  after  an  appropriation  by  Congress  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
his  war.  The  subject  had  already  come  up,  and  General  WooFs 
report,  the  character  of  which  can  be  surmised  from  his  previous 
conduct  and  expressed  opinions,  had  caused  the  National  Legisla 
ture  to  refuse  to  appropriate  anything  whatever. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WAR  ON  ROGUE  RIVER. 

Reorganization  of  the  Volunteers — Appointment  of  General  LawericJc — 
Removal  of  the  Table  Rock  Band  to  the  Coast  Reservation, — The 
Flag  of  Truce  Incident — Battle  of  Eight-Dollar  Mountain — Cam 
paign  to  Big  Meadows — Battle  at  the  Ear — Fort  Lamerick  Built 
in  Big  Meadows — -Massacre  at  Gold  Beach — The  Regulars  Assume 
the  Offensive — They  Chastise  the  Indians  at  Different  Places — Coun 
cil  of  *  >ak  Flat — Battle  between  Chief  John  and  Captain  Smith— 
The  Volunteers  defeat  Llin.pt/  and  George — All  the  Ilostiles  Surren 
der  and  are  Taken  to  the  Coast  Reservation. 

DURING  the  winter  of  1855-6  there  was  no  fighting  in  South 
ern  Oregon.  The  volunteers  lay  all  winter  stationed  at  all 
the  strategical  points  for  the  protection  of  the  settlements  from  raids 
by  the  Indians,  who  remained  secluded  in  the  mountains.  The  ab 
surdity  of  having  two  battalions  with  independent  commanders  was 
soon  recognized,  and  on  the  seventh  of  December  they  were  united 
and  regimental  officers  elected.  Robert  L.  Williams  was  chosen 
Colonel,  W.  J.  Martin,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  James  Bruce,  Major. 
The  regiment,  which  was  designated  the  "  Second  Regiment  of 
Oregon  Mounted  Volunteers,"  consisted  of  the  companies  of  Cap 
tains  Bailey,  Buoy,  Keeney,  Rice,  O'Neal,  Wilkinson,  Alcorn,  Gor 
don,  Chapman,  and  Bledsoe,  aggregating  on  paper  nine  hundred 
and  one  rank  and  file,  the  effective  force  being  much  less.  In  Feb 
ruary  Major  Bruce  and  Captains  O'Neal,  Rice,  Alcorn  and  Wilkin 
son  preferred  charges  against  Colonel  Williams,  alleging  intentional 
inactivity,  etc.  They  were  based  upon  the  connection  Colonel 
Williams  was  supposed  to  have  with  a  clique  of  speculators,  whose 
pecuniary  interests  lay  in  the  direction  of  an  indefinite  prolongation 
of  the  war.  The  same  speculative  and  political  complications  ex- 


434  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

isted  here  as  we  have  seen  were  so  productive  of  harm  in  the  oper 
ations  along  the  Columbia,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  them 
in  detail.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  war  was  declared  a  "  God 
send  "  by  those  who  were  of  the  ruling  political  faith  and  had  any 
hold  upon  the  Government ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  more 
than  one  man  of  influence  would  have  been  sorry  to  see  it  ter 
minated  too  quickly.  The  outcome  of  the  charges  was  the  appoint 
ment  of  J.  K.  Lamerick  as  Brigadier- General  to  take  supreme  com 
mand  of  the  forces,  Colonel  Williams  being  thus  relieved  of  the 
responsibility,  though  retaining  his  command.  In  February  two- 
thirds  of  the  men  received  their  discharge,  and  new  companies  were 
enlisted,  commanded  by  O'Neal,  Sheffield,  George,  Bushey,  M.  M. 
Williams,  Wallan,  Robertson,  and  Barnes.  The  companies  were 
composed  chiefly  of  discharged  men,  who  re-enlisted  almost  unani 
mously.  On  the  eighteenth  of  March  regimental  officers  were 
elected,  John  Kelsey  becoming  Colonel,  W.  W.  Chapman,  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel,  and  James  Bruce  and  W.  L.  Latshaw,  Majors  of  the 
two  battalions. 

Subsequent  to  the  events  just  detailed,  a  transaction  of  con 
siderable  importance  ^took  place.  This  was  the  removal  of  Chief 
Sam's  band  to  the  reservation  west  of  the  Willamette  Valley.  The 
Table  Rock  band  took  no  part  in  the  massacre  of  the  ninth  of 
October.  On  the  contrary,  the  members  of  that  band  crossed  the 
river  to  Fort  Lane,  and  besought  the  protection  of  Captain  Smith 
from  the  violence  of  the  white  settlers,  which,  but  for  such  protec 
tion,  would  surely  have  befallen  them.  During  the  succeeding 
months  they  remained  under  the  immediate  care  of  Captain  Smith 
and  Agent  Ambrose,  and  gave  not  the  remotest  cause  for  suspicion 
on  the  part  of  the  whites.  Finally,  when  the  Bureau  of  Indian 
Affairs  decided  to  remove  all  the  natives  from  Southern  Oregon, 
the  Table  Rock  band  was  sent  to  the  permanent  reservation  about 
Yaquina  Bay.  Such  was  the  state  of  public  sentiment  that  a 
guard  of  one  hundred  soldiers  was  deemed  necessary  in  order  to 
protect  them  on  their  progress  northward.  And  this,  notwith 
standing  the  fact  that  by  their  friendship  for  the  whites,  they  had 
incurred  the  enmity  of  all  the  hostile  Indians  on  Rogue  River. 
The  people  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  jealous  of  the  removal  of 
warriors  into  their  neighborhood,  and  scarce  understanding  the 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WAR  ON  ROGITE  RIVER.  435 

situation  of  affairs,  held  public  meetings  to  consider  the  question  of 
raising  an  armed  force  to  resist  their  coming ;  but  the  excitement 
soon  calmed,  and  the  Indians  found  a  final  home  by  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific.  A  few  days  later — about  the  middle  of  February, 
Chiefs  Limpy  and  George,  with  thirty  mounted  warriors,  went  to 
Fort  Lane  with  a  flag  of  truce,  desiring  to  have  a  talk  and  secure 
possession  of  some  squaws.  As  soon  as  their  presence  was  known, 
there  was  great  excitement,  and  the  volunteers  prepared  to  attack 
them.  They  were,  however,  notified  by  Captain  Smith  that  he 
recognized  the  flag  of  truce  and  would  guard  its  sanctity  ;  and  the 
result  was  the  warriors  were  permitted  to  depart  in  safety.  The 
indignation  of  the  people  was  intense,  and  the  regular  army,  from 
General  Wool  and  Captain  Smith  down  to  the  sutler,  was  anathe 
matized.  The  Sentinel  discharged  fiery  editorials,  similar  to  those 
the  Oregonian  was  about  the  same  time  directing  at  General  Wool, 
and  with  no  better  result.  All  this  abuse  of  the  regular  army  be 
cause  its  commanders  insisted  upon  discharging  their  full  duty  and 
not  being  governed  in  their  conduct  by  passion,  prejudice  or 
speculation,  served  only  to  delay  and  reduce  the  amount  of  Govern 
ment  appropriations  for  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  proved  very 
costly  indeed  for  the  contractors. 

Hostilities  began  in  earnest  towards  the  end  of  March.  On  the 
morning  of  the  twenty -fourth  word  was  received  at  the  headquarters 
of  General  Lamerick,  at  Vannoy's  Ferry,  that  two  men  had  been 
killed  while  in  camp  at  the  base  of  Eight-Dollar  Mountain,  and 
another  man  mortally  wounded  in  the  same  vicinity.  Captain 
Hugh  O'Neal  hastened  with  his  company  to  Fort  Hays,  where  was 
but  a  small  garrison,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to  be  driven  into  the 
fort  with  the  loss  of  one  man.  The  Indians  besieged  the  fort  till 
morning,  and  then  retired  southward,  capturing  a  pack  train,  and 
killing  one  man  and  wounding  another.  Here  they  were  overtaken 
by  Major  Bruce  at  the  head  of  several  companies.  The  foremost 
of  these  engaged  the  enemy  while  yet  the  remainder  were  dis 
mounting.  All  horses  were  left  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  it 
was  necessary  to  ascend  to  find  the  enemy  ;  and  a  long  L'ne  of 
battle,  reaching  several  hundred  yards  along  the  side  of  the  moun 
tain,  was  formed,  and  the  troops  advanced  up  the  rise.  The  battle 
was  a  lively  one  ;  the  rattle  of  rifles  and  revolvers  was  almost  con- 


436  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tinuous,  and  frequent  attempts  were  made  by  each  party  to  charge 
the  other.  All  sought  cover,  and  there  was  little  chance  for  life 
for  the  man  who  neglected  thus  to  protect  himself.  At  this  inter 
esting  juncture  a  shout  was  raised  that  the  Indians  were  making 
off  with  the  horses,  left  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  A  number  of  the 
savages,  spying  the  condition  of  affairs  ran  hastily  to  the  spot  and 
mounting  some  and  leading  others,  escaped  with  some  fifteen  of 
the  animals  belonging  to  Abel  George's  Yreka  company.  The 
most  of  the  fighting  for  a  time  was  done  by  M.  M.  Williams  and 
about  a  score  of  his  bravest  men,  who  stood  their  ground  valiantly, 
and  only  retreated  when  the  Indians  had  nearly  or  quite  surrounded 
them.  Alcorn's  men  and  others  fought  well,  also,  but  a  great 
many  either  ran  away  during  the  fight,  or  else  could  not  be  brought 
into  it  at  all.  Over  two  hundred  men  were  within  sound  of  the 
firing,  but  not  one -half  that  number  took  any  part  in  the  fight,  and 
probably  not  over  fifty  engaged  in  it  with  energy  and  resolution. 
A  hundred  or  more  Indians  held  with  determination  the  hill  and 
the  thick  woods,  and  successfully  barred  the  way.  Against  this 
force  the  volunteers  effected  nothing.  They  soon  began  to  retire, 
and  gaining  the  base  ,of  the  hill,  mounted  and  returned  to  Fort 
Hays,  hardly  yet  sensible  of  a  defeat.  The  Indians  withdrew  in 
their  characteristic  manner,  and  the  battle  of  Eight- Dollar  Moun 
tain  was  ended. 

Early  in  April,  General  Lamerick  determined  upon  a  campaign 
to  Big  Meadows,  the  rendezvous  of  the  hostiles.  The  Southern 
Battalion,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Chapman  and  Major  Bruce, 
started  on  the  fourteenth  of  April  and  marched  down  the  south 
side  of  Rogue  River,  halting  at  Pea  vine  Mountain.  On  the  sev 
enteenth,  Colonel  Kelsey  and  Major  Latshaw  marched  from  Fort 
Leland,  on  Grave  Creek,  with  the  Northern  Battalion,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  the  Little  Meadows  of  Rogue  River,  some  twelve  miles 
from  the  camp  of  the  other  battalion.  Chapman  and  Bruce  then 
joined  him,  raising  the  force  to  five  hundred  and  thirty-five  men. 
They  camped  two  miles  north  of  the  river,  on  a  high  terrace,  a 
breastwork  of  pine  logs  enclosing  the  encampment.  Scouts  located 
the  Indian  camp  on  a  large  bar  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  and 
three  miles  further  down.  Several  days  were  spent  in  reconnoiter- 
ing,  and  then  it  was  decided  to  make  an  attack.  General  Lame- 


CLOSING  RECNES  OF  THE  WAR  OX  ROGUE  RIVER.  437 

rick  ordered  Major  Bruce  to  cross  the  river  and  cut  off  the  retreat 
of  the  Indians,  while  Colonel  Kelsey  was  to  move  on  the  north  side 
until  directly  opposite  the  camp,  and  then  attack  it  from  across  the 
stream.  Both  detachments  started  out  to  execute  these  orders,  but 
when  the  river  was  reached  Brace's  men  refused  to  cross  in  the  two 
canvas  boats  brought  for  that  purpose.  This  is  a  fair  example  of 
the  difficulties  the  officers  had  to  contend  with.  Every  volunteer 
thought  himself  as  good  as  his  superior  officers,  and  refused  to  obey 
all  orders  he  did  not  deem  judicious.  Under  such  circumstances 
it  is  no  wonder  so  large  a  force  accomplished  so  little. 

Major  Bruce  being  thus  compelled  to  remain  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  concluded  to  move  down  stream  and  join  Colonel  Kel 
sey  at  the  bar.  Meanwhile,  this  commander  had  reached  a  point- 
on  the  declivity  nearly  opposite  his  objective  point,  and  started  di 
rectly  down  hill,  following  a  ridge  which  afforded  comparatively 
little  obstruction  to  his  advance.  The  detachment  was  formed  in 
line  of  battle,  and  rushed  down  and  took  position  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  facing  the  Indian  encampment  on  the  bar,  and  opened  a 
brisk  fire  upon  the  enemy.  The  savages  were  thrown  into  confu 
sion  by  the  sudden  attack,  and  did  not  return  the  fire  for  some  time. 
The  women  and  children,  the  former  carrying  heavy  packs,  soon 
left  the  camp  and  passed  up  the  hill  toward  the  Illinois  River, 
while  a  greater  part  of  the  males  sought  shelter  in  the  edge  of  the 
fir  woods  behind  their  encampment,  and  watched  the  movements  of 
the  whites.  Major  Bruce  arrived  with  his  command,  and  taking  a 
position  on  the  left,  began  firing  at  the  enemy,  who,  however,  were 
in  positions  of  comparative  safety.  Desultory  and  ineffectual  firing 
was  kept  up  all  day,  but  no  means  of  crossing  the  river  being  at 
hand,  nothing  could  be  done  to  complete  the  victory.  It  is  sup 
posed  that  quite  a  number  of  Indians  were  killed,  while  the  only 
loss  to  the  whites  was  the  mortal  wounding  of  Elias  Mercer,  and 
the  severe  wounding  of  John  Henry  Clifte.  In  the  evening  the 
whole  force  went  into  camp  at  the  Big  Meadows,  six  miles  below 
the  former  camp.  On  the  following  morning  Colonel  Kelsey  and 
Major  Latshaw  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  went  to  a  point  on 
the  river  two  miles  below  the  bar,  with  the  expectation  of  crossing 
to  the  south  side.  At  the  same  time  Lieutenant- Colon  el  Chapman 
with  one  hundred  men  marched  to  the  battle-ground  of  the  pre- 


438  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

vious  day  to  engage  the  enemy  if  still  there.  The  former  found 
Indians  scattered  along  the  shore,  who  showed  fight,  consequently 
the  detachment  did  not  cross.  Lieutenant- Colonel  Chapman  found 
no  Indians  at  the  bar,  and  returned.  Major  Bruce  had  gone  in 
another  direction  with  one  hundred  men,  and  he  also  returned  with 
out  having  accomplished  anything.  On  the  twenty-ninth  the  regi 
ment  encamped  on  the  bar  from  which  the  Indians  had  been  driven. 
Scouts  soon  ascertained  that  the  Indians  had  abandoned  that  region, 
and  it  being  impracticable  to  follow  them,  the  regiment  broke  camp 
on  the  first  of  May,  five  companies  taking  permanent  station  in  Big 
Meadows,  which  was  called  "  Fort  Laraerick,"  and  the  others  re 
turning  to  Fort  Leland.  The  chief  accomplishment  of  this  cam 
paign  was  to  add  greatly  to  the  bill  for  supplies  which  the  con 
tractors  were  running  up  against  the  day  of  settlement. 

In  the  Spring  of  1856  a  new  complication  was  introduced  into 
the  troubles  in  Southern  Oregon.  The  Indians  of  the  coast  had 
remained  peaceful,  though  those  living  at  and  below  the  mouth  of 
Rogue  River  were  urgently  solicited  to  join  the  hostiles.  Their 
relations  with  the  settlers  and  miners  had  been  none  too  pleasant 
for  a  year  past,  and  several  incidents  had  occurred  to  intensify  the 
natural  feeling  of  race  antagonism.  Ben  Wright,  of  Modoc  fame, 
was  the  agent  in  charge  of  the  Indians  in  that  region,  having  his 
residence  at  Gold  Beach  at  the  mouth  of  Rogue  River.  At  Port 
Orford,  thirty  miles  north,  was  a  military  post  known  as  "  Fort 
Orford,"  and  garrisoned  by  Captain  Reynolds1  company  of  the  3d 
Artillery.  During  the  winter,  and  at  the  instance  of  Agent  Wright, 
a  volunteer  company  of  thirty-three  men,  under  Captain  John  Po 
land,  occupied  a  strongly  fortified  post  at  Big  Bend,  some  fifteen 
miles  up  the  river,  where  they  served  to  separate  the  hostiles  from 
the  Indians  below.  About  the  first  of  February  they  abandoned 
this  post  and  returned  to  Gold  Beach.  Wright,  observing  the  grow 
ing  discontent  of  the  natives,  put  forth  every  effort  to  induce  them 
to  go  to  the  temporary  reservation  at  Port  Orford,  where  they  would 
be  safe  from  the  attack  of  ill-disposed  whites  and  the  solicitations 
of  hostile  Indians.  It  has  always  been  supposed  that  it  was  owing 
to  the  intriguing  of  one  man  that  this  effect  was  not  brought  about. 
This  man  was  an  Indian  of  some  eastern  tribe — Canadian,  it  was 
said — and  had  been  with  Fremont  on  his  last  expedition  ten  years 


CLOSING  8CENT2R  OF  THE  WAR  ON   ROGUE  RIVER.  439 

before.  Enos,  called  by  the  Indians  "  Acnes,"  had  become  a  con 
fidant  of  Wright's  to  the  extent  of  knowing  his  plans  for  the  peace 
ful  subjugation  of  the  Indians.  Enos  laid  with  the  braves  a  far- 
reaching  plan  to  destroy  utterly  the  small  colony  of  whites;  and 
this  done,  to  join  the  bands  of  savages  who  were  waging  war,  and 
to  defeat  and  drive  from  the  country  the  invaders  who  so  harrowed 
the  Indian  soul. 

The  first  step  in  Enos1  portentous  plan  was  to  slaughter  Wright 
and  the  settlers  along  the  coast.  On  the  evening  of  February  22, 
having  completed  his  arrangements,  Enos,  with  a  sufficient  force  of 
his  Indians,  fell  upon  the  scattered  settlement  at  the  south  side  of 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  finding  Agent  Wright  alone  in  his 
cabin,  entered  it  seen,  but  unsuspected,  by  him,  and  with  an  axe  or 
club  slaughtered  this  hero  of  a  hundred  bloody  fights.  So  died, 
perhaps,  the  greatest  of  Indian  fighters  whom  this  Coast  ever  knew. 
Concluding  this  villainy,  the  Indians  sought  new  victims,  and  dur 
ing  the  night  killed  mercilessly,  with  shot  or  blows,  twenty-four  or 
twenty-five  persons,  of  whom  the  list  is  here  presented  as  given  by 
various  authorities:  Captain  Ben  Wright,  Captain  John  Poland, 
John  Geisel  and  three  children,  Joseph  Seroc  and  two  children,  J. 
H.  Braun,  E.  Wr.  Howe,  Barney  Castle,  George  McClusky,  Patrick 
McCollough,  Samuel  Hendrick,  W.  R.  Tullus,  Joseph  Wagoner, 

-  Seaman,  Lorenzo  Warner,  George  Reed,  John  Idles,  Martin 
Reed,  Henry  Lawrence,  Guy  C.  Holcomb,  and  Joseph  Wilkinson. 
Mrs.  Geisel  and  her  remaining  children,  Mary  and  Annie,  were 
taken  prisoners.  After  suffering  the  worst  of  hardships  at  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  they  were  delivered  from  them  at  a  later  date, 
and  now  live  to  recount  with  tears  the  story  of  their  bereavement 
and  captivity.  A  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  had  gathered  on 
that  fateful  night  at  Big  Flat  to  attend  a  dance  given  there,  and  so 
failed  of  death ;  and  on  the  morrow  these  set  out  for  the  village,  and 
on  arriving  there  found  the  fearful  remains  of  the  butchery.  The 
corpses  were  buried;  and  the  remaining  population,  numbering, 
perhaps,  one  hundred  and  thirty  men,  scantily  supplied  with  fire 
arms  and  provisions,  sought  protection  in  a  fort  which  had  been 
constructed  in  anticipation  of  such  need.  Here  the -survivors  gath 
ered  and  for  a  time  sustained  a  state  of  siege  with  the  added  horrors 
of  a  possible  death  by  starvation.  Their  only  communication  from 


440  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

without  was  by  means  of  two  small  coasting  schooners  which  made 
occasional  trips  to  Port  Orford  or  Crescent  City.  The  Indians  sur 
rounded  them  and  commanded  every  approach  by  land.  Meantime, 
the  savages  were  not  idle.  Every  dwelling  and  every  piece  of 
property  of  whatever  description  that  fire  could  touch  was  destroyed. 
The  country  was  devastated,  and,  beside  the  fort  besieged,  only  the 
station  of  Port  Orford  remained  inhabited.  The  buildings  at  Gold 
Beach  were  all  burned,  and  an  estimate  of  the  property  destroyed 
along  the  coast  fixes  the  damage  at  $125,000.  Subsequent  to  the 
first  attack  a  number  of  other  persons  were  killed  by  the  Indians, 
these  being  Henry  Bullen,  L.  W.  Oliver,  Daniel  Kichardson,  Adolf 
Schmoldt,  Oliver  Cantwell,  Stephen  Taylor,  and  George  Trickey. 
By  an  unhappy  chance  H.  I.  Gerow,  merchant;  John  O'Brien,  miner; 
Sylvester  Long,  farmer;  William  Thompson  and  Richard  Gay,  boat 
men,  and  Felix  McCue,  were  drowned  in  the  breakers  opposite  the 
fort  wrhile  bringing  aid  and  provisions  from  Port  Orford.  Captain 
Davis  and  Henry  Defremany  succeeded  in  swimming  ashore  and 
reaching  the  fort. 

Messengers  from  the  beleaguered  settlers  succeeded  in  reaching 
Port  Orford  and  Crescent  City.  At  the  former  place,  Captain 
Reynolds,  who  only  had  twenty-six  men,  did  not  dare  go  to 
their  aid  and  leave  the  place  unprotected.  The  unfortunate  party 
mentioned  above  at  once  started  with  provisions  to  their  relief.  At 
Crescent  City  was  Captain  Jones  with  a  company  of  regulars,  who, 
as  he  was  under  marching  orders  from  General  Wool  for  a  concerted 
movement  of  all  the  troops  against  the  hostiles,  was  not  at  liberty 
to  go  to  the  relief  of  the  settlers  at  Gold  Beach.  The  volunteers 
in  Rogue  River  Valley,  when  appealed  to,  also  declined  to  go, 
alleging  a  fear  of  leaving  the  settlements  exposed.  A  company  of 
volunteers  was  formed  at  Crescent  City,  commanded  by  Captain 
G.  H.  Abbott.  On  the  eighth  of  March  Lieutenant- Colonel 
Buchanan  arrived  at  Crescent  City  from  San  Francisco  with  a 
company  of  regulars  under  Captain  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  afterwards 
Major- General,  and  with  Jones1  regulars  and  Abbott's  volunteers, 
marched  northward.  Abbott  was  some  distance  in  advance,  and 
encountered  the  Chetco  and  Pistol  River  Indians,  losing  one  man 
and  having  several  wounded.  When  the  regulars  arrived,  and 
rescued  them,  they  were  surrounded  by  Indians  and  sheltered  be- 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WAR  ON  ROGUE  RIVER.  441 

hind  logs  on  the  beach.  The  whole  force  remained  in  the  vicinity 
a  few  days,  until  they  had  severely  chastised  the  savages  and 
destroyed  their  village. 

On  the  twentieth  of  March  Lieutenant- Colonel  Buchanan 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Kogue  River,  having  left  Captain  Abbott 
at  Pistol  River  to  keep  open  communications  with  Crescent  City, 
the  base  of  supplies.  Operations  began  by  an  assault  upon  the 
Makanootenai  rancheria,  about  ten  miles  up-stream  and  four  or  six 
below  Big  Bend.  Captains  Ord  and  Jones  took  the  town,  killing 
several  Indians  and  driving  the  rest  to  their  canoes.  One  man, 
Sergeant  Nash,  was  severely  wounded.  A  few  days  later  Captain 
(now  General)  Augur,  with  a  small  detachment,  reached  the  mouth 
of  Illinois  River  and  found  some  ten  or  twelve  Indians  belonging  to 
John  or  Limpy's  band,  and  fought  them.  The  Indians  strove  des 
perately  and  five  of  them  fell  dead  before  the  conflict  was  decided. 
Captain  Augur,  after  the  fight,  found  it  necessary  to  return  toward 
Gold  Beach.  Captain  Smith  set  out  from  Fort  Lane  about  this 
time  with  eighty  men — fifty  dragoons  arid  thirty  infantrymen.  All 
went  on  foot,  and  marched  down  Rogue  River,  up  Slate  Creek  to 
Hays1  farm,  from  thence  to  Deer  Creek  and  thence  down  Illinois 
River  to  the  Rogue,  and  encamped  a  few  miles  further  down  that 
stream,  having  come  to  their  destination. 

Negotiations  had  been  in  progress  for  a  few  days,  thanks  to  the 
exertions  of  Superintendent  Palmer,  and  it  was  hoped  that  an 
agreement  would  be  reached  with  the  Coast  Indians,  who  were  now 
much  scattered.  Enos,  with  quite  a  number  of  his  followers,  had 
joined  the  up-river  bands,  who  were  lying  on  the  river  above  the. 
Big  Bend.  Others  had  gone  to  Port  Orford  and  placed  themselves 
under  the  protection  of  the  military.  On  the  twenty-seventh  of 
March  a  party  of  regulars  were  fired  upon  from  the  brush  while 
proceeding  down  the  banks  of  the  Rogue,  whereupon  they  charged 
their  assailants  and  killed  eight  or  ten,  with  a  loss  to  themselves  of 
two  wounded.  On  April  1st,  Captain  Creighton,  with  a  company 
of  citizens,  attacked  an  Indian  village  near  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
quille  River,  killing  nine  men,  wounding  eleven  and  taking  forty 
squaws  and  children  prisoners.  These  Indians  had  been  under  the 
care  of  the  Government  authorities  at  Port  Orford  until  a  few  days 
before  the  fight,  and  had  left  that  place  because  some  meddlesome 


442  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

whites  had  represented  to  them  that  it  was  the  soldiers'  intention 
to  kill  them.  A  party  of  volunteers  intercepted  several  canoe 
loads  of  Indians  near  the  mouth  of  Rogue  River  and  killed  eleven 
males  and  one  squaw  ;  one  male  and  two  squaws  only  escaped. 
On  the  twenty-ninth  of  April  a  party  of  sixty  regulars,  con 
voying  a  pack-train,  were  attacked  near  Chetco  by  the  remnant 
of  the  band  of  savages  of  that  name,  supposed  to  number  about 
sixty,  but  probably  less,  and  two  or  three  soldiers  were  killed  or 
wounded.  The  battle  ended  by  the  defeat  of  the  natives,  who  lost 
six  braves  killed,  and  several  wounded.  In  the  month  of  April 
three  volunteer  companies  operated  on  the  coast,  and  did  much 
service  in  spite  of  their  being  badly  armed  and  equipped.  These 
were  the  Gold  Beach  Guards,  the  Coquille  Guards  and  the  Port 
Orford  Minute  Men. 

Besides  tne  regulars  who  were  now  hemming  in  the  savages  and 
'cutting  them  off  from  all  avenues  of  escape  from  the  mountain 
fastnesses  in  which  they  had  been  so  secure,  the  volunteers  played 
an  important  part.  Fort  Lamerick  had  been  built  at  Big  Meadows 
by  Major  Bruce,  who  occupied  it  with  a  force  of  two  hundred  men, 
and  was  later  reinforced  by  the  entire  body  of  volunteers,  General 
Lamerick  being  present  and  in  command.  Hemmed  in  on  all 
sides,  without  resources  and  with  no  hope  of  assistance,  the  hostiles 
began  to  feel  their  inability  to  cope  with  the  forces  now  operating 
against  them. 

On  the  twenty -first  and  twenty-second  of  May,  Superintendent 
Palmer  and  Colonel  Buchanan  held  a  conference  with  the  Indians. 
This  is  officially  known  as  the  "  Council  of  Oak  Flat,"  the  locality 
being  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Illinois  River,  some  three  miles 
above  its  mouth.  Nearly  all  the  regular  troops  were  present, 
amounting  to  about  two  hundred.  Almost  all  the  hostiles  were 
present,  and  most  of  them  agreed  to  surrender  on  a  certain  day. 
Not  so,  however,  with  Chief  John.  This  undaunted  chieftain  said 
to  Colonel  Buchanan  :  "  You  are  a  great  chief ;  so  am  I  a  great 
chief  ;  this  is  my  country  ;  I  was  in  it  when  these  trees  were  very 
little,  not  higher  than  my  head.  My  heart  is  sick  fighting  the 
whites,  but  I  want  to  live  in  my  country.  I  will  not  go  out  of  my 
country.  I  will,  if  the  whites  are  willing,  go  back  to  the  Deer 
Creek  country  and  live  as  I  used  to  do  among  the  whites  ;  they  can 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WAR  ON  ROGUE  RIVER.  443 

visit  my  camp  and  I  will  visit  theirs  ;  but  I  will  not  lay  down  my 
arms  arid  go  to  the  reserve.     I  will  fight.     Good  bye." 

The  result  of  the  negotiations  was  the  agreement  of  a  great 
many  Indians,  notably  the  Coast  bands,  to  give  up  their  arms. 
On  or  before  the  twenty-sixth  of  May  they  were  to  assemble  at  the 
Big  Meadows,  several  miles  from  the  Big  Meadows  occupied  by 
the  volunteers,  and  be  escorted  thence  to  Port  Orford.  Ord's  com 
pany  had  been  sent  to  Port  Orford  to  escort  a  provision  train  to 
the  command  at  Oak  Flat.  Reynolds1  company  was  sent  out  to 
meet  the  same  train,  a*  its  safety  was  very  important.  On  the 
twenty -fourth  Captain  Smith  left  Oak  Flat  with  his  eighty  dra 
goons  and  infantrymen  to  proceed  to  Big  Meadows  and  perform 
escort  duty  when  the  Indians  surrendered.  He  encamped  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  near  the  place  fixed  upon  for  the  surrender. 
On  the  twenty-fifth  the  chief  in  command  moved  down  the  Illinois, 
and  leaving  Jones'  company  at  its  mouth,  went  across  the  Rogue 
with  Augur's  company,-  and  set  about  opening  a  trail  for  the 
passage  of  the  surrendered  Indians  with  their  guard,  who  were 
expected  the  next  day.  On  the  evening  of  May  twenty-sixth 
Colonel  Buchanan  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  some  few 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  ;  Captain  Ord  was  about  ten 
miles  west  of  Oak  Flat,  with  the  train  ;  Jones  was  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois  ;  Reynolds  about  ten  miles  below  that  point,  on  the 
Port  Orford  trail  ;  Smith  at  Big  Meadows  ;  and  the  main  body  of 
the  Indians  were  on  the  bank  of  the  Rogue,  about  five  miles  above 
Smith.  The  twenty-sixth  passed  arid  no  Indians  came  in,  but 
Smith  was  informed  that  they  were  delayed  by  slippery  roads,  and 
would  be  in  sometime  the  next  day.  During  the  evening  of  the  same 
day,  George,  a  v/ell -known  chief,  caused  it  to  become  known  to 
Captain  Smith  that  an  attack  was  meditated  on  his  camp.  He 
instantly  set  about  moving  his  command  to  a  much  more  secure 
position  between  two  small  creeks  entering  the  main  stream  from 
the  northwest.  He  occupied  an  oblong  elevation  some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  in  length,  and  about  twenty  in  width.  Between 
this  mound  and  the  river  is  a  narrow  bottom  called  "  Big  Meadows," 
but  which  was  not  the  same  locality  designated  by  the  volunteers 
as  "Big  Meadows,"  and  whereon  stood  Fort  Lamerick.  The  latter 
locality  is  several  miles  further  up  the  river,  and  further  removed 
from  the  stream.  The  top  of  the  elevation  on  which  Captain 


444  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Smith  was  now  encamped  formed  a  plateau  of  size  sufficient  for 
one  company  to  encamp  upon,  and  was  of  slight  elevation.  Directly 
to  the  north  is  another  elevation  of  equal  height  and  within  rifle 
range  of  the  first.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  twenty -seventh  the 
savages  came  in  from  all  directions  and  soon  the  north  mound  was 
covered  with  them.  A  body  of  forty  warriors  attempted  to  enter 
camp,  but  were  halted  on  the  spot  and  told  to  lay  down  their  arms 
at  a  certain  place.  There  being  a  howitzer  planted  so  as  to  rake 
that  approach,  the  Indians  felt  it  best  to  retire.  At  ten  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon  the  Indians  made  a  sudden  rush  from  both  sides  ;  but 
they  were  repulsed  by  the  howitzer  and  infantry.  John  developed 
all  the  tactics  and  strategy  of  a  consummate  general  in  his  manage 
ment  of  the  battle.  His  method  of  attack  was  by  means  of  small - 
arm  fire  at  long  range,  charges  by  the  larger  bodies  of  braves,  and 
unexpected  attacks  by  smaller  numbers,  who  sought  to  gain  the 
mound  by  scaling  the  steeper  portions  where  the  guard  was  weak. 
Only  thirty  of  Smith's  men  had  arms  adapted  to  long  range  shoot 
ing,  the  musketoon  of  the  dragoons  being  useless  except  at  close 
quarters.  John's  men,  on  the  contrary,  possessed  excellent  pieces 
and  shot  effectively  from  long  distances.  At  night  the  Indians 
drew  off  and  encamp'ed.  Smith  occupied  his  men  in  constructing 
rifle  pits  and  building  with  his  camp  equipage  temporary  defences, 
and  in  procuring  water  from  the  river  for  his  thirsty  troops.  On 
the  following  morning  the  Indians  again  opened  fire  and  continued 
the  battle.  Old  John  put  forth  all  his  efforts  to  seize  victory,  as 
there  was  every  chance  that  reinforcements  for  Smith  would  soon 
arrive  ;  but  in  spite  of  his  generalship  and  personal  bravery  the 
assaults  were  successfully  repulsed.  About  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  the  Indians  formed  in  two  bodies  with  the  intention  of 
attacking  both  flanks  simultaneously.  Just  at  the  critical  moment 
of  their  attack,  Captain  Augur's  company  was  seen  advancing.  In 
conjunction  with  these  Smith  charged  and  dispersed  the  enemy, 
John  and  all  the  rest  escaping  into  the  woods.  Smith's  loss  was 
twenty-nine  in  killed  and  wounded,  the  most  of  whom  were  hit  by 
bullets  from  the  north  mound.  The  loss  of  the  Indians  is  unknown. 
To  prevent  any  like  attempts  for  the  future,  Buchanan  concentrated 
his  forces  at  the  Big  Meadows  on  the  thirtieth  of  May,  and  re 
mained  there  until  the  greater  part  of  the  Indians  had  surrendered. 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  WAB  ON  ROGTTE  KIVER.  445 

While  Captain  Smith  was  thus  contending  with  John,  the  vol 
unteers,  some  miles  up  the  river,  were  fighting  Limpy  and  George. 
Major  Latshaw  left  Fort  Lamerick  on  the  twenty -seventh  with  two 
hundred  and  thirteen  men,  and  inarched  twelve  miles  down  the 
river,  and  the  next  day  skirmished  with  the  Indians  of  some 
rancherias  still  lower  down,  killing  some  and  taking  fifteen  prison 
ers.  On  the  twenty-ninth,  the  day  following  John's  defeat  by  Cap 
tain  Smith,  more  skirmishing  was  done,  and  H.  C.  Houston,  Ser 
geant  in  Keith's  company,  was  badly  wounded.  On  the  following 
day  fighting  took  place  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  between  a 
party  of  volunteers  and  some  Indians,  arid  Private  Cooly,  of  Wal- 
lan's  company,  was  wounded  in  the  thigh  and  hand.  On  the  thirty- 
first  Major  Latshaw,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  moved  to 
Buchanan's  headquarters,  at  Big  Meadows.  They  found  here  that 
Limpy  and  George  had  surrendered,  with  their  bands,  on  May 
twenty- ninth,  the  day  following  their  fight  with  the  volunteers.  On 
the  fifth  of  June  General  Lamerick  moved  down  the  river  and  en 
camped  at  Big  Bend,  where  the  regulars  were  lying.  The  next  day 
a  combined  movement  was  made  down  the  river  by  three  com 
panies  of  regulars  and  Captain  Bledsoe's  company  of  volunteers, 
and  an  Indian  encampment  was  destroyed,  some  twenty  or  more 
natives  being  killed  or  drowned  in  endeavoring  to  escape.  Two 
volunteers  were  wounded.  The  main  body  of  the  Indians  were  en 
camped  on  the  river  about  fifteen  miles  below  Big  Bend,  but  their 
cabins  were  found  deserted  when  the  attacking  party  arrived.  The 
remaining  acts  of  the  citizen  soldiery  can  be  briefly  told.  Major 
Bruce  headed  an  expedition  down  the  coast  to  the  country  of  the 
Chetco  and  Pistol  River  bands,  and  killed  three  males  and  took  fifty 
prisoners.  On  June  twenty-second  Major  Latshaw,  with  Keith, 
Noland  and  Blakely's  companies,  marched  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  via  Fort  Lamerick  to  Camas  Prairie  and  Deer  Creek,  and  the 
troops  going  to  Eugene  City  were  there  disbanded.  General  Lam 
erick,  with  Barnes'  company,  proceeded  to  Port  Orford  with  orders 
for  this  organization  to  be  mustered  out  on  July  first.  Captain 
Bledsoe,  with  his  men,  remained  in  service  for  a  short  time  subse 
quently. 

On  the  twentieth  of  June  Chief  John  sent  five  of  his  braves  to 
Buchanan's  head -quarters  to  announce  that  their  leader  would  sur- 


446  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

render  on  the  same  terms  as  had  Limpy,  George  and  other  chiefs, 
but  he  wished  the  whites  to  guarantee  safety  to  Enos,  who  was  an 
object  of  particular  aversion  to  the  volunteers.  Previously,  the 
chief  had  refused  all  overtures  of  peace,  saying  that  war  suited  him, 
and  that  in  spite  of  the  desertion  of  all  the  other  Indians  he  would 
remain  in  his  beloved  country  and  fight.  By  the  first  of  July  all 
the  known  hostiles  had  surrendered  save  a  few  about  Pistol  River, 
and  John's  own  band.  Sated  with  unequal  combats,  John  surren 
dered  to  the  regular  army,  an  escort  of  one  hundred  and  ten  soldiers 
being  sent  out  to  accompany  him  and  his  little  band  of  thirty -five 
to  Port  Orford. 

The  objects  of  the  war  were  now  accomplished.  The  last  band 
of  hostile  Indians  had  surrendered.  On  the  temporary  reservation 
at  Port  Orford  were  gathered  about  one  thousand  three  hundred 
Indians  of  various  tribes,  and  including  all  the  surviving  members 
of  the  bands  which  had  begun  and  carried  on  the  war.  The  Coast 
Reservation  was  fixed  upon  as  their  future  abode — a  tract  seventy 
miles  long,  lying  upon  the  coast  of  Oregon  and  extending  from 
Cape  Perpetua  to  Cape  Lookout,  and  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the 
western  water- shed  of  the  Willamette.  By  the  first  of  September, 
1856,  two  thousand  and  seven  hundred  Indians  had  been  removed 
there.  Enos,  too,  was  there  for  a  time,  but  his  restless  habits  got 
him  into  difficulties,  and  he  made  illicit  expeditions  to  various  parts 
of  the  State,  and  being  detected  therein  was  denounced  by  certain 
nervous  people  as  a  fire-brand  who  was  seeking  to  again  spread 
the  flames  of  war.  There  is  a  tradition  in  Curry  county  that  Enos 
was  hanged  upon  Battle  Rock  at  Port  Orford;  but  the  Indian  then 
executed  was  one  of  four  Coquille  Indians  hanged  for  the  murder 
of  Venable  and  Burton.  The  fate  of  Enos  is  unknown. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  CASCADES. 

Colonel  Wright  Assumes  Command  of  the  Regulars — His  Instructions 
from  General  Wool — He  Starts  for  the  Walla  Walla  Country  with 
a  Strong  Force — Fears  of  an  Attack  on  the  Cascades — The  Atiack  is 
Made  on  the  Twenty-Sixth  of  March,  1856 — Details  of  the  Affair— 
Colonel  Wright  Comes  to  the  Rescue  from  The  Dalles,  and  Lieuten 
ant  Sheridan  from  Vancouver — Indians  Captured  and  Hanged— 
List  of  Killed  and  Wounded — Intelligence  of  the  Attack  Creates 
Great  Excitement  in  Portland  and  up  the  Valley — Two  Volunteer 
Companies  go  to  the  Rescue — Panicy  Rumors  Distract  the  People- 
All  Quiet  un  the  Sandy. 

WHILE  the  command  of  Colonel  Cornelius  was  hunting  for 
Indians  along  the  Snake  and  Columbia  rivers,  the  people 
living  in  fancied  security  in  the  valley  experienced  the  dread  alarms 
of  war.  When  the  9th  Infantry  arrived  the  entire  force  of  regulars 
was  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  George  Wright.  He 
received  general  instructions  from  his  superior,  who  remained  in 
San  Francisco,  to  occupy  winter  quarters  until  a  successful  move 
ment  could  be  made  in  the  spring,  and  then  to  establish  a  military 
station  in  the  Walla  Walla  country,  not  for  the  purpose  of  making 
war  upon  the  Indians,  unless  compelled  so  to  do  by  their  own  con 
duct,  but  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians  in  their  rights  from  un 
lawful  intrusion  or  conduct  of  white  men,  and  to  insure  the  safety 
of  all  such  as  might  lawfully  reside  in  the  Indian  country.  This 
action  was  taken  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  treaties  had  not  yet 
been  ratified  by  the  Senate  and  were  not  in  force,  and  consequently 
the  rights  of  the  Indians  were  more  liable  to  be  infringed  than  those 
of  the  whites.  He  was  to  establish  and  maintain  peace.  In  pur 
suance  of  this  policy  he  moved  a  strong  force  to  The  Dalles,  and  set 


448  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

out  for  the  Walla  Walla  country  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  March.  At 
that  time  the  Oregon  volunteers  were  campaigning  about  the  mouth 
of  Snake  River,  and  all  was  quiet  below  them. 

Previous  to  this  the  possibility  of  an  attack  upon  the  Cascades 
Settlement  by  the  Klickitats,  had  been  anticipated.  On  the  fifth  of 
March  the  steamer  Wasco  was  fired  upon  by  Indians  while  opposite 
the  mouth  of  Hood  River.  The  day  before  they  had  burned  the 
residence  of  E.  S.  Joslyn,  on  the  Washington  side,  and  the  Wasco 
had  on  board  Lieutenant  Davidson  and  forty  men  on  their  way  to 
the  scene  of  the  trouble,  when  she  was  fired  upon.  She  returned  to 
the  south  side  of  the  stream.  Soon  the  Mary  came  down  the  river 
with  Major  Haller  and  fifty  men,  and  a  landing  was  made,  but  no 
Indians  could  be  found.  From  this  and  other  indications  the  peo 
ple  living  at  the  Cascades  feared  they  might  be  attacked,  and  made 
preparations  to  take  refuge  in  time  of  danger  in  the  block -house 
which  had  been  erected.  Thera  was  at  that  time  a  railroad  under 
construction  from  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  Cascades,  on  the  Wash 
ington  side,  to  be  used  as  a  freight  and  passenger  portage  between 
the  Lower  and  Upper  Columbia,  and  quite  a  force  of  workmen 
was  employed.  The  block-house  was  at  the  Middle  Cascades,  while 
the  majority  of  the  workmen  were  at  the  upper  landing,  a  store  on 
the  river  bank  serving  as  headquarters  at  the  latter  point.  The 
following  very  accurate  account  of  the  attack  was  written  by  L.  W. 
Coe  a  few  days  afterwards,  addressed  to  Putnam  Bradford,  who, 
with  his  brother,  Daniel  F.,  was  constructing  the  railroad,  which 
was  simply  a  wooden  tramway: — 

On  Wednesday,  March  26,  at  about  8:30  A.  M.,  after  the  men  had  gone  to  their 
work  on  the  two  bridges  of  the  new  railway,  mostly  on  the  bridge  near  Bush's 
house,  the  Yakimas  came  down  on  us.  There  was  a  line  of  them  from  Mill  Creek 
above  us  to  the  big  point  at  the  head  of  the  falls,  firing  simultaneously  on  the  men  ; 
and  the  first  notice  we  had  of  them  was  the  bullets  and  the  crack  of  their  guns. 
Of  our  men,  at  the  first  fire,  one  was  killed  and  several  wounded.  I  will  give  you 
a  list  hereinafter.  Our  men  on  seeing  the  Indians,  all  ran  for  our  store  through 
a  shower  of  bullets,  except  three  who  started  down  stream  for  the  middle  block 
house,  distant  one  and  a  half  miles.  Bush  and  his  family  also  ran  into  our  store, 
leaving  his  own  house  vacant.  The  Watkins  family  came  to  the  store  after  a  Dutch 
boy,  who  was  lame  from  a  cut  in  the  foot, — had  been  shot  in  their  house.  Watkins, 
Finlay  and  Baily  were  at  work  on  the  new  warehouse  on  the  island,  around  which 
the  water  was  now  high  enough  to  run  about  three  feet  deep  under  the  bridges. 
There  was  grand  confusion  in  the  store  at  first;  and  Sinclair,  of  Walla  Walla,  go 
ing  to  the  railroad  door  to  look  out,  was  shot  from  the  bank  above  the  store  and  in 
stantly  killed.  Some  of  us  then  commenced  getting  the  guns  and  rifles,  which 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  CASCADES.  449 

were  ready  loaded,  from  behind  the  counter.  Fortunately,  about  an  hour  before, 
there  had  been  left  with  us  for  transportation  below,  nine  United  States  govern 
ment  rifles  with  cartridge  boxes  and  ammunition.  These  saved  us.  As  the  upper 
story  of  the  house  was  abandoned,  Smith,  the  cook,  having  come  below,  and  as  the 
stairway  was  outside  where  we  dare  not  go,  the  stovepipe  was  hauled  down,  the  hole 
enlarged  with  axes,  and  a  party  of  men  crawled  up,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  house 
was  soon  secured.  We  were  surprised  that  the  Indians  had  not  rushed  into  the 
upper  story,  as  there  was  nothing  or  nobody  to  prevent  them. 

Our  men  soon  got  some  shots  at  the  Indians  on  the  bank  above  us.  I  saw  Bush 
shoot  an  Indian,  the  first  one  killed,  who  was  drawing  a  bead  on  Mrs.  Watkins  as 
she  was  running  for  our  store.  He  dropped  instantly.  Alexander  and  others 
mounted  into  the  gable  under  the  roof,  and  from  there  was  done  most  of  our  firing, 
it  being  the  best  place  of  observation.  In  the  meantime,  we  were  barricading  in 
the  store,  making  port-holes  and  firing  when  opportunity  presented.  But  the  In 
dians  were  soon  very  cautious  about  exposing  themselves.  I  took  charge  of  the 
store,  Dan  Bradford  of  the  second  floor,  and  Alexander  of  the  garret  and  roof. 

"The  steamer  Mary  was  lying  in  the  mouth  of  Mill  Creek,  and  the  wind  was 
blowing  hard  down  stream.  When  we  saw  Indians  running  toward  her  and  heard 
the  shots,  we  supposed  she  would  be  taken  ;  and  as  she  lay  just  out  of  our  sight,  and 
we  saw  smoke  rising  from  her,  concluded  she  was  burning,  but  what  was  our  glad 
surprise  after  a  while  to  see  her  put  out  and  run  across  the  river.  I  will  give  an 
account  of  the  attack  on  her  hereinafter. 

The  Indians  now  returned  in  force  to  us,  and  we  gave  every  one  a  shot  who 
showed  himself.  They  were  nearly  naked,  painted  red,  and  had  guns  and  bows 
and  arrows.  After  a  while  Fin  lay  came  creeping  around  the  lower  point  of  the 
island  toward  our  house.  We  halloed  to  him  to  lie  down  behind  a  rock,  and  he 
did  so.  He  called  that  he  could  not  get  to  the  store  as  the  bank  above  us  was  cov 
ered  with  Indians.  He  saw  Wat-kin's  house  burn  while  there.  The  Indians  first 
took  out  all  they  wanted— blankets,  clothes,  guns,  etc.  By  this  time  the  Indians 
had  crossed  in  canoes  to  the  island,  and  we  saw  them  coming,  as  we  supposed-,  after 
Finlay.  We  then  saw  \Vatkins  and  Bailey  running  around  the  river  side  towards 
the  place  where  Finlay  was,  and  the  Indians  in  lull  chase  after  them.  As  our  own 
men  came  around  the  point  in  full  view,  Bailey  was  shot  through  the  arm  and  leg. 
He  continued  on,  and,  plunging  into  the  river,  swam  to  the  front  of  our  store  and 
came  in  safely,  except  for  his  wounds.  He  narrowly  escaped  going  over  the  falls. 
Finlay  also  swam  across  and  got  in  unharmed,  which  was  wonderful,  as  there  was 
a  shower  of  bullets  around  them. 

Watkins  next  came  running  around  the  point,  and  we  called  to  him  to  lie  down 
behind  a  rock,  but  before  he  could  do  so  he  was  shot  in  the  wrist,  the  ball  going  up 
the  arm  and  out  above  the  elbow.  He  dropped  behind  a  rock  just  as  the  pursuing 
Indians  came  following  around  the  point,  but  we  gave  them  so  hot  a  reception  from 
our  house  that  they  backed  out  and  left  poor  Watkins  where  he  lay.  We  called  to 
Watkins  to  lie  still  and  we  would  get  him  off;  but  we  were  not  able  to  do  so  until 
after  the  arrival  from  The  Dalles  of  the  steamer  Mary  with  troops— two  days  and 
nights  afterwards.  During  this  time  Watkins  fainted  several  times  from  weakness 
and  exposure,  the  weather  being  very  cold,  and  he  was  stripped  down  to  his  under 
clothes  for  swimming.  When  he  fainted  he  would  roll  down  the  steep  bank  into 
the  river,  and  the  ice-cold  water  reviving  him,  he  would  crawl  back  under  fire  to 
his  retreat  behind  the  rock.  Meantime,  his  wife  and  children  were  in  the  store,  in 
full  view,  and  moaning  piteously  at  his  terrible  situation.  He  died  from  exhaus 
tion  two  days  after  he  was  rescued. 

The  Indians  were  now  pitching  into  us  "right  smart."  They  tried  to  burn  us 
out;  threw  rocks  and  firebrands,  hot  irons,  pitch  wood — everything  on  to  the  roof 


450  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

that  would  burn.  But  you  will  recollect  that  for  a  short  distance  back  the  bank 
inclined  toward  the  house,  and  we  could  see  and  shoot  the  Indians  who  appeared 
there.  So  they  had  to  throw  from  such  a  distance  that  the  largest  rocks  and  bun 
dles  of  fire  did  not  quite  reach  us ;  and  what  did,  generally  rolled  off  the  roof. 
Sometimes  the  roof  got  on  fire,  and  we  cut  it  out,  or  with  cups  of  brine  drawn  from 
pork  barrels,  put  it  out,  or  with  long  sticks  shoved  off  the  fire  balls.  The  kitchen 
roof  troubled  us  the  most.  How  they  did  pepper  us  with  rocks ;  some  of  the  big 
ones  would  shake  the  house  all  over. 

There  were  now  forty  men,  women  and  children  in  the  house — four  women  and 
eighteen  men  that  could  fight  and  eighteen  wounded  men  and  children.  The 
steamer  Wasco  was  on  the  Oregon  side  of  the  river.  We  saw  her  steam  up  and 
leave  for  The  Dalles.  Shortly  after,  the  steamer  Mary  also  left.  She  had  to  take 
Atwell's  fence  rails  for  wood.  So  passed  the  day,  during  which  the  Indians  had 
burned  Inman's  two  houses,  your  saw-mill  and  houses,  and  the  lumber  yards  at 
the  mouth  of  Mill  Creek.  At  daylight  they  set  fire  to  your  new  warehouse  on  the 
island,  making  it  as  light  as  day  around  us.  I  suppose  they  reserved  this  building 
for  night  that  we  might  not  get  Watkins  off.  They  did  not  attack  us  at  night,  but 
the  second  morning  commenced  as  lively  as  ever.  We  had  no  water,  but  did  have 
about  two  dozen  ale  and  a  few  bottles  of  whisky.  These  gave  out  during  the  day. 
During  the  night,  a  Spokane  Indian  who  was  traveling  with  Sinclair,  and  was  in 
the  store  with  us,  volunteered  to  get  a  pail  of  water  from  the  riyer.  I  consented, 
and  he  stripped  himself  naked,  jumped  out  and  down  the  bank,  and  was  back  in 
no  time.  By  this  time  we  looked  for  the  steamer  from  The  Dalles,  and  were  greatly 
disappointed  at  her  non-arrival.  We  weathered  it  out  during  the  day,  every  man 
keeping  his  post,  and  never  relaxing  in  vigilance.  Every  moving  object,  shadow, 
or  suspicious  bush  on  the  hill  received  a  shot.  The  Indians  must  have  thought 
the  house  a  bombshell.  To  our  ceaseless  vigilance  I  ascribe  our  safety.  Night 
came  again ;  we  saw  Sheppard's  house  burn  ;  Bush's  house  near  by  was  also  fired, 
and  kept  us  in  light  until  about  four  A.  M.,  when  darkness  returning,  I  sent  the 
Spokane  Indian  for  water  from  the  river,  and  he  filled  two  barrels.  He  went  to 
and  fro  like  lightning.  We  also  slipped  poor  James  Sinclair's  body  down  the  slide 
outside,  as  the  corpse  was  quite  offensive. 

The  two  steamers  now  having  exceeded  the  length  of  time  we  gave  them  in 
which  to  return  from  The  Dalles,  we  made  up  our  minds  for  a  long  siege  and  until 
relief  came  from  below.  We  could  not  account  for  it,  but  supposed  the  ninth  regi 
ment  had  left  The  Dalles  for  Walla  Walla,  and  had  proceeded  too  far  to  return. 
The  third  morning  dawned,  and  lo !  the  Mary  and  the  Wasco,  blue  with  soldiers, 
and  towing  a  flat-boat  with  dragoon  horses,  hove  in  in  sight :  such  a  hallo  as  we 
gave. 

As  the  steamer  landed  the  Indians  fired  twenty  or  thirty  shots  into  them,  but 
we  could  not  ascertain  with  any  effect.  The  soldiers  as  they  got  ashore  could  not 
be  restrained,  and  plunged  into  the  woods  in  every  direction,  while  the  howitzers 
sent  grape  after  the  retreating  redskins.  The  soldiers  were  soon  at  our  store,  and 
we,  I  think* I  may  say,  experienced  quite  a  feeling  of  relief  on  opening  our  doors. 

During  this  time  we  had  not  heard  from  below.  A  company  of  dragoons  under 
Colonel  Steptoe  went  on  down.  Dan  went  with  them.  The  block-house  at  the 
Middle  Cascades  still  held  out.  Allen's  house  was  burned  and  every  other  one  be 
low.  George  W.  Johnson's,  S.  M.  Hamilton's  F.  A.  Chenoweth's,  the  wharf  boat 
at  Cascades— all  gone  up.  Next  in  order  comes  the  attack  on  the  Mary.  She  lay 
in  Mill  Creek,  no  fires,  and  wind  hard  ashore.  Jim  Thompson,  John  Woodard, 
and  Jim  Herman  were  just  going  up  to  the  boat  from  our  store,  and  had  nearly 
reached  her  as  they  were  fired  upon.  Herman  asked  if  they  had  any  guns.  No. 
He  went  on  up  to  Ininan's  house,  the  rest  staying  to  help  get  the  steamer  out. 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  CASCADES.  451 

Capt.  Dan  Baughman  and  Thompson  were  ashore  on  the  upper  side  of  the  creek 
hauling  on  lines,  when  the  firing  from  the  Indians  became  so  hot  that  they  ran  for 
the  woods,  past  Inman's  house.  The  fireman,  James  Lindsay,  was  shot  through 
the  shoulder.  Engineer  Buckminster  shot  an  Indian  with  his  revolver  on  the 
gang-plank,  and  little  Johnny  Chance  went  climbing  up  on  the  hurricane  deck, 
with  an  old  dragoon  pistol,  killed  his  Indian;  but  he  was  shot  through  the  leg  in 
doing  so.  Dick  Turpin,  half  crazy,  probably,  taking  the  only  gun  on  the  steam 
boat,  jumped  into  a  flat-boat  lying  alongside,  was  shot,  and  jumped  overboard  and 
was  drowned.  Fires  were  soon  started  under  the  boiler  and  steam  was  raising. 
About  this  time,  Jesse  Kempton,  shot  while  driving  an  ox  team  from  the  saw-mill, 
got  on  board ;  also  a  half-breed  named  "  Bourbon,"  who  was  shot  through  the  body. 
After  sufficient  steam  to  move  was  raised,  Hardin  Chenoweth  ran  up  into  the  pilot 
house,  and,  lying  on  the  floor,  turned  the  wheel  as  he  was  directed  from  the  lower 
deck.  It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  pilot-house  was  a  target  for  the  Indians. 
After  the  steamer  was  fairly  backed  out  and  turned  around,  he  did  toot  that  whistle 
at  them  good.  Toot!  toot !  toot !  it  was  music  in  our  ears.  The  steamer  picked  up 
Herman  on  the  bank  above.  Inman's  family,  Sheppard,  and  Vanderpool  all  got 
across  the  river  in  skiffs,  and  boarding  the  Mary,  went  to  the  Dalles. 

Colonel  George  Wright  and  the  ninth  regiment,  Second  Dragoons,  and  Third 
Artillery,  had  started  for  Walla  Walla,  and  were  out  five  miles,  camped.  They  re 
ceived  news  of  the  attack  at  eleven  P.  M.,  and  by  daylight  were  back  at  The  Dalles. 
Starting  down,  they  only  reached  Wind  Mountain  that  night,  as  the  Mary's  boiler 
was  in  bad  order,  because  of  a  new  fireman  the  day  before.  They  reached  us  the 
next  morning  at  six  o'clock. 

Now  for  below.  George  Johnson  was  about  to  get  a  boat's  crew  of  Indians,  when 
Indian  Jack  came  running  to  him,  saying  the  Yakimas  had  attacked  the  block 
house.  He  did  not  believe  it,  although  he  heard  the  cannon.  He  went  up  to  the  In 
dian  village  on  the  sand-bar  to  get  his  crew  ;  saw  some  of  the  Cascade  Indians,  who 
said  they  thought  the  Yakimas  had  come,  and  George  now  hearing  the  muskets, 
ran  for  home.  E.  W.  Baughman  was  with  him.  Bill  Murphy  had  left  the  block 
house  early  for  the  Indian  camp,  and  had  nearly  returned  before  he  saw  the  Indi 
ans  or  was  shot  at.  He  returned,  two  others  with  him,  and  ran  for  George  John 
son's,  about  thirty  Indians  in  chase.  After  reaching  Johnson's,  Murphy  continued 
on  and  gave  Hamilton  and  all  below  warning,  and  the  families  embarked  in  small 
boats  for  Vancouver.  The  men  would  have  barricaded  in  the  wharf-boat  but  for 
want  of  ammunition.  There  was  considerable  government  freight  in  the  wharf- 
boat.  They  stayed  about  the  wharf-boat  and  schooner  nearly  all  day,  and  until  the 
Indians  commenced  firing  upon  them  from  the  zinc  house  on  the  bank.  They 
then  shoved  out.  Tommy  Price  was  shot  through  the  leg  in  getting  the  boats  into 
the  stream.  Floating  down  they  met  the  steamer  Belle  with  Phil  Sheridan  and 
forty  men,  sent  up  on  report  of  an  express  carried  down  by  Indian  Simpson  in  the 
morning.  George  and  those  with  him  went  on  board  the  steamer  and  volunteered 
to  serve  under  Sheridan,  who  landed  at  George's  place  and  found  everything 
burned.  The  steamer  returned,  and  the  Indians  pitched  into  Sheridan,  fought 
him  all  day,  and  drove  him  with  forty  men  and  ten  volunteers  to  below  Hamil 
ton's,  notwithstanding  he  had  a  small  cannon— one  soldier  killed. 

The  steamer  Belle  returned  the  next  day  (third  of  the  attack)  and  brought  am 
munition  for  the  block-house.  Your  partner,  Bishop,  who  was  in  Portland,  came 
up  on  her.  Steamer  Fashion,  with  volunteers  from  Portland,  came  at  the  same 
time.  The  volunteers  remained  at  the  Lower  Cascades.  Sheridan  took  his  com 
mand,  and  with  a  bateaux  loaded  with  ammunition,  crossed  to  Bradford's  Island 
on  the  Oregon  side,  where  they  found  most  of  the  Cascade  Indians,  they  having 
been  advised  by  George  Johnson  to  go  on  there  the  first  day  of  the  attack.  They 


452  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

were  crossing  and  recrossing  all  the  time,  and  Sheridan  made  them  prisoners.  He 
pressed  a  boat's  crew,  and  as  they  towed  up  to  the  head  of  the  island  and  above, 
saw  great  numbers  of  Indians  on  the  Washington  Territory  side  and  opposite  them. 
Sheridan  expected  them  to  cross  and  fight  him,  and  between  them  and  the  friendly(?) 
Indians  in  his  charge,  thought  he  had  his  hands  full. 

Just  then  Sheridan  discovered  Steptoe  and  his  dragoon  infantry  and  volunteers 
coming  down  from  the  Mary,  surprising  completely  the  Indians,  who  were  cooking 
beef  and  watching  Sheridan  across  the  river.  But  on  the  sound  of  the  bugle  the 
Indians  fled  like  deer  to  the  woods,  with  the  loss  of  only  one  killed — "  old  Joanam." 
But  for  the  bugle  they  ought  to  have  captured  fifty. 

The  ninth  regiment  are  building  a  block-house  on  the  hill  above  us,  also  at 
George  Johnson's,  and  will  hereafter  keep  a  strong  force  here.  Lieutenant  Bissell 
and  twelve  men  who  were  stationed  at  the  Upper  Cascades,  were  ordered  away,  and 
left  for  The  Dalles  two  days  before  the  attack  was  made  upon  us. 

The  Indians  Sheridan  took  on  the  island  were  closely  guarded.  Old  Chenowith 
(chief)  was  brought  up  before  Colonel  Wright,  tried,  and  sentenced  to  be  hung. 
The  Cascade  Indians,  being  under  treaty,  were  adjudged  guilty  of  treason  in  fight 
ing.  Chenowith  died  game ;  was  hung  on  the  upper  side  of  Mill  Creek.  I  acted  as 
interpreter.  He  offered  ten  horses,  two  squaws,  and  a  little  something  to  every 
"tyee,"  for  his  life  ;  said  he  was  afraid  of  the  grave  in  the  ground,  and  begged  to  be 
put  into  an  Indian  dead  house.  He  gave  a  terrific  warwhoop  while  the  rope  was 
being  put  around  his  neck.  I  thought  he  expected  the  Indians  to  come  and  rescue 
him.  The  rope  did  not  work  well,  and  while  hanging  he  muttered,  "  Wakenika 
faoass  kopa  memaloose  !  "  (I'm  not  afraid  to  die.)  He  was  then  shot.  I  was  glad 
to  see  he  old  devil  killed,  being  satisfied  that  he  was  at  the  bottom  of  all  trouble. 
But  I  can  not  detail  at  too  great  length. 

The  next  day  Tecomeoc  and  Cap.  Jo  were  hung.  Cap.  Jo  said  all  the  Cascade 
Indians  were  in  the  fight.  The  next  day  Tsy,  Sim  Lasselas,  and  Four-fingered 
Johnny  were  hung.  The  next  day  Chenowith  Jim,  Tumalth,  and  Old  Skein  were 
hung,  and  Kanewake  sentenced,  but  reprieved  on  the  scaffold.  Nine  in  all  were  exe 
cuted.  Banaha  is  a  prisoner  at  Vancouver  and  decorated  with  ball  and  chain.  The 
rest  of  the  Cascade  Indians  are  on  your  island,  and  will  be  shot  if  seen  off  of  it. 
Such  are  Colonel  Wright's  orders.  Dow,  Watiquin,  Peter,  Mahooka  John,  Kotyue^ 
and  maybe  more  of  them,  have  gone  with  the  Yakimas. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  your  house  at  the  Lower  Cascades,  also  Bishop's,  was 
burned  ;  also  to  account  for  Capt.  Dan.  Baughman  and  Jim.  Thompson.  They  put- 
back  into  the  mountains,  and  at  night  came  down  to  the  river  at  Vanderpool's 
place,  fished  up  an  old  boat  and  crossed  to  the  Oregon  side.  They  concealed  them 
selves  in  the  rocks  on  the  river  bank  opposite,  where  they  could  watch  us ;  and  at 
night  went  back  into  the  mountains  to  sleep.  They  came  in  safely  after  the  troops 
arrived. 

We  do  not  know  how  many  Indians  there  were.  They  attacked  the  block-house, 
our  place,  and  drove  Sheridan  all  at  the  same  time.  We  think  there  was  not  less 
than  two  or  three  hundred.  When  the  attack  was  made  on  us  three  of  our  carpen 
ters  ran  for  the  middle  block-house,  overtook  the  cars  at  the  salmon  house,  cut  the 
mules  loose,  and,  with  the  car  drivers,  all  kept  on.  They  were  not  fired  on  until 
they  got  to  the  spring  on  the  railroad,  but  from  there  they  ran  the  gauntlet  of  bul 
lets  and  arrows  to  the  fort.  Little  Jake  was  killed  in  the  run.  Several  were  wounded. 

I  append  a  list  of  killed  and  wounded.  But  this  is  a  long  letter ;  but  knowing  you 
would  be  anxious  to  hear  all  the  particulars,  I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  a  true 
description.  Dan  is  writing  to  others  at  home,  and  has  read  this  letter.  We  have 
got  to  work  again  building  and  transporting ;  are  going  to  build  a  saw-niill  as  soon 
as  we  can.  We  had  but  few  poor  specimens  of  men  here  during  the  fight,  generally 


TITE  ATTACK  ON   THE  CASCADES.  453 

all  behaving  well.  Tin  TV  was,  however,  one  nptable  exception— a  person  who  ar 
rived  at  the  store  but  a  few  minutes  before  the  fight  commenced,  and  whose  name 
I  will  give  you  in  person.  Am  a  little  afraid  to  go  to  Hock  Creek  to  fish,  in  fact 
have  had  no  time  so  far.  Don't  think  I  shall  have  much  fishing  this  summer. 
Wish  you  were  back. 

KIL.LKD — George  Griswold,  B.  W.  Brown  and  wife,  killed  at  the  saw-mill,  bodies 
found  stripped  nuked  in  Mill  Creek;  Jimmy  Watkins, driving  team  at  mill;  Henry 
Hagar,  shot  in  Watkins'  house,  body  burned;  Jake  Kyle,  German  boy;  Jacob 
White,  sawyer  at  mill ;  Bourbon,  half-breed,  died  on  the  Mary  going  to  The  Dalles  ; 
James  Sinclair,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Walla  Walla;  Dick  Turpin,  colored 
cook  on  the  steamer  Mary ;  Norman  Palmer,  driving  team  at  mill;  Calderwood, 
working  at  mill ;  three  United  States  soldiers,  names  unknown  ;  George  Watkins, 
lived  four  days  ;  Jacob  Roush,  carpenter,  lived  six  days. 

WOUNDED.— Fletcher  Murphy,  arm  ;  J.  Lindsey,  shoulder;  Tommy  Price,  thigh ; 
Mofiat,  railroad,  hand  ;  M.  Bailey,  leg  and  arm ;  two  soldiers,  United  States  army  ; 
P.  Snooks,  boy,  leg ;  Jesse  Kemptou,  shoulder;  H.  Kyle,  German  ;  Johnny  Chance, 
leg;  J.  Algiu,  slightly. 

The  conduct  of  Colonel  Wright  in  this  affair  was  highly  praised 
by  the  press  and  people.  Although  in  camp,  on  his  way  to  Walla 
Walla,  when  the  courier  brought  him  news  of  the  attack  just  be 
fore  midnight,  he  at  once  roused  his  men  and  marched  the  whole 
command,  infantry,  artillery  and  dragoons  back  to  The  Dalles, 
loaded  all  of  them  he  could  possibly  crowd  upon  the  steamers  and 
barge,  and  hastened  to  the  rescue.  They  were  delayed  by  the  con 
dition  of  the  boilers,  but  when  they  finally  reached  the  scene  of 
action  Colonel  Wright  and  Colonel  Steptoe  led  the  troops  in  per 
son  in  a  charge  before  which  the  enemy  fled  like  sheep.  No  less 
gallant  was  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Phil  Sheridan.  The  news 
reached  Vancouver  late  in  the  evening  of  the  attack,  and  at  five 
next  morning  he  started  up  the  river  with  forty  dragoons  and  a 
few  volunteers.  His  conduct  while  there  has  been  related. 

The  intelligence  reached  Portland  late  on  the  night  of  the 
twenty -sixth,  and  created  great  excitement.  A  public  meeting  was 
called,  and  a  company  of  volunteers  organized  the  next  day.  They 
were  refused  the  use  of  Territorial  arms  by  those  who  had  them 
in  charge,  and  having  picked  up  twenty  pieces  of  various  descrip 
tions,  started  early  in  the  morning  of  the  twenty -eighth,  on  the 
steamer  Fashion.  The  company  was  forty  strong,  and  was  com 
manded  by  Captain  L.  J.  Powell  and  Lieutenant  A.  E.  Stewart. 
Procuring  arms  and  ammunition  at  Vancouver,  after  much  delay, 
they  arrived  at  the  Lower  Cascades  too  late  to  be  of  any  assistance 
to  Lieutenant  Sheridan,  and  but  a  short  time  before  the  Indians 


454  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

were  scattered  by  Colonel  Wright.  Later,  a  company  of  sixty- 
eight  men,  commanded  by  Captain  S.  Coffin  and  Lieutenants  R.  N. 
McLaren  and  J.  M.  Breck,  went  up  on  the  steamer  Jennie  Clark, 
and,  finding  everything  quiet,  returned  to  the  city.  A  second 
public  meeting  was  held  in  Portland  on  the  twenty-eighth.  In 
times  of  excitement  there  are  always  to  be  found  plenty  of  men 
who  seem  to  find  pleasure  in  intensifying  the  panic  by  inconsider 
ate  language,  lugubrious  predictions  and  rash  conduct.  People  of 
this  character  having  conceived  the  idea  that  Portland  was  in 
danger  of  attack,  though  just  why  they  were  never  able  to  explain, 
called  a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  taking  measures  to  defend  the 
city.  H.  W.  Davis  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  forces 
to  be  raised,  and  two  hundred  men  enrolled  their  names  in  response 
to  a  call  for  volunteers.  Before  the  company  was  fully  organized 
the  absurdity  of  the  whole  proceeding  became  apparent,  and  the 
matter  was  quietly  dropped. 

The  latest  exhibition  of  anxiety  was  the  departure  from  Portland, 
on  the  fifth  of  April,  of  a  mounted  company  of  twenty-five  rangers, 
under  Captain  W.  S.  Buckley  and  Lieutenant  L.  J.  Powell,  who 
made  a  fruitless  scout  in  the  direction  of  the  Sandy,  in  search  of 
Indians  who  might  harbor  evil  designs  upon  the  peace  and  welfare 
of  the  city.  Not  finding  any,  they  returned,  and  the  people,  now 
relieved  of  all  anxiety,  again  abandoned  themselves  to  "the  sweet 
vicissitudes  of  pleasure  and  repose." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WEIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW. 

Additional  Defenses  at  the  Cascades — Colonel  Wright  Invades  the  Yak- 
ima  Country — He  Fails  to  Negotiate  with  Kama-i-akun,  and  Re 
turns  to  The  Dalles — Plans  of  Governor  Stevens — He  sends  the 
Second  Regiment  into  the  Walla  Walla  Country  in  two  Battalions — 
Composition  of  the  Regiment — Battle  of  Grand  Ronde — Battle  of 
Burnt  River — Killed  and  Wounded — Colonel  Shaw  Averts  a  War 
with  the  Nex  Perces — Colonel  Steptoe  sent  to  Walla  Walla  to  Build 
a  Fort — His  Proclamation  that  the  Indian  Treaties  were  not  yet  in 
Force — Governor  Stevens  Invites  the  Tribes  to  Hold  a  Council  at 
Walla  Walla — The  Council  an  Unfriendly  one — Lack  of  Harmony 
between  Stevens  and  Steptoe — Stevens  Attacked  by  the  Indians  and 
is  Rescued  by  Steptoe — A  Block-house  Built  and  Garrisoned  and 
Troops  Return  to  The  Dalles — Colonel  Wright  Leads  an  Expedition 
to  Walla  Walla — He  holds  a  Council  and  Arranges  a  Peace  upon  the 
Grounds  of  Mutual  Forgiveness  for  the  "  Late  Unpleasantness  "- 
Governor  Stevens'*  Treaties  and  his  Opinion  of  Wright's  Treaty — 
Northern  Indians  Invade  Puget  Sound — Erection  of  Fort  Walla 
Walla — Situation  of  affairs  in  the  Indian  Country — Colonel  Step- 
toe's  Defeat  in  the  Palouse  Country — His  Disastrous  Retreat  South 
of  Snake  River — A  Record  of  Heroism  and  Cowardice — Colonel 
Wright  Chastises  the  Indians  at  Medical  Lake — The  Spokanes,  Yak- 
imas  and  Palouses  Sue  for  Peace  and  Surrender  Unconditionally 
—Hostages  Taken  and  Twelve  Indians  Hung — The  Walla  Wallas 
Tamely  Submit  to  the  Hanging  of  Four  of  their  Number. 

THE  proposed  movement  into  the  Walla  Walla  country,  so 
suddenly  interrupted  by  the  attack  upon  the  Cascades,  was 
abandoned  by  Colonel  Wright,  whose  forces  camped  for  a  time  at 
The  Dalles.  Two  block -houses  were  built  at  the  Cascades,  one  at 
the  Upper  landing  and  one  at  the  Lower,  which  vvere  well  gar 
risoned  and  provisioned.  A  large  block-house  was  also  built  at 


456  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Vancouver,  in  the  rear  of  the  barracks.  Having  thus  fortified 
those  points  against  attack,  and  leaving  a  strong  force  at  The 
Dalles,  Colonel  Wright  moved  north  into  the  Yakima  country,  ex 
pecting  to  form  a  junction  at  the  Natchess  Pass  with  Colonel 
Casey,  whom  he  had  ordered  to  move  with  two  companies  across 
the  mountains  to  meet  him.  His  object  was  not  to  make  an  attack 
upon  the  Indians,  but,  in  pursuance  of  the  instructions  of  General 
Wool,  to  meet  Kama-i-akun  in  council  and  agree  upon  the  basis 
of  a  lasting  peace.  He  moved  north  early  in  May,  and  on  the 
eighth  met  the  Indians  near  the  Natchess  River.  He  undertook  to 
negotiate  with  them,  but  failed  utterly  to  accomplish  anything. 
On  the  eleventh,  having  ascertained  that  at  least  one  thousand 
warriors  confronted  him,  representatives  being  present  from  nearly 
all  the  disaffected  tribes,  he  dispatched  a  courier  to  The  Dalles  for 
reinforcements.  Three  companies  at  once  moved  to  his  aid,  raising 
his  effective  force  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  There  he  re 
mained  for  several  weeks,  vainly  endeavoring  to  hold  a  council 
with  Kama-i-akun.  A  few  Indians  visited  his  camp  from  time  to 
time,  more  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  posted  on  his  movements 
than  anything  else,  but  no  chiefs  came  near  him.  He  constructed 
a  fort  on  the  bank  of  the  Natchess,  where  the  stream  was  two 
hundred  feet  wide  ;  and  the  Indians,  having  been  reduced  to  living 
upon  their  horses  and  what  salmon  could  be  caught,  moved  away. 
Colonel  Wright  then  returned  to  The  Dalles,  having  accomplished 
nothing  of  importance,  unless  it  was  to  more  firmly  settle  the  In 
dians  in  their  previous  opinion  that  the  settlers  and  the  troops 
were  distinct  peoples,  and  the  latter  would  not  aid  the  former  to 
fight  them. 

Meanwhile,  the  two  companies,  called  oat  by  Governor  Curry, 
had  taken  station  at  The  Dalles,  and  Governor  Stevens  was  pre 
paring  for  a  campaign  on  his  own  account.  He  was  fearful  that  if 
something  was  not  done  at  once  to  humble  the  hostiles,  they  would 
corrupt  the  Nez  Perces,  Spokanes,  Colvilles  and  Coeur  d'Alenes, 
and  a  most  powerful  combination  be  formed  against  the  whites. 
Quiet  had  been  restored  on  the  Sound,  the  last  sign  of  war  being  a 
brief  battle  on  the  Nesqually  early  in  April,  between  Indians  and 
Captain  Maxon's  company.  Consequently,  Governor  Stevens  began 
early  in  May,  while  Colonel  Wright  was  in  the  Yakima  country,  to 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLOISTELS  WRIGHT,  8TEPTOE  AND  SHAW.        457 

organize  a  force  to  accomplish  his  purpose  of  making  a  proper  dis 
play  of  power  where  it  would  have  the  desired  effect.  His  ideas, 
plans  and  movements  are  fully  detailed  in  the  following  extracts 
from  letters  addressed  by  him  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  at  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.  On  the  twenty-third  of  May  he  wrote  :— 

Two  hundred  horsemen  on  the  Natchess,  well  supplied,  mounted  and  under  a 
vigorous  officer,  at  this  juncture,  will,  with  the  operation  of  the  regular  troops, 
drive  him  (the  enemy)  across  the  Columbia.  This  force  I  am  now  organizing  at 
Camp  Montgomery,  and  it  will  be  ready  in  ten  days.  In  this  view  the  Walla 
Walla  country  must  be  held;  communication  be  established  with  the  Nez  Perce 
auxiliaries,  and  the  enemy  restricted  to  the  country  north  of  the  Snake,  and  on  the 
immediate  banks  of  the  Columbia,  north  of  the  Snake.  I  am  organizing  a  force  of 
two  hundred  men  to  occupy  the  Walla  Walla.  One  hundred  men  are  already  at 
The  Dalles.  They  will  move  with  one  hundred  days'  provisions,  and  some  to  spare 
for  the  Nez  Perce  auxiliaries  and  the  troops  which  may  be  concentrated  there  from 
the  Yakima  country.  The  Yakima  and  Walla  Walla  country  firmly  held,  the 
passes  well  watched  over  the  Cascades,  the  main  force  of  the  enemy  on  the  Snake 
and  Upper  Columbia,  we  may  then  be  able  to  disband  the  bulk  of  the  remaining 
volunteers  on  the  Sound.  This  most  favorable  view  of  the  progress  of  the  war, 
which  can  not  be  developed  in  a  shorter  period  than  four  to  six  weeks,  will  prac 
tically  keep  in  service  all  the  volunteers  for  their  six  months'  term  of  service,  and 
may  render  it  necessary  to  extend  the  term  on  the  part  of  those  occupying  the 
Walla  Walla.  *  *  Thus,  to  transfer  the  war  from  the  settlements  on  the 
Sound  and  the  Columbia  River  to  the  interior,  to  strike  such  blows  as  opportunities 
may  offer,  and  to  be  in  readiness  to  prepare  for  a  vigorous  winter  campaign,  I  shall, 
in  ten  days,  be  ready  to  move  over  the  Natchess  with  two  hundred  horsemen  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pack  animals,  and  to  the  Walla  Walla  with  two  hundred 
horsemen  and  one  hundred  days'  provisions. 

Under  date  of  June  8th,  he  says  : — 

The  two  expeditions  referred  to,  one  over  the  Cascades  into  the  Yakima 
country,  the  other  from  The  Dalles  to  the  Walla  Walla,  are  nearly  ready  for  the 
movements.  Both  expeditions  I  deem  of  vital  consequence,  in  view  of  the  present 
condition  of  things  in  the  interior.  All  the  information  which  I  have  received, 
goes  to  satisfy  me,  that  unless  the  most  vigorous  action  is  at  once  taken,  all  the 
tribes  from  the  Cascades  to  the  Bitterroot  will  be  in  the  war,  a  portion  of  the  Nez 
Perces  alone  excepted.  I  shall  to-morrow  push  to  The  Dalles,  and  urge  the  Walla 
Walla  expedition  forward  with  all  possible  dispatch.  I  trust  it  will  be  in  season. 
The  troops  all  reached  The  Dalles  on  yesterday,  but  it  was  supposed  that  a  portion 
of  the  animals  which  were  taken  on  the  emigrant  trail  from  the  Willamette  to  The 
Dalles,  will  be  a  day  or  two  behind.  Jf  the  troops  reach  the  Walla  Walla  before  an 
overt  act  has  been  committed,  I  am  certain  that  the  combination  can  be  broken  up, 
and  that  the  Nez  Perces  and  the  Indians  on  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Spokanes  will  remain  friendly. 

July  7th,  the  Governor  details  additional  events  as  follows  :— 

The  force  from  the  Sound,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Lieut.  Col.  B.  F. 
Shaw,  moved  from  Camp  Montgomery  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  June  llth 
and  12th,  and  crossing  the  mountains  with  the  loss  of  only  one  animal,  camped  on 
the  Wenaes  on  the  twentieth.  At  that  point  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shaw  received 


458  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

orders  from  me  to  push  to  the  Walla  Walla,  unite  his  force  with  that  moving  from 
The  Dalles,  and  take  command  of  the  whole.  The  force  from  The  Dalles  moved 
from  the  camp  five  miles  beyond  the  Des  Chutes  River,  on  Wednesday,  June  25th, 
and  was  expected  to  reach  the  Walla  Walla  on  the  fourth  of  July.  Each  column 
numbered  nearly  two  hundred  men.  The  whole  force  consists  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  enlisted  men,  and  about  one  hundred  quartermaster  and  Indian  employes. 
From  the  Walla  Walla,  Indian  supplies  will  be  pushed  to  the  Nez  Perces  and 
Spokanes,  and  an  escort  will  accompany  them,  should  the  simple  presence  of  a 
force  in  the  Walla  Walla  valley  be  not  sufficient  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  train, 
protected,  as  it  is  expected  it  will  be,  by  Indian  auxiliaries.  Letters  have  been 
received  from  Lieut.  Col.  Wni.  Craig,  agent  of  the  Nez  Perces,  of  the  twenty-ninth 
of  May  and  eighth  of  June,  speaking  more  favorably  of  the  condition  of  things  in 
the  interior.  Kama-i-akun,  at  a  council  held  with  the  Spokanes  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  May,  wherein  he  urged  that  tribe  to  join  the  war,  received  a  negative  to  his 
proposition.  The  Spokanes,  however,  harbor  the  hostile  Cay  uses,  which  has  caused 
me  to  be  somewhat  apprehensive  of  the  sincerity  of  their  professions.  I  was  at 
The  Dalles  from  Saturday,  June  14th,  to  Monday,  June  30th,  getting  the  expedition 
off  and  collecting  information  in  relation  to  the  Indians.  At  that  time  the  hostile 
bands  were  much  scattered.  Some  three  hundred  hostiles  were  at  the  head  of  John 
Day's  River ;  a  large  camp  of  hostiles,  supposed  to  be  Walla  Wallas  under  the  son 
of  Peu-peu-mox-mox,  were  at  Fort  Walla  Walla.  The  Cay  uses  were  on  the 
Spokane.  The  Klickitats  and  Yakimas  were  on  the  Pischouse  River,  and  probably 
small  parties  at  Priest's  Rapids.  The  large  camp  reported  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Craig,  in  his  letter  of  May  27th,  and  composed  of  individuals  of  several  tribes,  in 
cluding  the  Snakes,  I  have  no  information  that  they  have  moved  from  the  place 
where  they  were  when  Colonel  Craig  wrote.  There  were  Snakes  with  the  party  at 
the  head  of  John  Day's  River,  and  the  force  was  increasing.  It  is  proposed  to 
strike  the  party  at  the  head  of  John  Day's  River,  by  a  force  of  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  men,  consisting  of  one  hundred  volunteers  of  Oregon,  under 
Major  Layton,  and  seventy-five  volunteers  of  Washington,  under  Captain  Goff. 
The  plan  was  to  move  from  Well  Springs  on  the  thirtieth  of  June,  which  point  is 
on  the  emigrant  road,  some  eighty-five  miles  from  The  Dalles. 

The  force  which  thus  invaded  the  Walla  Walla  country  was 
known  officially  as  the  "Second  Regiment  W.  T.  Mounted  Volun 
teers,"  and  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  B.  F.  Shaw.  The 
Lieutenant- Colonel  was  William  Craig,  the  old  mountaineer  who 
was  living  among  the  Nez  Perces,  and  had  organized  a  company  of 
sixty  of  these  friendly  Indians  to  co-operate  with  the  volunteers. 
They  were  led  by  Spotted  Eagle.  George  Blankenship  and  H.  J. 
G.  Maxon  were  Majors  of  the  first  and  second  battalions.  There 
were  six  companies  of  volunteers,  amounting  to  a  total  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  one  each  raised  by  H.  J.  G.  Maxon  in 
Clarke  County ;  by  Captain  Achilles  on  Lewis  River  ;  by  B.  L. 
Henness  in  Thurston  County,  and  by  Bluford  Miller  and  M.  P. 
Goff  in  the  Willamette  Valley.  The  two  Oregon  companies,  re 
ferred  to  in  the  Governor's  letters,  as  commanded  by  Major  Lay- 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.       459 

ton,    were   those   called   out   by   Governor   Curry,    to   guard  the 
Columbia. 

Immediately  after  going  into  camp  on  Mill  Creek,  two  miles 
above  the  present  city  of  Walla  Walla,  one  hundred  mule  packs  of 
Indian  supplies  were  sent  with  a  light  escort  to  the  friendly  Nez 
Perces,  under  the  charge  of  A.  H.  Robie,  as  special  agent.  On 
the  fourteenth  of  July  Colonel  Shaw  moved  with  one  hundred  and 
sixty  men  and  ten  days'  rations,  to  attack  a  band  of  hostiles  who 
were  reported  as  concentrating  in  the  Grand  Ronde  Valley.  He 
was  guided  through  the  Blue  Mountains  by  Captain  John,  a  Nez 
Perce  chief.  The  following  account  of  his  movements  is  taken 
from  his  official  report  :— 

We  arrived  in  the  Grand  Ronde  Valley  on  the  evening  of  the  sixteenth,  and 
camped  on  a  branch  of  the  Grand  Ronde  River  in  the  timber,  sending  spies  in  ad 
vance,  who  returned  and  reported  no  fresh  sign.  On  the  morning  of  the  seven 
teenth,  leaving  Major  Blankenship  of  the  Central,  and  Captain  Miller  of  the  South 
ern  battalions,  assisted  by  Captain  DeLacy,  to  take  up  the  line  of  march  for  the 
main  valley,  I  proceeded  ahead  to  reconnoitre,  accompanied  by  Major  Maxon,  Mi 
chael  Marchmean,  Captain  John,  and  Dr.  Burns.  After  proceeding  about  five  miles 
we  ascended  a  knoll  in  the  valley,  from  which  we  discovered  dust  arising  along  the 
timber  of  the  river.  I  immediately  sent  Major  Maxon  and  Captain  John  forward 
to  reconnoitre,  and  returned  to  hurry  up  the  command  which  was  not  far  distant. 
The  command  was  instantly  formed  in  order;  Captain  Miller's  company  in  ad 
vance,  supported  by  Maxon,  Henness  and  Powell's  companies ;  leaving  the  pack 
train  in  charge  of  the  guard  under  Lieutenant  Goodwin,  with  a  detachment  of 
Goff's  company  under  Lieutenant  Wait ;  and  Lieutenant  William's  company  in 
reserve,  with  orders  to  follow  on  after  the  command. 

The  whole  command  moved  on  quietly  in  this  order,  until  within  half  a  mile  of 
the  Indian  village,  where  we  discovered  that  the  pack  train  had  moved  to  the  left, 
down  the  Grand  Ronde  River.  At  this  moment,  a  large  body  of  warriors  came 
forward,  singing  and  whooping,  and  one  of  them,  waving  a  white  man's  scalp  on 
a  pole.  One  of  them  signified  a  desire  to  speak,  whereupon  1  sent  Captain  John 
to  meet  him  and  formed  the  command  in  line  of  battle.  When  Captain  John  came 
up  to  the  Indians,  they  cried  out  to  one  another  to  shoot  him,  when  he  retreated  to 
the  command,  and  I  ordered  the  four  companies  to  charge. 

The  design  of  the  enemy  evidently  was  to  draw  us  into  the  brush  along  the 
river,  where,  from  our  exposed  position,  they  would  have  the  advantage — they  no 
doubt  having  placed  an  ambush  there.  To  avoid  this,  I  charged  down  the  river 
toward  the  pack  train.  The  warriors  then  split,  part  going  across  the  river,  and 
part  down  toward  the  pack  train.  These  were  soon  overtaken  and  engaged.  The 
charge  was  vigorous  and  so  well  sustained  that  they  were  broken,  dispersed  and 
slain  before  us.  After  a  short  time,  I  sent  Captain  Miller  to  the  left  and  Major 
Maxon  to  the  right,  the  latter  to  cross  the  stream  and  cut  them  off  from  a  point 
near  which  a  large  body  of  warriors  had  collected,  apparently  to  fight,  while  I 
moved  forward  with  the  commands  of  Captain  Henness  and  Lieutenant  Powell  to 
attack  them  in  front.  The  Major  could  not  cross  the  river,  and,  on  our  moving 
forward  the  enemy  fled,  after  firing  a  few  guns,  part  taking  to  the  left,  and  part 
continuing  forward. 


460  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Those  who  took  to  the  left  fell  in  with  Captain  Miller's  company,  who  killed 
five  on  the  spot,  and  the  rest  were  not  less  successful  in  the  pursuit,  which  was  con 
tinued  to  the  crossing  of  the  river,  where  th&  enemy  had  taken  a  stand  to  defend 
the  ford.  Being  here  rejoined  by  Captain  Miller  and  by  Lieutenant  Curtis  with 
part  of  Maxon's  company,  we  fired  a  volley,  and  I  ordered  a  charge  across  the  river, 
which  was  gallantly  executed.  In  doing  this,  Private  Shirley  Ensign  of  Henness' 
company,  who  was  in  the  front,  was  wounded  in  the  face.  Several  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  at  this  point.  We  continued  the  pursuit  until  the  enemy  had  reached 
the  rocky  canyons  leading  towards  Powder  river  and  commenced  scattering  in  ev 
ery  direction,  when,  finding  that  I  had  but  five  men  with  me,  and  the  rest  of  the 
command  scattered  in  the  rear,  most  of  the  horses  being  completely  exhausted — I 
called  a  halt,  and  fell  back,  calculating  to  remount  the  men  on  the  captured  horses 
and  continue  the  pursuit  after  night. 

I  found  the  pack  train,  guard  and  reserve,  encamped  on  a  small  creek  not  far 
from  the  crossing,  as  I  had  previously  ordered  them  to  do,  and  learned  that  a  body 
of  the  enemy  had  followed  them  up  all  day,  and  annoyed  them,  but  had  inflicted 
no  damage  beyond  capturing  many  of  the  animals  which  we  had  taken  in  charge, 
and  left  behind. 

I  learned,  also,  that  Major  Maxon  had  crossed  the  river  with  a  small  party,  and 
was  engaged  with  the  enemy,  and  wanted  assistance.  I  immediately  dispatched  a 
detachment  under  Lieutenants  Williams  and  Wait,  sending  the  man  who  brought 
the  information  back  with  them  as  a  guide.  They  returned  after  dark,  without  find 
ing  the  Major,  but  brought  in  one  of  his  men  whom  they  found  in  the  brush,  and 
who  stated  that  one  of  the  Major's  men  was  killed,  and  that  the  last  he  saw  of  them 
they  were  fighting  with  the  Indians,  At  daylight  I  sent  out  Captain  Miller  with 
seventy  men,  who  scouted  around  the  whole  valley  without  finding  him,  but  who, 
unfortunately,  had  one  man  killed  and  another  wounded  whilst  pursuing  some  In 
dians.  I  resolved  to  move, camp  the  next  day  to  the  head  of  the  valley,  where  the 
emigrant  trail  crosses  it,  and  continue  the  search  until  we  became  certain  of  their 
fate.  The  same  evening  I  took  sixty  men  under  Captain  Henness,  and  struck  upon 
the  mountain  and  crossed  the  heads  of  the  canyons  to  see  if  I  could  not  strike  his 
trail.  Finding  no  sign  I  returned  to  the  place  where  the  Major  had  last  been  seen, 
and  there  made  search  in  different  directions,  and  finally  found  the  body  of  one  of 
his  men  (Tooley)  and  where  the  Major  had  encamped  in  the  brush.  From  other 
signs  it  became  evident  to  me  that  the  Major  had  returned  to  this  post  by  the  same 
trail  by  which  we  first  entered  the  valley. 

Being  nearly  out  of  provisions,  and  unable  to  follow  the  Indians  from  this 
delay,  I  concluded  to  return  to  camp,  recruit  for  another  expedition  in  conjunc 
tion  with  Captain  Goff,  who  had,  I  presumed,  returned  from  his  expedition  to  John 
Day's  River. 

I  should  have  mentioned  previously  that  in  the  charge,  the  command  captured* 
and  afterwards  destroyed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  horse  loads  lacamas,  dried 
beef,  tents,  some  flour,  coffee,  sugar,  and  about  one  hundred  pounds  of  ammunition 
and  a  great  quantity  of  tools  and  kitchen  furniture.  We  ,took  also  about  two  hun 
dred  horses,  most  of  which  were  shot,  there  being  but  about  one  hundred  service 
able  animals. 

There  were  present  on  the  ground  from  what  I  saw,  and  from  information  re 
ceived  from  two  squaws  taken  prisoners,  about  three  hundred  warriors  of  the  Cay- 
use,  Walla  \Valla,  Umatilla,  Tygh,  John  Day  and  DesChutes  tribes,  commanded  by 
the  following  chiefs:  Stock  Whitley  and  Siin-mis-tas-tas  (DesChutes  and  Tygh)  ; 
Chick-iah,  Plyon,  Wic-e-cai,  Wat-ah-stuartih,  Win-im-snoot  (Cay uses) ;  Tah-kin 
Cay  use,  the  son  of  Peu-peu-mox-mox  (Walla  Walla),  and  other  chiefs  of  less  note. 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.       461 

) 

The  whole  command,  officers  aud  men,  behaved  well.  The  enemy  was  run  on 
the  gallop  fifteen  miles,  and  most  of  them  who  fell  were  shot  with  the  revolver. 
It  is  impossible  to  state  how  many  of  the  enemy  were  killed.  Twenty-seven  bodies 
were  counted  by  one  individual,  and  many  others  we  know  to  have  fallen  and  been 
left,  but  were  so  scattered  about  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  count  of  them.  When 
to  these  we  add  those  killed  by  Major  Maxon's  command  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  we  may  safely  conclude  that  at  least  forty  of  the  enemy  were  slain,  and 
many  went  off  wounded.  When  we  left  the  valley  there  was  not  an  Indian  in  it ; 
and  all  the  signs  went  to  show  that  they  had  gone  a  great  distance  from  it. 

On  the  twenty-first  instant  we  left  the  valley  by  the  emigrant  road,  and  com 
menced  our  return  to  camp.  During  the  night  Lieutenant  Hunter,  of  the  Wash 
ington  Territory  volunteers,  came  into  camp  with  an  express  from  Captain  Goff. 
I  learned,  to  my  surprise,  that  the  Captain  and  Major  Layton  had  seen  Indians 
on  John  Day's  River  ;  had  followed  them  over  to  the  head  of  Burnt  River,  and  had 
had  a  fight  with  them,  in  which  Lieutenant  Eustus  and  one  private  were  killed, 
and  some  seven  Indians.  They  were  shaping  their  course  for  the  Grand  Ronde 
Valley,  and  had  sent  for  provisions  and  fresh  horses.  I  immediately  sent  Lieuten 
ant  Williams  hack  with  all  my  spare  provisions  and  horses,  and  continued  my 
march.  On  Wild  Horse  Creeu  I  came  across  Mr.  Fites,  a  pack  master,  who  had 
been  left  in  camp,  who  informed  me,  to  my  extreme  satisfaction,  that  Major  Maxon 
and  his  command  arrived  safe  in  camp,  and  were  then  near  us  with  provisions  and 
ammunition.  These  I  sent  on  immediately  to  Captain  GofF. 

I  learned  that  Major  Maxon  had  been  attacked  in  the  valley  by  a  large  force  of 
Indians  on  the  day  of  the  fight;  had  gained  the  brush  and  killed  many  of  them; 
that  at  night  he  tried  to  find  our  camp,  and  hearing  a  noise  like  a  child  crying, 
probably  one  of  the  captured  squaws,  had  concluded  that  my  command  had  gone  on 
to  Powder  River,  and  that  the  Indians  had  returned  to  the  valley  by  another  can 
yon.  He  moved  his  position  that  night,  and  the  next  day  saw  the  scout  looking  for 
him,  but  in  the  distance  thought  it  was  a  band  of  Indians  hunting  his  trail.  Con 
ceiving  himself  cut  off  from  the  command,  he  thought  it  best  to  return  to  his  camp, 
thinking  that  we  would  be  on  our  way  back  to  Grand  Ronde  with  provisions  and 
ammunition. 

The  force  under  Captain  F.  M.  P.  Goff,  seventy-five  men,  and 
Major  Layton,  one  hundred  men,  had  moved  up  the  John  Day,  and 
crossing  the  Blue  Mountains  reached  the  vicinity  of  Burnt  River  on 
the  twelfth  of  July.  Owing  to  severe  illness  of  Captain  Goff,  he 
was  forced  to  remain  in  camp  until  the  fifteenth,  with  a  portion  of 
his  command,  while  the  remainder  of  the  force,  under  Major  Lay- 
ton,  was  scouting  in  search  of  the  enemy.  Layton's  scouts  reached 
the  head  of  Burnt  River  on  the  fifteenth  and  camped,  when  Lieu 
tenant  John  Eustus,  with  two  men,  proposed  ascending  a  neighbor 
ing  bluff  to  get  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  They  were 
advised  not  to  attempt  it,  but  determined  to  do  so,  and,  as  they  ap 
proached  the  summit,  were  fired  upon  by  ambushed  hostiles,  the 
Lieutenant  and  , Daniel  Smith  of  Company  K  being  killed.  The 
third  man  made  a  miraculous  escape,  and  was  met  in  his  wild  flight 
by  comrades  coming  to  his  assistance,  before  he  reached  the  camp 


462  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

• 

that  lay  in  plain  view  below.  Lieutenant  Hunter,  at  the  head  of 
his  command,  charged  up  the  hill,  drove  the  Indians  off  from  it,  re 
covered  the  bodies  of  the  dead  soldiers,  and  then  fell  back  to  camp. 
The  next  morning  found  them  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  a 
skirmishing  engagement  followed  through  the  day,  which  resulted 
in  nothing  decisive  except  the  wounding  of  one  soldier  named 
Cheney,  the  wounding  of  one,  and  killing  of  three  Indians.  On  the 
seventeenth,  as  Captain  Goff  approached  the  battle  ground  with 
his  company,  the  hostiles  disappeared,  and,  on  the  eighteenth,  the 
line  of  march  in  the  direction  of  Grand  Eonde  was  resumed.  Form 
ing  a  junction  with  Major  Maxon,  both  forces  moved  to  the  general 
camp  on  Mill  Creek. 

In  the  battles  on  Burnt  Eiver  and  in  Grand  Eonde  Valley,  the 
following  casualties  occurred:  Killed,  Lieutenant  John  Eustus,  and 
privates  Daniel  Smith,  William  Holmes,  of  Company  K;  William 
Irven,  William  F.  Tooley,  of  Company  A.  Wounded,  James  Che 
ney,  of  Company  K ;  Thomas  Conio,  of  Company  A ;  Shirley  En 
sign,  of  Company  C;  William  Downy,  of  Company  D;  T.  N.  Lilley, 
of  Company  I. 

When  Colonel  Shaw  reached  Mill  Creek,  he  found  Agent  Eobie 
there,  having  been  drdered  out  of  the  Nez  Perce  country  with  his 
goods,  and  having  made  a  forced  march  of  one  hundred  miles  to 
reach  a  place  of  safety.  From  this  it  was  apparent  that  the  war 
party  in  that  tribe  had  gained  the  ascendency.  The  danger  which 
Governor  Stevens  had  feared  was  imminent;  but  Colonel  Shaw 
acted  promptly  in  the  emergency,  using  the  prestige  of  his  recent 
victory  at  Grand  Eonde  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  He  sent 
the  Nez  Perce  chief,  Captain  John,  to  his  countrymen  at  Lapwai 
with  intelligence  of  recent  events;  and  charged  him  to  convey  to 
them  the  following  message:  "I  am  your  friend.  I  have  not  come 
to  fight  you,  but  the  hostiles;  but,  if  you  beat  your  drums  for  war, 
I  will  parade  my  men  for  battle."  This  news  and  message  was 
enough.  The  peace  party  again  gained  control  of  the  tribe  and  the 
threatened  danger  was  averted.  Had  the  Nez  Perces  gone  to  war, 
every  tribe  between  the  Cascade  and  Eocky  Mountains  would  have 
joined  in  a  war  of  extermination,  arid  the  settlements  on  Puget 
Sound,  in  the  Willamette  Valley  and  in  Southern  Oregon  would 
have  been  hemmed  in  and  threatened,  if  not  actually  attacked,  by 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WEIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.       463 

a  cordon  of  warriors  extending  from  California  to  British  Columbia, 
until  a  sufficient  force  of  troops  could  be  sent  to  their  relief.  What 
horrors  might  have  resulted,  appals  the  mind  to  contemplate. 

Colonel  Shaw  remained  in  camp  on  Mill  Creek  to  hold  the  key 
to  the  Indian  country  and  retain  the  advantages  gained  by  so 
great  a  sacrifice.  Meanwhile,  Colonel  Wright  had  returned  to  The 
Dalles  from  his  fruitless  expedition  into  the  Yakima  country,  and 
proceeded  to  carry  out  his  previous  design  of  establishing  a 
military  post  in  the  Walla  Walla  country,  which  had  been  so 
hastily  abandoned  when  the  attack  was  made  upon  the  Cascades. 
He  assigned  this  duty  to  Lieutenant- Colonel  E.  J.  Steptoe,  placing 
at  his  disposal  a  battalion  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  It  was 
then  determined  to  do  what  should  have  been  done  in  the  first 
place — to  notify  the  people  that  the  treaties  were  not  yet  in  force, 
and  every  one  must  remain  out  of  the  Indian  country  until  the 
pending  treaties  were  ratified,  except  the  servants  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  and  others  who,  like  that  corporation,  had  made 
special  arrangements  with  the  Indians.  Before  starting,  therefore, 
Colonel  Steptoe  made  the  following  announcement  :— 

FORT  DALLES,  O.  T.,  August  20,  1856. 

The  undersigned,  having  been  designated  to  establish  a  military  post  in  the 
Walla  Walla  country,  arid  with  a  view  to  prevent  all  misunderstanding  on  the  sub 
ject,  believes  it  proper  to  make  known  the  following  instruction  he  has  received 
from  the  Pacific  Military  Department: — 

"No  emigrant  or  other  white  person,  except  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or 
persons  having  ceded  rights  from  the  Indians,  will  be  permitted  to  settle  or  to  re 
main  in  the  Indian  country,  or  on  land  not  settled,  or  not  confirmed  by  the  Senate 
and  approved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States." 

These  orders  are  not,  however,  to  apply  to  the  miners  engaged  in  collecting  gold 
at  Colville  mines. 

[Signed]  E.  J.  STEPTOE, 

Brevet  Colonel  U.  S.  A, 

Five  days  before  the  issuance  of  this  proclamation,  Governor 
Stevens,  having  conferred  with  Colonel  Wright  as  to  his  plans, 
went  up  to  the  Walla  Walla  camp  for  the  purpose  of  mustering 
out  the  volunteers,  whose  term  of  service  expired  on  the  eighth  of 
September,  as  soon  as  Steptoe  should  arrive  to  relieve  them.  He 
also  proposed  to  hold  councils  with  the  tribes  and  agree  upon 
terms  of  a  permanent  peace.  When  he  arrived  at  Colonel  Shaw's 
camp,  on  Mill  Creek,  near  the  present  city  of  Walla  Walla,  he 
sent  out  runners  to  all  the  tribes,  inviting  them  to  attend  a  general 


464  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

council  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley.  Colonel  Steptoe  arrived  on 
the  fifth  of  September,  and  went  into  camp,  five  miles  below  the 
proposed  council  ground.  What  occurred  there  is  related  by 
Governor  Stevens  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and,  in 
perusing  it  the  reader  is  cautioned  to  keep  constantly  in  mind  the 
strong  prejudices  and  marked  egotism  of  the  author.  The  events 
related  are  no  doubt  correct,  but  inferences  drawn  and  opinions 
expressed  fall  short  of  doing  full  justice  to  the  regulars,  or  repre 
senting  their  conduct  in  the  proper  light.  Throughout  the  whole 
war,  as  has  been  amply  shown  by  previous  events,  he  acted  as 
though  every  one,  including  the  officers  of  the  regular  army,  must 
bend  to  his  ideas  ;  everything  must  be  measured  with  his  tape  line  ; 
his  idea  of  co-operation  was  for  the  regulars  to  be  guided  entirely 
by  him  ;  when  they  failed  so  to  do  he  freely  charged  them  with 
incompetency  and  willful  misconduct,  and  in  that  spirit  this  letter 
was  written.  It  says  : — 

On  the  evening  of  the  tenth  the  Indians  being  all  in  except  the  Yakimas,  and 
none  friendly  except  a  portion  of  the  Nez  Perces,  and  orders  having  been  given  to 
all  the  volunteers  to  go  home  the  next  day,  I  made  a  requisition  upon  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Steptoe  for  two  companies  of  his  troops  and  his  mountain  howitzers, 
and  to  my  surprise,  learned  from  his  answer  that  he  had  moved  his  camp  to  a  point 
on  Mill  Creek  some  seven  or  eight  miles  above  my  camp,  and  that  his  orders  from 
General  Wool  did  not  allow  him  to  comply  with  my  requisition.  I  say  to  my  sur 
prise,  for  in  my  interview  with  Colonel  Wright  at  Vancouver,  referred  to  in  my 
report  of  the  fourteenth  of  August,  I  understood,  as  I  went  to  the  interior  in  my 
capacity  simply  of  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  that  in  effecting  the  objects  of 
the  council,  I  was  to  have  the  co-operation  of  the  military  force  he  was  about  to  send 
there  ;  a  co-operation  which  the  good  of  the  service  most  urgently  demanded.  I 
had  already  raised  nearly  two  hundred  six  months'  men  to  strengthen  the  command 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shaw,  under  a  proclamation  issued  immediately  after  the  re 
ceipt  of  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Grand  Ronde,  and  I  had  four  months'  supplies  to 
subsist  them.  This  proclamation  was  revoked  on  my  arrival  at  Vancouver,  and  the 
troops  raised  under  it  disbanded.  In  interviews  held  afterwards  with  Colonel 
Wright  at  The  Dalles,  I  dwelt  upon  the  objects  to  be  gained  by  the  council ;  referred 
to  the  effect  of  the  presence  of  his  troops  there,  and  left  him  with  the  belief  that  it 
was  an  arranged  and  agreed  on  thing  between  the  Colonel  and  myself,  that  I  was 
to  have  the  countenance  and  support  of  the  regular  force  in  the  Walla  Walla  to 
carry  into  effect  the  beneficent  designs  of  the  council.  Colonel  Wright  stated  that 
other  duties  would  prevent  his  accompanying  me  ;  that  he  had  entire  confidence  in 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe,  the  officer  in  command,  and  his  presence  would  be  un 
necessary.  Accordingly,  previous  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe's  reaching  the 
valley,  I  sent  him  two  letters,  each  urging  him  to  camp  near  me  ;  my  object  being 
to  show  the  Indians  the  strength  of  our  people,  and  the  unity  of  our  councils  ;  and 
I  also  wrote  Captain  D.  Russell,  on  his  way  from  the  Yaikimas  with  three  com 
panies,  to  the  same  effect.  On  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  in  the 
valley,  I  urged  him  personally  to  camp  near  me.  The  requisition  was  refused  and 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WEIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.       465 

I  was  therefore  obliged  to  countermand  the  order  sending  home  the  volunteers 
whose  term  of  enlistment  had  all  expired,  and  of  which  only  Goff's  company,  sixty- 
nine  rank  and  file,  remained,  a  portion  of  whom  were  on  their  way  down,  and  had 
to  be  called  back.  This  force  only  remained  to  guard  my  camp. 

The  council  opened  on  the  eleventh  and  continued  on  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth, 
when  so  alarming  was  the  condition  of  affairs,  that  I  deemed  it  my  duty,  on  the 
morning  of  the  thirteenth,  to  address  a  confidential  note  to  Steptoe,  advising  him 
that  one-half  of  the  Nez  Perces  were  unquestionably  hostile;  that  all  the  other 
tribes  were  hostile,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  and  that  a  company  of  his  troops 
was  essential  to  the  security  of  my  camp  ;  and  at  his  suggestion  I  moved  my  party, 
train  and  supplies,  with  Goff's  company  of  volunteers,  to  the  vicinity  of  his  camp. 
I  met  Kama-i-akun  and  his  followers  on  my  way  there,  and  it  is  probably  owing  to 
no  one  being  advised  of  my  intention  to  move  till  the  order  was  given  an  hour  be 
fore  I  started,  that  I  was  not  attacked  on  the  road.  Kama-i-akun  had  unquestion 
ably  an  understanding,  as  subsequent  events  showed,  with  all  the  Indians,  except 
the  friendly  Nez  Perces  (about  one-half  the  nation),  and  a  small  number  of  friendly 
Indians  of  the  other  tribes,  to  make  an  attack  that  day  or  evening  upon  my  camp. 
He  found  me  on  the  road  to  his  great  surprise,  and  had  no  time  to  perfect  his  ar 
rangements.  I  had  learned  in  the  night  that  Kama-i-akun  had  encamped  on  the 
Touchet  the  night  before,  and  that  he  would  be  in  this  day.  The  council  re-opened 
on  the  sixteenth ;  all  the  Indians  were  camped  near,  Kama-i-akun  and  his  band 
being  only  separated  from  the  council  ground  by  a. narrow  skirt  of  woods  in  the 
bottom  of  Mill  Creek;  and  was  closed  the  next  day,  all  my  efforts,  both  to  make  an 
arrangement  with  the  hostiles,  and  to  do  away  with  the  disaffection  of  the  Nez 
Perces  having  proved  abortive.  On  the  eighteenth,  at  a  separate  council  with  the 
Nez  Perces,  all,  both  hostile  and  friendly  Nez  Perces,  advised  the  sub-agent,  Wm. 
Craig,  not  to  return  to  the  Nez  Perce  country  as  his  life  would  be  in  danger,  and 
they  were  afraid  he  would  be  killed.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  council,  in  a  brief 
address  to  the  Indians,  I  expressed  my  regrets  that  I  had  failed  in  my  mission  ; 
that  no  one  said  "  Yes  "  to  my  propositions,  and  now  had  only  to  say,  u  Follow  your 
own  hearts;  those  who  wish  to  go  into  war,  go."  My  propositions  were  uncondi 
tional  submission  to  the  justice  and  mercy  of  the  Government,  and  the  rendition 
for  trial  of  murderers. 

In  the  afternoon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  informed  these  Indians  that  he 
came  there  to  establish  a  post,  not  to  fight  them ;  trusted  they  should  get  along  as 
friends,  and  appointed  the  next  day,  a  little  after  noon,  for  a  special  conference. 
The  Indians  did  not,  however,  come  to  see  Steptoe  at  the  time  appointed.  They 
previously  set  fire  to  his  grass,  and  following  me  as  I  set  out  about  eleven  o'clock 
on  my  way  to  The  Dalles,  they  attacked  me  within  three  miles  of  Steptoe's  camp 
at  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  So  satisfied  was  I  that  the  Indians  would 
carry  into  effect  their  avowed  determination  in  the  councils  in  their  own  camps  for 
^preral  nighte  previously  to  Attack  me,  that,  in  starting  I  formed  my  whole  party 
and  moved  in  order  of  battle.  I  moved  on  under  fire  one  mile  to  water,  when 
forming  a  corral  of  the  wagons  and  holding  the  adjacent  hills  and  the  brush  on  the 
stream  by  pickets,  I  made  my  arrangements  to  defend  my  position  and  fight  the 
Indians.  Our  position  in  a  low  open  basin,  five  or  six  hundred  yards  across,  was 
good,  and  with  the  aid  of  our  corral,  we  could  defend  ourselves  against  a  vastly 
superior  force  of  the  enemy.  The  fight  continued  till  late  in  the  night.  Two 
charges  were  made  to  disperse  the  Indians,  the  last  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Shaw  in  person  with  twenty-four  men ;  but,  whilst  driving  before  him  some  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  an  equal  number  pushed  into  his  rear,  and  he  was  com 
pelled  to  cut  his  way  through  them  towards  camp,  when,  drawing  up  his  men,  and 
aided  by  the  teamsters  and  pickets,  who  gallantly  sprang  forward,  he  drove  the 


466  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Indians  back  in  full  charge  upon  the  corral.  Just  before  the  charge  the  friendly 
Nez  Perces,  fifty  in  number,  who  had  been  assigned  to  hold  the  ridge  on  the  south 
side  of  the  corral,  were  told  by  the  enemy,  they  came  not  to  fight  the  Nez  Perces, 
but  the  whites.  "Go  to  your  camp,"  said  they,  "or  we  will  wipe  it  out!"  Their 
camp,  with  the  women  and  children,  was  on  a  stream  about  a  mile  distant ;  and  I 
directed  them  to  retire  as  I  did  not  require  their  assistance,  and  was  fearful  that  my 
men  might  not  be  able  to  distinguish  them  from  hostiles,  and  thus  friendly  Indians 
be  killed. 

Towards  night  I  notified  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  that  I  was  righting  the 
Indians;  that  I  should  move  the  next  morning,  and  expressed  the  opinion  that  a 
company  of  his  troops  would  be  of  service.  In  his  reply  he  stated  that  the  Indians 
had  burnt  up  his  grass,  and  suggested  that  I  should  return  to  his  camp,  and  place 
at  his  disposal  my  wagons,  in  order  that  he  might  move  his  whole  command  and 
his  supplies  to  the  Umatilla  or  some  other  point,  where  sustenance  could  be  found 
for  his  animals.  To  this  arrangement  I  assented,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe 
sent  to  my  camp  Lieutenant  Davidson,  with  detachments  from  the  companies  of 
dragoons  and  artillery  with  a  mountain  howitzer.  They  reached  my  camp  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  everything  in  good  order,  and  most  of  the  men  at  the 
corral  asleep.  A  picket  had  been  driven  in  an  hour  and  a  half  before  by  the 
enemy:  that  on  the  hill  south  of  the  corral,  but  the  enemy  was  immediately  dis 
lodged  and  ground  pits  being  dug,  all  the  points  were  held.  The  howitzer  having 
been  fired  on  the  way  out,  it  was  believed  nothing  would  be  gained  by  waiting  till 
morning,  and  the  whole  force  immediately  returned  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Step- 
toe's  camp.  Soon  after  sunrise,  the  enemy  attacked  the  camp,  but  were  soon  dis 
lodged  by  the  howitzer  and  a  charge  by  a  detachment  from  Steptoe's  command. 
On  my  arrival  at  the  camp,  I  urged  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  to  build  a  block 
house  immediately ;  to  leave  one  company  to  defend  it  with  all  his  supplies ;  then 
to  march  below  and  return  with  an  additional  force  and  additional  supplies,  and 
by  a  vigorous  winter  campaign  to  whip  the  Indians  into  submission.  I  placed  at 
his  disposal  for  the  building,  my  teams  and  Indian  employes.  The  block-house 
and  stockade  were  built  in  a  little  more  than  ten  days.  My  Indian  storeroom  was 
rebuilt  at  one  corner  of  the  stockade.  On  the  twenty -third  September,  we  started 
for  The  Dalles,  which  we  reached  on  the  second  October.  Nothing  of  interest 
occurred  on  the  road. 

In  the  action  of  the  nineteenth,  my  whole  force  consisted  of  Golf's  company  of 
sixty-nine  rank  and  file,  the  teamsters,  herders  and  Indian  employes,  numbering 
about  fifty  men.  Our  train  consisted  of  about  five  hundred  animals,  not  one  of 
which  was  captured  by  the  enemy.  We  fought  four  hundred  and  fifty  Indians, 
and  had  one  man  mortally,  one  dangerously,  and  two  slightly  wounded.  We 
killed  and  wounded  thirteen  Indians.  One-half  the  Nez  Perces,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  warriors,  all  of  the  Yakimas  and  Palouse,  two  hundred  warriors  ;  the  great 
bulk  of  the  Cayuses  and  Umatillas,  -  -  warriors ;  -  of  the  Wa^ 

Wallas  and  Indians  from  other  bands,  were  in  the  fight.  The  principal  war  chiefs 
were  the  son  of  Ouhi,  Isle  de  Pere  and  chief  Qultomee;  the  latter  of  whom  had  two 
horses  shot  under  him,  and  who  showed  me  a  letter  from  Colonel  Wright,  acknowl 
edging  his  valuable  services  in  bringing  about  the  peace  of  the  Yakimas.  I  have 
failed,  therefore,  in  making  the  desired  arrangements  with  the  Indians  in  the 
Walla  Walla,  and  the  failure,  to  be  attributed  in  part  to  the  want  of  co-operation 
with  me  as  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  on  the  part  of  the  regular  troops,  has 
its  causes  also  in  the  whole  plan  of  operations  of  the  troops  since  Colonel  Wright 
assumed  command.  I  state  boldly,  that  the  cause  of  the  Nez  Perces  becoming 
disaffected  and  finally  going  into  war,  is  the  operations  of  Colonel  Wright  east  of 
the  Cascades  —operations  so  feeble,  so  procrastinating,  so  entirely  unequal  to  the 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.        467 

emergency,  that  not  only  has  a  most  severe  blow  been  struck  at  the  credit  of  the 
Government  and  the  prosperity  and  character  of  this  remote  section  of  country,  but 
the  impression  has  been  made  upon  the  Indians  that  the  people  and  the  soldiers 
were  a  different  people.  I  repeat  to  you  officially  that  when  the  Indians  attacked 
me,  they  expected  Colonel  Steptoe  would  not  assist  me,  and  when  they  awoke 
from  their  delusion,  Kama-i  akun  said,  "I  will  now  let  these  people  know  who 
Kama-i-akun  is."  One  of  the  good  effects  of  the  fight  is,  that  the  Indians  have 
learned  that  we  are  one  people,  a  fact  which  had  not  previously  been  made  apparent 
to  them  by  the  operations  of  the  regular  troops.  Is,  sir,  the  army  sent  here  to  pro 
tect  our  people  and  to  punish  Indian  tribes,  who  without  cause,  and  in  cold  blood, 
and  in  spite  of  solemn  treaties,  murder  our  people,  burn  our  houses,  and  wipe  out 
entire  settlements?  Is  it  the  duty  of  General  Wool  and  his  officers  to  refuse  to  co 
operate  with  me  in  my  appropriate  duties  as  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and 
thus  practically  to  assume  those  duties  themselves?  Is  it  the  duty  of  General 
Wool,  in  his  schemes  of  pacifying  the  Indians,  to  trample  down  the  laws  of  Con 
gress;  to  issue  edicts  prohibiting  settlers  returning  to  their  claims,  and  thus  for  at 
least  one  county,  the  Walla  Walla,  make  himself  dictator  of  the  country? 

Early  in  November  the  regulars  again  marched  into  the  Walla 
Walla  country,  Colonel  Wright  taking  command  of  the  expedition 
in  person,  and  camped  on  Mill  Creek  on  the  site  of  the  city  of 
AValla  Walla.  Here  he  held  a  council  with  the  tribes  and  agreed 
upon  terms  of  peace.  He  promised  them  immunity  from  punish 
ment  for  their  past  conduct,  and  that  the  treaties  should  not  be  en 
forced  until  duly  ratified  by  the  Senate  and  promulgated  by  the 
President,  until  which  time  no  white  man  would  be  permitted  to 
settle  in  their  country  without  their  permission.  Thus  ended  the 
war.  That  this  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  Governor  Ste 
vens  can  well  be  imagined.  He  had  always  maintained  that  the  In 
dians  had  bound  themselves  by  solemn  obligations,  which  they  had 
deliberately  broken,  and  for  which  conduct  they  were  deserving  of 
severe  chastisement.  It  is  one  of  the  simplest  rules  of  equity  that 
a  contract  must  be  equally  binding  upon  both  parties  to  be  valid. 
Governor  Stevens  knew  this  ;  and  yet  he 'insisted  that  these  treaties 
were  in  full  force  with  the  Indians  while  as  yet  they  were  not  bind 
ing  upon  the  Government,  being  as  yet  unratified.  Had  he,  as  the 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  for  Washington,  and  his  associate 
official  in  Oregon,  Joel  Palmer,  acted  prudently,  and,  instead  of 
hastening  to  notify  the  people  that  the  Indian  title  had  been  ex 
tinguished  by  treaty,  cautioned  them,  that,  as  yet,  the  treaties  were 
but  blank  paper,  and  no  rights  whatever  had  been  acquired  under 
them  by  the  whites,  the  whole  difficulty,  with  its  attendant  train 
of  bloodshed  and  expense,  might,  perhaps,  have  been  averted.  It 


468  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

is  not  certain  that  such  would  have  been  the  case,  but  beyond  a 
doubt  there  would  have  been  one  powerful  disturbing  element  ab 
sent.  The  Governor  relieved  his  feelings  in  another  of  those  long 
letters  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  none  of  which  seem  to  have  influ 
enced  the  Department  to  remove,  or  even  censure,  (Ten era!  Wool  or 
Colonel  Wright.  He  closed  his  epistle  with  the  following  para 
graph:  "  I  now  make  the  direct  issue  with  Colonel  Wright;  that 
he  has  made  a  concession  to  the  Indians  which  he  had  no  authority 
to  make;  that  by  so  doing,  he  has  done  nothing  but  to  get  the  sem 
blance  of  a  peace.  |  This  was,  in  a  measure,  true;  for  the  Indians 
still  entertained  their  bitter  feelings  against  the  Americans,  and 
exhibited  a  very  defiant  spirit  ] ;  arid  that  by  his  acts  he  has,  in  a 
measure,  weakened  the  influence  of  the' service  having  the  authority 
to  make  treaties  and  having  in  charge  the  friendly  Indians.  [Gov 
ernor  Stevens  himself  was  responsible  for  weakening  the  influence 
of  the  treaty -making  power,  by  endeavoring  to  enforce  treaties  he 
well  knew  were  not  in  effect.  J  He  has,  in  my  judgment,  abandoned 

his  own  dutv,  which  was  to  reduce  the  Indians  to  submission  I  to 

•j  > 

Governor  Stevens  |,  and  has  trenched  upon  and  usurped  mine." 
It  is  well  enough  to  let  the  matter  drop;  the  war  was  ended,  and  the 
people  had  a  large  bill  against  the  General  Government,  which  was, 
finally,  after  experiencing  the  usual  vicissitudes  and  procrastina 
tions  of  Congressional  action,  paid  in  a  somewhat  modified  form. 
It  was  subsequent  to  this  affair  at  Walla  Walla,  and  after  all 
the  volunteers  had  been  disbanded,  that  the  long  dreaded  invasion 
of  Northern  Indians  occurred  on  Puget  Sound.  Information  was 
received  by  Captain  S.  Swartwout  on  the  eighteenth  of  November, 
1856,  that  Northern  Indians  were  committing  depredations  in  the 
vicinity  of  Steilacooni,  and  he  at  once  set  sail  from  Seattle  to  inter 
cept  them.  Learning  at  Steilacoom  that  the  Reservation  Indians 
had  defeated  these  Northern  intruders  in  battle,  killed  two  of  them 
and  captured  one  canoe,  Swartwout  pursued  the  retreating  savages 
down  the  Sound.  Passing  Port  Madison,  where  they  had  commit 
ted  ravages,  he  continued  on  to  Port  Gamble,  where,  on  the  twen 
tieth  he  found  them  encamped  in  force.  An  effort  to  open  a  peace 
talk  was  fruitless,  as  they  would  not  permit  a  boat  to  laud.  Ac 
cordingly,  Lieutenant  Young  was  dispatched  with  three  boats,  forty - 
five  men  and  a  howitzer,  to  escort  an  interpreter,  who  was  to  offer 


IGNS   OF   col. nNKI.S    VVKHIHT,   STKI'TOK    AN7!)   SHAW. 

them  peace  if  they  would  abandon  the  Sound.  They  refused  to 
accept  the  terms,  and  insultingly  challenged  the  marines  to  fight. 
Lieutenant  Young  returned  on  board,  and  Captain  Swartwout  de 
termined  to  attack  them  in  the  morning.  During  the  night  the 
ship  was  moved  in  shore,  and  anchored  with  her  broadside  bearing 
upon  the  camp,  only  six  hundred  yards  distant.  In  the  morning 
Lieutenant  Semmes  went  in  the  first  cutter  to  the  consort  Steamer 
Traveller,  which  was  anchored  above  the  camp  so  that  it  could  be 
raked  by  the  field  pieces  on  board.  From  there  he  landed  with 
Lieutenant  Forest  and  twenty-nine  sailors  and  marines,  wading 
waist  deep  to  reach  the  shore  and  carrying  a  howitzer  in  their  arms. 
With  them  went  the  interpreter  to  carry  a  final  proposition  of  peace. 
Instead  of  being  daunted  by  the  formidable  preparations  for  their 
subjugation,  the  Indians  refused  to  accept  the  terms  offered,  and 
taking  shelter  behind  trees  and  logs  pointed  their  guns  at  the  little 
party  on  the  beach.  The  Traveller  at  once  opened  fire  upon  them 
from  her  field  guns,  the  first  discharge  being  simultaneous  with  the 
first  volley  fired  by  the  savages.  Instantly  the  ship  poured  a  broad 
side  of  round  shot  and  grape  into  the  camp  and  woods  where  they 
were  concealed,  while  the  howitzer  on  the  beach  also  sent  in  its 
compliments.  Under  cover  of  the  guns,  the  little  party  made  a 
bold  charge  and  drove  the  Indians  from  their  camp  into  the  woods. 
<  )wing  to  the  density  of  underbrush  and  fallen  timber,  it  was  im 
possible  to  follow  them,  and,  after  destroying  the  camp  and  prop 
erty  of  the  marauders  and  disabling  all  but  one  of  their  canoes, 
Lieutenants  Semmes  and  Forest  returned  on  board.  During  the 
da}-  tl»e  guns  played  upon  the  woods  wherever  an  Indian  could  be 
seen,  and  it  was  thought  the  execution  was  considerable.  On  the 
part  of  the  assailants,  one  man  was  killed  and  another  wounded. 
The  next  day  the  Indians  sent  two  of  their  chiefs  on  board  to  beg  for 
mercy  and  offer  to  surrender  unconditionally.  They  said  that  they 
had  lost  twenty-seven  of  their  number,  besides  many  wounded,  that 
their  property  and  canoes  were  destroyed  and  they  had  been  with 
out  food  two  days.  They  were  all  supplied  with  food,  taken  on 
board  the  ship,  and  carried  to  Victoria,  promising  never  'to  return. 
Never  after  that  were  the  white  settlements  molested  by  marauding 
savages  from  the  north,  though  the  aborigines  of  the  Sound  have 
frequently  suffered  from  their  hostile  incursions. 


470  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

There  was  now  a  semblance  of  peace  everywhere.  The  volun 
teers  had  all  been  disbanded,  and  an  ample  force  of  regulars  was 
stationed  in  Southern  Oregon,  on  the  Columbia  and  on  Puget 
Sound.  A  strong  force  occupied  the  Walla  Walla  country,  and 
endeavored,  while  the  treaties  were  being  ground  through  the 
official  mill  at  Washington,  to  stand  as  a  bulwark  between  the 
two  races,  and  prevent  either  from  infringing  the  rights  of  the 
other.  A  small  saw  mill  was  taken  up  in  the  spring  of  1857,  and 
lumber  cut  for  the  erection  of  barracks  and  officers'  quarters,  which 
were  built  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Walla  Walla. 
In  the  command  of  this  post  was  Lieutenant- Colonel  E.  J.  Step- 
toe,  the  garrison  consisting  of  several  companies  of  the  9th  In 
fantry.  The  Indians  were  still  in  a  hostile  frame  of  mind,  and 
the  presence  of  the  troops  in  their  country  was  distasteful  to  them, 
the  feeling  extending  to,  and  affecting,  the  tribes  as  far  north  as  the 
Spokanes.  This  feeling  is  revealed  in  a  letter  written  April  15, 
1857,  by  Father  A.  Hoeken,  of  the  Flat  Head  Mission,  addressed 
to  a  brother  priest.  A  paragraph  of  that  epistle  says  :— 

Father  Ravalli  labored  as  much  as  he  could  to  pacify  the  tribes  which  reside 
towards  the  west,  namely  r^the  Cayuses,  the  Yakimas,  the  Opelouses  [Palouses], 
etc.  As  our  neophytes  [Flat  Heads  and  Coeur  d'Alenes]  hitherto  have  taken  no 
part  in  the  war,  the  country  is  as  safe  for  us  as  ever.  We  can  go  freely  wherever 
we  desire.  No  one  is  ignorant  that  the  Black  Gowns  [Catholic  priests]  are  not 
enemies — those,  at  least,  who  are  among  the  Indians.  Almost  all  the  Cceur 
d'Alenes,  in  order  to  shield  themselves  from  the  hostilities  of  the  Indians,  and  to 
avoid  all  relations  with  them,  are  gone  bison  hunting.  A  few  days  since,  Father 
Joset  wrote  me  that  Father  Ravalli  had  already  written  him  several  weeks  before. 
I  fear  a  general  rising  among  the  Indians  toward  the  commencement  of  spring. 
Let  us  pray,  and  let  us  engage  others  to  pray  with  us,  to  avert  this  calamity.  I 
think  that  it  will  be  well  to  add  to  the  ordinary  prayers  of  the  mass,  the  collect  for 
peace. 

The  outbreak  did  not  occur  as  predicted,  owing,  possibly,  to 
the  efficacy  of  the  worthy  missionaries'  prayers,  but  apparently  due 
to  an  absence  of  a  sufficient  provocation  which  might  serve  as  a 
pretext  for  war.  That  not  much  of  a  provocation  was  required 
was  made  evident  the  following  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1858  Palouse  Indians  stole  some  stock  from 
the  troops  at  Walla  Walla,  and  on  the  eighth  of  May  Colonel 
Steptoe  marched  north,  with  a  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
intending  to  visit  Fort  Colville,  and  on  his  return  to  capture  the 
thieving  Indians.  This  expedition  met  with  signal  disaster, 


LGNS  OF  COLONELS    VTRFOHT,   STKPTOE   AJS'I)  .SHAW.         471 

through  most  uuuiilirary  carelessness.  One  hundred  nmles  were 
detailed  for  the  pack  train,  and  when  these  were  loaded  it  was 
found  that  there  was  no  room  for  the  surplus  ammunition  which 
had  been  set  out.  This  was  taken  back  to  the  magazine,  and  the 
vommand  inarched  with  only  the  ammunition  carried  in  the  car 
tridge  boxes  of  the  men.  Such  carelessness  invited  the  disaster 
which  followed. 

Steptoe  crossed  Snake  River,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Alpowa 
where  he  was  joined  by  a  friendly  Nez  Perce  chief  named •"  Timo 
thy,"  and  three  of  his  warriors.  Continuing  north,  he  approached 
four  lakes  lying  north  of  Pine  Creek,  the  Indians  gradually  collect 
ing  in  great  numbers.  Here  he  was  informed  by  them  that  he 
must  leave  this  region  and  return  to  Walla  Walla,  or  they  would 
attack  him.  Camping  at  the  lakes  for  the  night,  the  command  be 
gan  its  retrograde  march  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
seventeenth  of  April,  the  Indians  continually  hovering  on  its  flanks. 
Steptoe  held  a  conference  with  Saltees,  a  C<eur  d'Alene  chief,  Father 
Joseph  acting  as  interpreter,  being  assured  that  no  attack  would  be 
made  upon  him.  The  chief  then  shouted  something  to  his  follow 
ers,  when  one  of  the  friendly  Nez  Perces,  named  Levi,  struck  him 
on  the  head  with  a  whip,  saying,  "  What  for  you  say  lno  fight1  and 
then  tell  your  people  '  wait  awhile'  ?  You  talk  two  tongues."  About 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  the  command  approached  Pine  Creek, 
near  the  present  town  of  Rosalia,  passing  down  a  natural  "  wash," 
it  was  fired  upon  by  Indians  secreted  in  the  timber  across  the  stream, 
and  occupying  elevated  positions  on  the  flank.  Lieutenant  Gaston 
promptly  charged  and  cleared  an  opening  to  the  highlands  south 
of  the  creek,  being  followed  by  the  entire  force.  The  howitzer 
was  un limbered  and  discharged,  killing  no  one,  but  serving,  by  its 
noise,  to  somewhat  intimidate  the  assailants.  By  charging  them, 
the  enemy  were  cleared  away,  and  the  retreat  was  resumed  with 
the  pack  train  in  the  van,  the  flanks  and  rear  being  covered.  Lieu 
tenant  James  Wheeler  was  on  the  right,  Lieutenant  William  Gaston 
on  the  left,  and  Captain  O.  H.  P.  Taylor  guarded  the  rear,  each 
with  a  company.  Charge  after  charge  of  the  enemy  was  repulsed, 
men  falling  continually  and  being  left  to  the  tender  mercy  of  the 
savages  in  many  cases  where  it  was  impossible  to  carry  them  away. 
At  last  many  of  Lieutenant  Gaston's  men  used  their  last  round  of 


472  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ammunition,  and  he  sent  an  orderly  to  Colonel  Steptoe,  who  was 
with  the  train  in  the  van,  asking  that  the  command  be  halted  until 
more  could  be  issued;  but  the  request  was  not  granted.  Captain 
Taylor's  company  next  fired  its  last  shot,  and  this  fact,  as  well  as 
the  fall  of  Gaston,  was  communicated  to  the  superior  officer.  Ha 
then  ordered  a  halt.  The  contest  in  the  rear  was  now  a  desperate 
hand  to  hand  struggle.  Both  Gaston  and  Taylor  lay  on  the  ground, 
their  men  fighting  stubbornly  for  possession  of  their  bodies.  Among 
them  was  a  private  named  DeMay,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
French  army  in  Algiers  and  the  Crimea,  and  was  an  excellent 
swordsman.  Clubbing  his  musket  he  made  a  furious  onslaught 
upon  the  assailing  savages,  and  as  he  was  borne  down  by  numbers 
he  cried,  "  Mon  Dieu,  Mon  Dieu,  mine  saber!"  At  last  the  Indians 
were  driven  back  and  the  body  of  Captain  Taylor  was  rescued. 
So  demoralized  had  become  the  main  body  of  the  troops,  that  the 
call  of  Lieutenant  Gregg  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the  assistance  of 
the  hard-pressed  rear  guard,  was  answered  by  only  ten  men.  He 
then  led  a  charge,  but  soon  found  himself  alone  and  rode  back  with 
out  uttering  a  word.  To  save  the  retreat  from  becoming  a  com 
plete  rout,  which  would  have  resulted  in  the  utter  annihilation  of 
the  force,  Colonel  Steptoe  went  into  camp  and  threw  out  a  strong 
line  of  pickets.  The  Indians  encamped  near  by,  apparently  will 
ing  to  bide  their  time,  feeling  certain  of  their  victims.  Every 
avenue  of  escape  was  guarded  but  one,  and  that  one  was  a  difficult 
pass  which  they  supposed  the  soldiers  could  not  travel.  The  Nez 
Perce  chief  was  then  their  savior.  When  the  night  was  well  ad 
vanced,  having  cached  the  howitzers  and  left  their  surplus  stores  to 
engage  the  attention  of  the  savages,  so  as  to  delay  pursuit  in  the 
morning,  the  troops  mounted  and  followed  Timothy  in  single  file, 
as  he  led  them  through  the  unguarded  pass. 

The.  wounded  of  each  company  were  placed  in  charge  of  some 
of  their  comrades,  a  few  of  them  being  so  badly  hurt  as  to  be 
utterly  helpless.  These  were  tied  upon  pack  animals.  Two  of 
them,  Sergeant  Williams  and  Private  McCrosson,  suffered  such  ex 
cruciating  agony  from  the  motion  of  the  animals,  that  they  begged 
to  be  killed,  to  be  given  poison,  or  a  pistol  with  which  to  end  their 
misery.  Both  of  them  succeeded  in  wriggling  off  from  the  animals 
they  rode  in  different  places ;  and  their  comrades,  cutting  them 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.        478 

free  from  the  lashings,  left  them  lying  on  the  ground,  and  rode 
away  into  the  darkness  unmindful  of  their  pleadings  for  something 
with  which  to  end  their  misery  and  save  themselves  from  the  tor 
tures  of  their  cruel  pursuers.  One  by  one  the  wounded,  such  as 
could  not  take  care  of  themselves,  were  left  behind,  and  the  men 
hastened  forward,  intent  only  upon  putting  the  swift  current  of 
Snake  River  between  themselves  and  the  cruel  enemy  in  their  rear. 
Seventy  miles  were  traversed  in  twenty-four  hours,  when  they 
reached  the  river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Alpowa,  where  lived 
Timothy's  band  of  Nez  Perces.  Summoning  his  people,  the  chief 
placed  the  warriors  on  guard  in  the  rear,  while  the  women  ferried 
the  exhausted  soldiers, '  with  their  animals  and  effects,  across  the 
stream.  It  took  a  day  to  accomplish  this  task,  and  then  they 
moved  on  to  the  Pataha,  where  they  were  met  by  Captain  Dent, 
with  supplies  and  reinforcements.  Here,  also,  they  were  overtaken 
by  a  war  party  of  JSTez  Perces  under  Lawyer,  who  desired  them  to 
return  and  give  the  Indians  battle  ;  but  they  desired  no  more  fight 
ing  for  the  present,  and  the  march  to  Walla  Walla  was  continued. 
Two  officers  and  sixteen  men  were  left  upon  the  field  or  along  the 
line  of  the  retreat,  while  more  than  a  score  of  those  who  found 
safety  by  crossing  Snake  River,  were  severely  wounded. 

Intelligence  of  this  disaster  was  conveyed  to  General  Clark, 
successor  of  General  Wool  in  command  of  the  department,  and  he 
ordered  all  available  troops  on  the  Coast  to  assemble  at  Walla 
Walla,  for  the  purpose  of  administering  to  the  Indians  such  a 
castigation  as  would  teach  them  the  power  of  the  Government. 
This  force  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Wright.  A 
base  of  operations,  named  "  Fort  Taylor,"  was  established  on  the 
south  side  of  Snake  River,  near  the  Tukannon,  and  on  the 
twenty -seventh  of  August  Colonel  Wright  moved  forward  with 
six  hundred  and  eighty  soldiers,  thirty  Nez  Perce  allies,  and  two 
hundred  packers,  herders,  etc.  On  the  first  of  September  he  en 
countered  the  hostiles  near  Medical  Lake,  and  whipped  them 
severely.  They  were  driven  from  the  timber  and  hills  by  the 
howitzers,  and  a  charge  by  the  troops,  and  attempting  to  make  a 
stand  on  the  open  plain,  were  mowed  down  by  the  fire  of  the 
steadily  advancing  troops,  who  were  armed  with  long  range  guns 
for  the  first  time  in  their  encounter  with  Indians.  When  they 


474  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

broke,  two  hundred  dragoons,  under  the  command  of  Major 
William  N.  Grier,  swooped  down  upon  them,  and  they  fled  in  a 
panic,  the  companies  of  the  dead  Taylor  and  Gaston  taking  grim 
revenge  upon  the  fleeing  savages  who  had  slain  their  commanders. 
How  many  were  killed  is  not  known,  as  all  but  those  who  fell 
during  the  last  charge  were  carried  from  the  field.  Seventeen 
bodies  were  left  upon  the  ground,  which  was  strewn  with  blankets, 
robes,  guns  and  the  miscellaneous  paraphernalia  of  Indian  war 
riors.  Not  a  soldier  was  killed  in  the  battle. 

Four  days  later  the  command  reached  Spokane  River,  six  miles 
below  the  falls,  having  driven  the  hostiles  before  them  for  fourteen 
miles,  killing  many  of  them.  This  was  the  end  ;  the  Indians  fled 
in  terror,  and  dared  not  again  offer  battle  to  such  a  terrible  foe. 
Colonel  Wright  pushed  on  toward  the  Cceur  d'Alene  Mission,  and 
was  met  by  Gearry,  chief  of  the  Spokanes,  who  asked  for  peace. 
The  stern  avenger  told  the  suppliant  chief  that  he  came  to  fight, 
not  to  make  peace  ;  that  he  had  force  enough  to  whip  the  com 
bined  tribes  of  that  whole  region  ;  that  he  offered  no  terms  of 
peace,  the  Indians,  men,  women  and  children,  must  come  in  and 
trust  to  his  mercy  ;  otherwise  he  would  exterminate  the  tribe.  On 
the  eighth  Wright  captured  nine  hundred  and  eighty-six  horses 
from  the  Palouses,  and,  knowing  how  vital  they  were  in  Indian 
warfare,  he  ordered  every  one  of  them  to  be  shot.  This  was  more 
than  they  could  endure,  and  the  concurrent  appearance  of  a 
brilliant  comet  in  the  heavens,  made  them  think  Colonel  Wright 
was  a  scourge  sent  by  the  Great  Spirit,  who  hung  his  flaming 
sword  in  the  sky  as  a  sign  of  his  anger.  They  sued  for  peace. 

Councils  were  held  with  the  various  tribes,  at  which,  upon  the 
demand  of  Colonel  Wright,  the  men  who  had  commenced  the  attack 
upon  Colonel  Steptoe  were  delivered  up  for  punishment,  and  hos 
tages  were  given  for  their  future  good  conduct.  Twelve  of  the 
guilty  ones  were  hanged,  among  whom  was  Qualchien,  who  had 
killed  Agent  Bolan  in  1855.  His  father,  Owhi,  second  chief  of 
the  Yakimas,  was  a  prisoner,  and  attempting  to  escape  near  Fort 
Taylor,  was  killed  by  the  guard.  On  the  seventh  of  October  the 
bones  of  those  who  fell  in  Steptoe's  battle  were  buried  at  Fort 
Walla  Walla,  and  Wright  then  held  a  council  with  the  Walla  Walla 
tribe.  So  great  had  become  the  fear  of  him,  that  when  he  called 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS  WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AND  SHAW.        475 

for  all  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  battle  to  stand  up,  thirty  - 
five  warriors  promptly  rose  to  their  feet.  Four  of  these  were 
selected  for  execution,  and  their  hanging  was  witnessed  by  their 
people  with  fear  and  trembling.  This  was  the  end,  and  until  chief 
Joseph  and  his  small  band  of  Nez  Perces  broke  out  twenty  years 
later,  not  an  Indian  of  all  those  tribes  went  again  upon  the  war 
path  against  the  whites. 

Colonel  Wright  was  promoted  during  the  civil  war  to  the  rank 
of  Brigadier,  and  commanded  the  Department  of  the  Pacific.  His 
energy,  watchfulness,  and  sterling  patriotism  kept  down  the  ever- 
rising  flame  of  treason,  and  held  the  Coast  loyal  to  the  Government 
throughout  the  bloody  struggle.  He  became  very  dear  to  the  peo 
ple  who  had  so  long  relied  upon  him  for  protection,  and  it  was  a 
day  of  mourning  when  the  sad  news  came  that  he  had  found  a 
watery  grave.  With  his  family  and  staff  he  was  engulfed  in  the 
stormy  waters  of  the  Pacific,  when,  off  Crescent  City  on  the  thir 
tieth  of  July,  1855,  the  Brother  Jonathan  carried  her  human  cargo 
to  a  resting  place  beneath  the  billows. 

The  financial  history  of  these  Indian  Wars  presents  considerable 
of  importance  to  interest  the  reader.  It  has  been  mentioned  that 
the  demands  of  the  war  of  1853  were  paid  in  full  two  years  later, 
through  the  action  of  General  Lane  and  others.  The  accounts 
growing  out  of  the  Walker  expedition  in  1854,  "  To  fight  the  emi 
grants,"  as  some  facetious  ones  have  termed  it,  were  paid  subse 
quent  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  The  act  of  Congress  which  au 
thorized  their  payment,  was  based  upon  a  previous  act  approved 
July  17,  1854,  entitled  "An  act  to  authorize  the  Secretary  of  War 
to  settle  and  adjust  the  expenses  of  the  Rogue  River  War  [of 
1858],''  which  was  extended  to  cover  the  case  of  Captain  Walker's 
company.  The  claims  growing  out  of  the  last  Indian  war  achieved 
quite  a  history.  In  the  summer  of  1856  the  matter  of  these  claims 
was  brought  before  Congress  by  the  Oregon  Delegate,  General 
Lane,  and  being  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  a 
recommendation  was  made  favorable  to  the  payment  of  the  ex 
penses  of  the  wars  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  the  two  sets  of 
claims — arising  from  the  Rogue  River  and  the  Yakima  wars — be 
coming  mingled  in  all  Congressional  and  official  reports.  In  con 
sequence  of  this  recommendation  Congress,  on  the  eighteenth  of 


FTtBTOKT  OF  WlJLlAMEf-TE  VALLEY. 

August,  passed  an  act,  one  of  whose  provisions  is:  u  Be  in  enacted, 
That  the  Secretary  of  War  be  directed  to  examine  into  the  amount 
of  expenses  necessarily  incurred  in  the  suppression  of  hostilities  in 
the  late  Indian  war  in  Oregon  and  Washington  by  the  Territorial 
Governments  in  the  maintenance  of  the  volunteer  forces  engaged,  in 
cluding  pay  of  volunteers,  and  he  may,  if  he  deem  it  necessary, 
direct  a  commission  of  three  to  report  these  expenses  to  him,"  etc. 
In  consequence  a  commission,  consisting  of  Captain  Andrew  J. 
Smith,  previously  many  times  mentioned  in  the  account  of  the  wars, 
Captain  Rufus  Ingalls,  now  General,  and  Lafayette  Grover,  of  Sa 
lem,  Oregon,  was  appointed  to  make  the  examination.  They  began 
work  in  October,  1856,  and  after  spending  more  than  a  year  in  a 
careful  investigation  of  these  claims,  "  travel  ing  over  the  whole 
field  of  operations  occupied  by  the  volunteers,  during  hostilities, 
and  becoming  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  matter,"  made  their 
report  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  According  to  their  examination 
the  sum  of  $4,449,949.33  was  due  as  the  expenses  on  the  part  of 
Oregon.  The  muster-rolls  of  companies  represented  an  indebted 
ness,  after  deducting  stoppages  for  clothing,  etc.,  of  $1,409,644.53; 
while  scrip  had  been  issued  to  the  extent  of  $3,040,344.80  in 
payment  of  supplies, 'etc.,  furnished.  This  aggregate  was  exclusive 
of  claims  for  spoliation  by  Indians,  and  included  only  what  were 
thought  to  be  the  legitimate  expenses  of  maintaining  the  volunteer 
force  in  the  field.  The  report  and  accompanying  documents  were 
transmitted  to  Congress,  and  on  the  eighth  of  February,  1859,  a 
resolution  passed  the  House  of  Representatives,  providing  that  it 
should  be  the  duty  of  the  Third  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  to  exam 
ine  the  vouchers  and  papers  connected  with  the  subject,  and  make 
a  report  in  the  December  following  of  the  amount  due  each  indi 
vidual  engaged  in  the  military  service  of  the  two  Territories  during 
the  war.  The  resolution  also  provided  that  he  should  allow  the 
volunteers  no  higher  pay  than  was  received  by  the  officers  and  sol 
diers  of  like  grade  in  the  regular  army,  including  the  extra  pay  of 
two  dollars  per  month  conferred  by  act  of  Congress  of  1852  on 
troops  serving  on  the  Pacific  Coast;  that  he  was  to  recognize  no 
company  or  individual  as  entitled  to  pay  except  such  as  had  been 
duly  called  into  service  by  the  Territorial  authorities;  that  in  au 
diting  claims  for  supplies,  transportation,  etc.,  he  was  directed  to 


CAMPAIGNS  OF  COLONELS   WRIGHT,  STEPTOE  AXD  SHAW.        477 

have  a  due  regard  to  the  number  of  troops,  to  their  period  of  ser 
vice  and  to  the  prices  which  were  current  at  the  time  and  place. 
On  February  7,  I860,  R.  J.  Atkinson,  Third  Auditor,  made  his 
report.  It  was  an  exhaustive  and  voluminous  document,  and  it 
reduced  the  grand  total  of  the  claims  of  various  sorts,  acted  on  by 
the  three  commissioners,  from  $6,011,457.36  to  $2,714,808.55,  a 
reduction  of  about  fifty -five  per  cent.  This  estimate  was  taken  as 
a  basis  for  these  claims,  and  by  a  subsequent  act  of  Congress  a  sum 
of  money  to  correspond  was  appropriated  to  pay  them,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  has  been  disbursed. 


CHAPTEE  XXVIII. 

ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS. 

Character  of  the  Indians  of  the  Valley — Destructive  Influences — Sources 
of  Indian  History — Extract  from  Lewis  and  Clarke's  Narrative — 
Various  Tribes  Recounted — Their  Locations — The  Klickitat  Inva 
sion — The  Chinook  Family — Ethnology — Habits  and  Appearance 
—  Tattooing — Clothing — Habitations — food — Easy  Ways  of  Life — 
Salmon  Catching — Canoes — Tribal  Government —  Weapons — Habits 
of  War — Diseases  and  Treatment — The  Vapor  Bath — Disposition 
of  Dead  Bodies — Influence  of  the  Missions — Antiquities  of  Linn 
County — Their  Probable  Origin — Indian  Names  of  Localities — Good 
Taste  Demands  their  Perpetuation. 

THE  subject  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  Willamette 
Valley  presents  little  of  interest  or  importance.  When  the 
early  white  explorers  arrived,  they  found  the  banks  of  the  streams 
thinly  populated  with  savages,  who  were  generally  the  most  peace 
ful  of  their  kind  arid  a  world  different  from  the  sanguinary  red 
skins  of  the  plains.  With  these  Indians  the  whites  held  agreeable 
enough  relations,  except  the  occurrence  of  a  few  slight  jars,  and 
there  is  little  thereof  to  chronicle.  The  most  pertinent  fact  of  which 
we  have  to  make  note,  is  that  the  Indians  speedily  died  out,  and 
to-day  scarcely  a  hundred  individuals  exist,  the  relics  of  once  numer 
ous  tribes.  The  causes  of  that  circumstance  are  neither  lamentable 
nor  difficult  to  ascertain.  Fire-water,  restriction  within  narrow 
bounds,  loss  of  freedom,  the  prevalence  of  diseases,  u  the  influence 
of  civilization,"  each  of  these,  probably,  had  its  weight.  The  same 
causes  have  acted  in  the  extinction  of  hundreds  of  other  Indian 
tribes  who  have  died  and  left  no  sign. 

The  principal  evidence  on  the  subject  of  aborigines,  is  derived 
from  the  following  works  :     Lewis  and  Clarke's  Travels,  Parker's 


ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS.  479 

Exploring  Tour,  Stuart's  Annales  des  Voyages,  Morse's  Reports, 
Hunter's  Captivity,  Schoolcraft's  Archeology \  Wilkes'  United  States 
Exploring  Expedition,  Ross'  Adventures,  Domenech's  Deserts,  Mo- 
fras'  Explorations,  Gass'  Journal,  and  The  London  Geographical 
Society  s  Journal.  The  recollections  of  various  old  settlers  have 
also  been  made  use  of. 

Of  the  Willamette  Valley  nations,  Lewis  and  Clarke,  wrote 
thus  :  u  The  nations  who  inhabit  this  fertile  neighborhood  are 
very  numerous.  The  Wappatoo  inlet  extends  three  hundred  yards 
wide,  for  ten  or  twelve  miles,  as  far  as  the  hills,  from  which  it  re 
ceives  the  waters  of  a  small  creek,  whose  sources  are  not  far  from 
those  of  the  Killamuck  [Tillamook]  River.  On  that  creek  resides 
the  Clackstar  nation,  a  people  of  twelve  hundred  souls,  who  subsist 
on  fish  and  wappato,  and  who  trade  by  means  of  the  Killamuck 
River,  with  the  nation  of  that  name  on  the  coast.  Lower  down  the 
inlet,  towards  the  Columbia,  is  the  tribe  called  the  Cathlacuniup. 
On  the  sluice  which  connects  the  inlet  with  the  Multnomah,  are 
the  tribes  Cathlanahquiah  and  Cathlacomatup  ;  and  on  Wappatoo 
Island,  Clannamiuaniun  and  Clahnaquah.  Immediately  opposite, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia,  are  the  Quathlapotles,  and  the 
Shotos.  All  these  tribes,  as  well  as  the  Cathlahaws,  who  live 
lower  on  the  river,  and  have  an  old  village  on  Deer  Island,  may 
be  considered  parts  of  the  great  Multnomah  Nation,  which  has  its 
principal  residence  on  Wappatoo  Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
large  river  to  which  they  give  their  name  [The  Willamette]. 
Forty  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Columbia,  it  receives  the 
waters  of  the  Clackamas,  a  river  which  may  be  traced  through  a 
wooded  and  fertile  country,  to  its  source  in  Mount  Jefferson,  almost 
to  the  foot  of  which  it  is  navigable  for  canoes.  A  nation  of  the 
same  name  resides  in  eleven  villages  on  the  borders  ;  they  live 
chiefly  on  grass  and  roots,  which  abound  in  the  Clackamas  and 
along  its  banks,  though  they  sometimes  descend  to  the  Columbia 
to  gather  wappatoo,  where  they  cannot  be  distinguished  by  dress 
or  manners  or  language1  from  the  tribes  of  the  Multnomahs.  Two 
days  journey  from  the  Columbia,  or  about  twenty  miles  beyond 
the  entrance  to  the  Clackamas,  are  the  falls  of  the  Multnomah. 
At  this  place  are  the  permanent  residences  of  the  Cushooks  and 
Chaheowahs,  two  tribes  who  are  attracted  to  that  place  by  the 


480  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

fish,  and  by  the  conveniences  of  trading  across  the  mountains  and 
down  the  Killamuck  River,  with  the  nation  of  Killamucks,  from 
whom  they  procure  train-oil.  These  falls  are  occasioned  by  the 
passage  of  a  high  range  of  mountains,  beyond  which  the  country 
stretches  into  a  high  level  plain,  wholly  destitute  of  timber.  As 
far  as  the  Indians,  with  whom  we  conversed,  had  ever  penetrated 
that  country,  it  was  inhabited  by  a  nation  called  Calahpoewah,  a 
very  numerous  people,  whose  villages,  nearly  forty  in  number,  are 
scattered  along  each  side  of  the  Multnomah,  which  furnishes  them 
with  their  chief  subsistence — fish,  and  the  roots  along  its  banks." 
In  Schoolcraft's  Archaeology  the  names  are  subjected  to  a  slightly 
different  spelling :  Calapooyas,  Clackamas.  The  former  tribe 
"  live  in  the  Upper  Willamette  Valley."  According  to  Stuart's 
Annales  des  Voyages,  the  Cathlacamaps  lived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Oullammat ;  the  Cathlapoutles  opposite  ;  the  Cathlanaininimins  on 
an  island  a  little  higher  up  ;  the  Mathlanobes  [Multnomahs]  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  same  island  ;  the  Cathlapouyeas  just  above 
the  falls  ;  the  Cathlacklas  on  the  eastern  branch  higher  up  ;  and 
still  higher,  the  Chochonis.  According  to  Morse's  Reports,  the 
Cathlathlas  lived  u  sixty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Wallaumut," 
while  the  Multnomahs  or  Mathlanobs  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
island,  ^n  the  mouth  of  the  Wallaumut.  Morse  speaks  of  the 
Nemalquinners,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  Wallaumut. 

By  numerous  early  winters  we  are  told  of  the  Calapooias' 
residence  on  the  Upper  Willamette,  and  the  name  is  spelt  with  all 
imaginable  variations.  Some  have  it  Kalapuyas ;  others  Vule 
Puyas,  Kalapooyahs,  Callipooyas,  Calapooah,  Callawpohyeaas,  and 
Callapohyeaass.  The  Calapooias  are  divided  by  one  writer  into 
the  Wacomeapp,  Naumooit,  Chillychandize,  Shookany,  Coupe, 
Shehee,  Long- tongue- buff,  Lamalle,  and  Pecyou  tribes.  The 
Clackamas,  on  Clackamas  river,  are  variously  spoken  of  as  the 
Clackemas,  Clakamus,  Klakamus  and  Clarkamees.  Of  nine  sub 
divisions,  the  Katlawewallas  [Clough-e- wallas]  lived  at  the  Falls 
of  the  Wallamet.  The  "  Nemskees  extend  eastward  of  the  head 
waters  of  the  Multnomah  toward  a  large  lake."  The  Leeshteelosh 
occupied  the  headwater  of  the  Multnomah.  The  Cloughewallhah 
lived  a  little  below  the  falls.  Yhe  Yamkallies  [  Yoncallas ]  dwelt  be 
yond  the  sources  of  the  Wallamut  River,  in  the  beautiful  valley  now 


ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS.  481 

known  by  this  name.  The  Yamhills  lived  in  the  county  of  that 
name.  Their  cognomen  is  corrupted  from  Che-um-il,  a  ford,  we 
are  told. 

The  Molallas  resided  not  far  from  Oregon  City,  and  in  the 
region  now  known  as  Marion  and  Clackamas  counties.  They  are 
described  as  having  been  of  different  extraction  and  habits  from 
the  neighboring  nations,  and  are  said  to  have  been  an  offshoot  from 
the  Cayuse  tribe  of  Eastern  Oregon.  For  purposes  of  war  or 
trade  some  Cayuses  had  removed  temporarily  to  the  west  of  the 
Cascades,  and  were  unable  to  return,  owing  to  the  hostility  of  the 
tribes  of  the  Des  Chutes,  by  whom  they  were  cut  off  from  their 
own  country.  They  settled  in  the  valley  and  remained  there  until 
overtaken  for  the  most  part  by  the  fate  which  met  their  neighbors. 
In  person  they  were  larger  and  more  prepossessing  than  the 
Chinook  peoples.  A  small  number  of  them  settled  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Douglas  County  at  some  period  within  the  memory  of 
white  men,  and  their  descendants,  to  the  number  of  a  dozen  or  so, 
live  there  yet,  in  the  possession  of  farms,  which  they  cultivate  with 
quite  as  much  industry  and  judgment  as  their  white  neighbors. 
This  fact  argues  an  extraction  many  grades  higher  than  the  com 
mon  run  of  Indians,  and  far  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  Chinook 
tribes. 

At  a  time,  subsequent  to  the  arrival  of  the  whites,  and  before 
their  numbers  and  influence  became  overpowering,  the  Klickitats, 
a  restless  and  enterprising  tribe,  whose  home  is  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Columbia,  emigrated  from  the  broad  plains  of  that  region,  and 
settled  in  the  Willamette  Valley.  Some  say  that  they  conquered 
the  peaceful  and  inoffensive  Calapooias,  and  made  vassals  of  them  ; 
but  this  is  uncertain.  It  is  more  likely  that  they  merely  settled 
among  them.  The  characteristics  of  the  invaders,  according  to 
some,  entitle  them  to  the  name  of  the  Jews  of  the  Northwest,  for 
their  peculiarities  are  seen  more  in  baiter  and  commerce  than  in 
aught  else.  As  for  their  warlike  tastes  it  is  related  that  upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  first  Indian  war  in  Southern  Oregon,  a  band  of 
Klickitats  offered  their  services  to  the  Territorial  Government,  pro 
posing  to  serve  against  the  Rogue  River  tribes,  and  there  were 
many  who  were  of  opinion  that  they  would  have  been  able  to 
bring  the  latter  to  subjection  very  quickly.  This,  however,  is  only 


482  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

supposition,  as  these  tribes  knew  nothing  of  each  other,  being 
always  separated  by  hundreds  of  miles.  Toward  the  whites  the 
Klickitats  ever  maintained  a  peaceful  attitude,  though  numerous 
enough  to  have  occasioned  infinite  trouble.  Their  forbearance  was 
ill  appreciated ;  and  this  fine  tribe,  after  occupying  a  part  of  the 
valley  for  several  years,  was,  at  last,  compelled  to  withdraw, 
owing  to  the  aggressions  of  the  incoming  white  settlers.  They 
were,  at  one  time,  in  a  fair  way  to  become  permanent  cultivators 
of  the  soil,  and  had,  in  many  cases,  taken  up  land,  acquiring  it  by 
trade  from  the  Calapooias,  its  previous  possessors.  About  1854 
they  returned  to  their  own  country  in  the  north. 

According  to  Bancroft  the  Indians  of  the  Willamette  Valley 
possessed  analogies  to  those  of  the  Lower  Columbia  River  in  general, 
and  he  has  erected  them  into  a  group,  which  he  styles  the  Chinook 
family.  Originally  the  name  Chinook  was  restricted  to  a  small 
tribe  living  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Columbia,  near  its  mouth. 
The  Indians  of  the  Chinook  family  once  formed  numerous  and 
powerful  communities,  but  are  now  represented  by  a  few  squalid 
and  miserable  survivors,  especially  where  the  country  has  been  oc 
cupied  thickly  by  whites,  as  in  this  valley.  u  Whole  tribes  have 
been  exterminated  by  war  and  disease,  and  in  the  few  miserable 
remnants  collected  on  reservations  or  straggling  about  Oregon 
towns,  no  trace  is  present  of  the  independent,  easy-living  bands  of 
the  not  remote  past.  It  is,  however,  to  be  noted  that  at  no  time 
since  this  region  has  been  known  to  Europeans  has  the  Indian  pop 
ulation  been  at  all  in  proportion  to  the  supporting  capacity  of  the 
land  while  yet  in  a  state  of  nature,  with  its  fertile  soil  and  well 
stocked  streams  and  forests." 

In  stature  the  Indians  of  the  Valley  rarely  exceeded  five  feet,  six 
inches,  while  the  females  were  scarcely  above  five  feet.  Both  sexes 
were  strongly  built,  but  loosely.  They  were  said  to  have  improved 
physically  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from  the  Columbia  and 
its  fisheries,  which  is  a  consequence  of  the  often  observed  fact  that 
the  fish -eaters  were,  and  always  are,  inferior  to  hunting  tribes.  The 
Calapooias  on  the  Upper  Willamette  were  thought  to  have  been 
the  finest  in  physique.  Some  observers  have  noticed  a  similarity 
between  the  Chinook  and  the  Mongolian  visages,  in  the  matter  of 
the  broad  and  fiat  noses,  and  the  eyes  turned  obliquely  upward  at 


ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS.  483 

the  outer  corners.  The  Chinook  nostrils  were  large,  the  mouth 
wide  and  thick-lipped,  the  teeth  irregular  and  frequently  much 
worn,  the  eyes  black,  dull  and  expressionless,  though  some  have 
credited  them  with  possessing  bright  eyes  and  an  aspect  of  liveliness. 
Their  features,  though  in  general  coarse,  were  sometimes  regular, 

O  O  /  O  7 

and  not  disagreeable,  especially  among  the  women,  who  have  often 
been  credited,  in  individual  cases,  with  at  least  ordinary  charms. 
The  Chinook  family  generally  conformed  to  the  habit  of  flattening 
the  heads  of  young  children,  which  unique  custom  extended  as  far 
southward  as  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette.  The  subject  is  referred 
to  in  Bancroft's  incomparable  ethnological  work,  the  Native  Races 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,  but  he  declares  himself  ignorant  of  the  origin 
of  this  strange  freak,  but  supposes  it  to  spring  from  the  innate  love 
of  ornamentation.  (See  vol.  I,  pages  226-7.) 

Another  hideous  custom,  and  a  more  general  one,  was  that  of 
slitting  their  noses  and  wearing  a  string  of  beads  or  shells  therein. 

o  o  o 

Tattooing  is  said  not  to  have  been  practiced  universally  as  in  the 
more  southern  tribes,  but  was  frequent,  especially  among  the  fe 
males.  It  usually  consisted  of  lines  of  dots  pricked  into  the  limbs 
and  cheeks  with  pulverized  charcoal.  The  women  were  fond  of 
daubing  the  body  with  bright  colored  earths  and  the  juice  of  ber 
ries,  and  grease  was  extensively  applied.  The  hair  was  worn  long 
and  was  a  great  source  of  filth.  The  women  wore  it  braided  in 
two  tails.  As  is  customary  with  Indians,  they  preferred  to  go  as 
nearly  naked  as  the  weather  would  permit.  However,  females  wore 
nearly  always  a  skirt  of  cedar  bark-fibre,  hanging  to  the  knees. 
Other  garments  were  composed  of  the  skins  of  beasts  sown  together 
and  sometimes  ornamented  with  fringes  or  paints. 

The  houses  of  the  Chinooks  were  usually  taken  down  each  year 
and  re-erected  to  get  rid  of  vermin.  They  were  built  of  wood; 
often  of  the  bark  of  trees,  or,  in  some  cases,  of  cedar  planks,  though 
this  degree  of  advancement  was  not  possessed  by  many.  The 
planks  were  fastened  by  strings  of  bark,  by  which  they  were  tied 
to  upright  posts  forming  a  frame.  The  ordinary  dimensions  of 
these  houses  were,  length,  twenty-five  to  seventy-five  feet;  width,  fif 
teen  to  twenty-five  feet.  The  door  was  just  large  enough  to  admit 
the  body,  and  there  was  no  window  nor  chimney;  for  convenience 
of  fire  there  were  fire-places  sunk  in  the  dirt  floor,  and  the  smoke 


484  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

found  its  way  out  through  the  cracks  in  the  sides  of  the  roof.  Several 
families  occupied  each  house  ordinarily,  sleeping  in  raised  berths 
along  the  sides  of  the  building.  These  structures  were  the  houses 
of  the  permanently  located  and  more  wealthy  classes.  The  very 
poor  Indians  lived  in  huts  built  of  sticks  and  mud,  or  of  sticks 
covered  with  mats,  bark,  rushes  or  skins.  "  The  interior  and  ex 
terior  of  all  dwellings  were  in  a  state  of  chronic  filth."  Lewis  and 
Clarke  saw  a  house  in  the  Willamette  Valley  which  was  two  hun 
dred  and  twenty-six  feet  long,  divided  into  two  ranges  of  apart 
ments,  separated  by  an  alley  four  feet  wide.  It  should  be  recollected 
that  these  Indians  remained  habitually  in  one  location  instead  of, 
like  the  nomadic  tribes  of  the  interior,  changing  their  habitation 
frequently. 

The  Indians  of  the  valley  raised  corn,  beans  and  squashes.  Nuts, 
berries,  wild  fruits  and  roots  were  in  much  use  as  food.  Wild  fowl 
were  snared  or  shot,  and  elk  and  deer  were  killed  with  arrows  or 
caught  in  pit-falls.  The  wapato,  a  bulbous  roct  which  grows  in 
shallow  ponds,  was  much  relied  on  by  them  for  food,  and  was 
gathered  by  the  squaws,  who  sought  it  with  their  feet  as  they  waded. 
Fish  formed  a  very  'important  part  of  the  Indian  diet.  The  enor 
mous  abundance  of  salmon  supplied  them  with  a  very  nutritious 
and  easily  procured  aliment,  upon  which  they  lived  for  a  great  part 
of  the  year.  Those  of  the  tribes  who  lived  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Willamette,  were  expert  fishers  and  followed  that  pursuit  more 
closely  than  further  removed  tribes  on  the  upper  river.  It  is  well 
understood  that  the  Columbia  was,  and  is,  the  greatest  natural  de 
pot  of  salmon  in  the  known  world.  It  is  an  apparently  inexhaus 
tible  store-house  for  that  noble  fish,  and  the  natives  made  such  use 
of  it  as  their  desires  prompted.  They  had,  in  the  season,  fresh 
salmon  upon  which  they  feasted  with  delight,  and  were  provident 
enough  to  cure  and  put  aside  a  sufficient  quantity  to  serve  as  their 
support  until  the  next  "run."  They  caught  them  with  nets,  or, 
perhaps  more  frequently,  by  spearing.  The  Falls  of  the  Willamette 
was  a  very  celebrated  place  for  salmon  catching,  and  in  the  neigh 
borhood  there  resided  a  large  number  of  natives.  There  they 
speared  them  by  standing  on  rocks  or  on  scaffolds,  and  watching 
their  attempted  ascent  of  the  falls,  or  they  scooped  them  up  in  small 
dip-nets,  or  caught  them  with  large  fish-hooks  used  as  gaffs.  Such 


ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS.  485 

fish  as  were  killed  by  accident — and  there  are  always  a  great  many 
such — were  gathered  up  from  the  rocks  whereon  they  had  fallen  in 
their  efforts  to  pass  the  obstructions,  and  added  to  their  store.  Such 
is  the  abundance  of  these  fish  that  the  rudest  means  are  sufficient  to 
secure  an  unlimited  quantity  at  the  season  of  their  runs.  When 
taken,  the  fish  were  cut  open  by  the  women — the  universal  drudges 
—dried  in  the  sun,  and  smoked  in  the  lodges.  They  were  some 
times  powdered  finely  after  being  dried,  and  packed  away  in  mats 
for  winter  use.  The  sturgeon  was  caught  by  the  Lower  Willamette 
Indians,  as  also  were  other  varieties.  It  will  be  seen  that  no  other 
country  on  earth  possessed  such  resources  for  the  support  of  a  savage 
population,  and  considered  as  beings  whose  utmost  desires  were  an 
easy  living,  we  shall  have  to  admit  that  the  Willamette  tribes  were 
fortunately  located. 

They  were  somewhat  expert  in  the  management  of  canoes,  of 
which  they  possessed  a  great  number.  These  vessels  were  always 
dug  out  of  a  single  log  of  fir,  cedar  or  pine,  and  varied  in  length 
from  ten  to  fifty  feet,  and  were  often  made  with  much  skill.  The 
Willamette  tribes,  however,  were  less  expert  in  the  management  of 
their  boats  than  the  Coast  Indians,  and  their  vessels  vvere  less  skill 
fully  constructed,  as  they  were  only  in  use  for  navigating  the  placid 
waters  of  the  interior  streams. 

The  government  of  the  tribes  was  by  the  usual  institution  of 
chiefs,  of  whom  there  was  one  to  each  village.  At  one  time,  we 
are  told,  there  were  four  principal  chiefs  in  the  valley,  holding  au 
thority  over  the  nine  tribes  which  then  existed.  The  chiefships 
were  sometimes  hereditary,  though  probably  more  often  selected 
because  of  wealth  and  consequent  influence.  Offenses  against 
tribal  regulations  were  generally  expiated  by  a  fine  or  by  the  pay 
ment  of  pecuniary  recompense  to  the  party  injured. 

Slavery  existed,  as  among  all  the  west  coast  tribes,  the  slaves 
being  obtained  by  purchase  from  other  tribes.  Like  all  North 
American  Indians,  those  of  the  Willamette  were  fond  of  strong 
drink,  and  indulged  inordinately  in  it  whenever  it  was  procurable. 
They  gambled  as  a  steady  habit,  and  sacrificed  their  property,  their 
wives  and  children,  and  their  own  liberty  in  order  to  satisfy  their 
devotion  to  that  vice. 


486  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  aboriginal  weapons  were  those  in  common  use  among  the 
North  American  tribes,  being  the  bow  and  arrow.  The  former  was 
from  two  and  a  half  to  four  feet  long,  and  usually  made  of  cedar. 
The  arrow  heads  were  composed  of  bone,  flint,  chert  or  copper,  and 
were  of  the  usual  forms  of  fabrication.  Bancroft  regards  it  as  very 
doubtful  if  they  ever  used  either  spears,  tomahawks  or  scalping 
knives,  though  many  travelers  and  settlers  have  spoken  confi 
dently  of  seeing  such.  They,  however,  commonly  used  a  wooden 
sword,  double-edged  and  two  or  three  feet  long.  They  were  in  the 
habit  of  wearing  in  time  of  war  a  thick  arrow-proof  armor  of  elk- 
skin  or  of  short  sticks  bound  together  with  grass.  Their  quarrels 
were  frequent  but  not  blood-thirsty.  They  never,  in  time  of  war, 
resorted  to  night  attacks,  surprise,  or  the  massacre  of  children  and 
women.  They  never  approached  near  enough  for  hand-to-hand 
fighting,  and  as  their  clothes  were  arrow-proof,  they  were  subject 
to  no  great  casualties. 

The  principal  diseases  among  these  Indians  were  consumption, 
various  fevers,  liver  complaint  and  ophthalmia.  Their  treatment 
of  such  was  simple;  it  consisted  of  sweat  baths  followed  by  a  plunge 
into  a  running  stream — a  method  of  doubtful  utility  in  any  case 
and  almost  uniformly  fatal  in  the  treatment  of  fever.  This  custom 
is  common  to  a  great  many  of  the  tribes  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  ex 
tending  as  far  as  the  frontiers  of  Mexico  to  the  south,  and  to  an 
unknown  distance  toward  the  north.  The  sweat  house — a  struc 
ture  devoted  to  the  vapor  bath — was  seen  in  nearly  every  village, 
the  whole  population  of  which  were  accustomed  to  avail  themselves 
of  it  at  frequent  intervals,  though  not  at  all  for  the  purposes  of 
cleanliness.  As  among  most,  if  not  all  other  tribes  in  America, 
there  were  medicine  men,  whose  functions  were  divination,  the  cure 
of  diseases,  etc.;  and  singing,  the  beating  of  sticks  and  pressure 
and  kneading  of  the  patient's  body,  made  up  the  principal  medical 
treatment.  These  doctors,  if  unsuccessful  in  their  ministrations, 
were  sometimes  subjected  to  beatings  and  even  put  to  death. 

About  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette  the  Indians  were  in  the 
habit  of  burying  their  dead  in  canoes,  the  deceased's  property  being 
placed  in  the  vessel  with  him  and  the  whole  being  placed  in  a  tree  . 
top,  or  upon  an  eminence.     Several  rocky  bluffs  along  the  Colum 
bia  were  favorite  places  for  the  bestowal  of  the  remains,  and  such 


ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS.  487 

have  received  names  to  denote  that  use.  At  other  places  a  kind  of 
vault  was  made  of  planks  and  earth,  and  the  deceased,  tied  up  in 
mats,  placed  therein.  The  Calapooias  buried  their  dead  in  regular 
graves,  erecting  over  them  a  head -board. 

In  regard  to  the  Indians'  susceptibility  for  civilization,  we  can 
hardly  form  an  opinion,  as  the  poor  creatures  did  not  live  long 
enough  to  give  it  a  fair  trial.  In  1834  the  Methodist  Missionaries 
founded  a  mission  near  Salem,  as  narrated  in  another  part  of  this 
work,  and  began  giving  instruction.  It  appears  that  the  natives 
took  kindly  to  the  matter,  and  several  of  them  became  apt  pupils. 
The  teachers  were  much  encouraged,  but  the  institution  was  not 
fully  the  success  that  had  been  expected.  Several  causes  con 
tributed  to  this,  and,  in  spite  of  the  ardor  with  which  the  mission 
aries  labored,  but  a  few  years  elapsed  before  the  supply  of  pupils 
ran  out,  and  the  self-denying  ministrations  of  the  good  missionaries 
was  changed  to  other  directions.  The  Indians'  numbers  decreased 
frightfully  in  the  years  immediately  succeeding  the  coming  of 
the  whites,  and  of  the  Calapooias,  who  were  thought  to  number 
eight  thousand  in  1836,  only  six  hundred  could  be  found  in  1840. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Perkins,  who  made  the  former 
computation  was  in  error ;  but  it  is  a  well-attested  fact  that  there 
was  a  very  serious  diminution  in  their  numbers  between  the  years 
mentioned,  and  also  for  each  succeeding  year  until  their  final  ex 
tinction,  which  may  be  said  to  be  about  accomplished  now.  The 
number  existing  at  present  is  thought  not  to  exceed  one  hundred 
persons,  and  these  are  mainly,  if  not  all,  of  mixed  blood. 

Some  interesting  discoveries  of  antique  remains,  presumably  of 
Indian  origin,  were  made  in  the  early  months  of  1884,  by  Dr.  J.'L. 
Hill,  of  Albany.  Seven  miles  southwest  of  that  town,  and  also  in 
Linn  County,  exist  some  artificial  mounds  of  earth,  which,  until 
then,  had  never  been  examined.  Quite  a  number  of  mounds,  of  a 
nearly  uniform  size  and  shape,  are  said  to  exist  in  that  locality, 
the  one  selected  for  examination  being  two  hundred  feet  long,  by 
one  hundred  wide,  the  height  not  being  stated.  Within  this  mound 
there  was  found  four  skeletons,  which  had  been  buried  therein 
with  care,  and  were  accompanied  with  various  implements,  which, 
in  the  life-time  of  their  owners,  had  probably  been  objects  of  great 
value.  As  given  in  Dr.  Hill's  account,  these  objects  were  as  fol- 


488  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

lows  :  flints,  rudimentary  arrowheads,  beaver  tusks,  awls  com 
posed  of  a  bones  about  three  inches  long  and  tapering  to  a  point ;" 
a  pipe  three  and  one-half  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  inches  wide 
at  top,  and  one  inch  at  bottom  ;  spoon  of  wood  or  bone,  necklace 
of  copper  rolls  (tubes),  white  beads,  matting,  solid  copper  rings 
encircling  the  arm  ;  "ugly  green  glass  beads,"  stone  beads,  flat 
headed,  square  brass  nails  with  sharp  points  ;  curiously  formed 
bone  implements  for  weaving,  bone  spatula  like  a  paper  knife, 
and  minute  brass  bells  for  ornament.  The  skeletons  found  were 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  would  seem  to  be  somewhat 
unlike  the  framework  of  the  ordinary  Indian  of  to-day,  being  with 
out  the  frontal  ridge,  and  having  a  peculiarly  receding  forehead. 
The  explorer  seems  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  remains  belonged 
to  some  tribe  which  inhabited  the  region  anterior  to  the  Calapooias, 
but  the  relics  would  not  seem  to  warrant  such  a  belief,  as  they 
may  have  been  derived  from  recent  sources,  and,  indeed,  are 
familiar  to  the  ethnologist  as  articles  of  esteemed  value  and  com 
mon  occurrence  among  the  Indians  of  to-day.  It  is  worthy  of  re 
mark  that  these  burial  mounds  have  been  found  at  various  points 
on  the  Northwest  Coast.  There  are  thousands  of  them  at  Tenino, 
near  Olympia,  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  which,  for  a  time, 
formed  a  great  puzzle  to  the  antiquary,  but  are  now  satisfactorily 
settled  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  burial  places,  most 
probably  constructed  by  the  ancestors  of  the  present  race  of  In 
dians.  To  such  an  origin  it  would  seem  proper  to  assign  the 
mounds  of  Linn  County. 

Quite  a  large  number  of  geographical  names  constitute  the  only 
legacy  of  the  aborigines  to  the  present  population  of  the  valley. 
Willamette  is  the  corruption  of  the  former  designation,  Wallamet, 
by  which  the  earlier  explorers  and  settlers  knew  this  river  and  val 
ley.  The  name,  in  its  corrupted  form,  is  now  universally  known, 
and  the  task  of  restoring  its  more  characteristic,  suitable  and  manly 
spelling  is,  doubtless,  impossible.  In  conformity  with  general  usage 
this  volume  retains  the  spurious  orthography,  although  its  com 
pilers  are  perfectly  sensible  of  the  superior  fitness  of  the  former 
style.  The  name  is  thought  to  have  been  derived  from  the  tribe  of 
Indians  who  lived  near  the  Falls,  and  who  are  mentioned  herein 
as  the  Clough-e-walhahs  ;  the  name  being  supposed  to  be  taken 


ABOKIGINAL  INHABITANTS.  489 

from  the  latter  syllables.  As  this  tribe  have  long  since  perished, 
and  their  language  with  them,  the  efforts  of  etymologists  are  di 
rected  in  vain  to  the  perfect  solution  of  the  question,  but  enough 
is  known  to  make  this  hypothesis  the  only  tenable  one.  We  owe 
the  Frenchified  form  of  the  name  to  the  ill- judgment  of  Wilkes, 
who  was  the  first,  as  far  as  is  known,  to  adopt  the  present  spelling. 
The  Willamette,  or  more  properly  speaking,  the  Wallamet  River, 
was  once  known  to  some  few  as  the  McKay  River,  but  this  desig 
nation  did  not  long  adhere.  It  is  said  that  this  name  was  given  by 
D.  McKenzie. 

The  uncertainty  of  tracing  etymological  derivations  is,  in  these 
instances,  largely  increased  by  the  fact  of  the  purely  arbitrary 
spelling  necessarily  employed  to  represent  the  sound  of  Indian 
words.  To  this  difficulty  must  be  added  that  produced  by  the 
habitually  indistinct  tones  of  an  Indian's  voice,  and  the  almost 
impossibility  of  representing  those  tones  by  means  of  combinations 
of  the  twenty -six  letters  of  our  alphabet.  Perfect  rendition  of  their 
tones  cannot  be  achieved,  and  the  task  of  approximation  is  no  easy 
one.  Under  such  circumstances,  nothing  of  value  has  been  re 
tained  of  the  extinct  languages  of  these  tribes,  and  the  names 
which  have  been  perpetuated  are,  probably,  in  no  case,  more  than 
a  loose  approximation  to  the  original  sound.  No  two  observers, 
hearing  the  Indian  designation  of  a  place,  will  spell  the  sound  in 
the  same  way.  This  is  proved  by  the  multiplicity  of  forms  which 
the  spelling  of  geographical  words  has  taken,  such  as  Calapooia, 
for  example.  Long  Tom  is  the  name  of  a  stream  in  the  upper  end 
of  the  valley.  It  is  supposed,  by  most  people,  to  be  a  name  of 
American  extraction,  but,  in  reality,  is  the  modification  of  its 
Indian  name,  L^ing-tum-ler . 

Notwithstanding  the  uncertainty  of  meaning  and  pronunciation 
of  these  aboriginal  terms,  good  taste  demands  their  perpetuation. 
They  are  preferable,  in  all  respects,  to  the  hackneyed  and  com 
monplace  names  which  are  so  generally  bestowed  upon  geographical 
localities.  It  is  greatly  to  be  deplored  that  the  authorities  have 
seen  fit  to  change  the  appropriate  and  mellifluous  Indian  designa 
tions  to  worn  and  every -day  terms.  Salem  was  formerly  called 
Che-mek-e-te,  which,  we  are  told,  meant  gravelly.  The  legislature 
in  1854  made  Ta-ke-nah  into  Albany,  and,  by  universal  usage,  the 


490  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

river  Han-chi-u-ke  degenerated  into  Pudding  !  The  lofty  snow- 
clad  summits  of  the  Cascades  have  mostly  the  names  of  dis 
tinguished  white  men,  and,  like  the  level  lands  of  the  Northwest, 
are  thickly  sown  with  Washingtons,  Jeffersons,  Adamses  and 
Jacksons.  This  lack  of  taste  and  fitness  will  be  bewailed  more 
and  more  with  the  flight  of  time,  but  the  objectionable  names  will 
then  have  become  immovably  fixed,  and  posterity  can  never  revenge 
itself. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS. 

Primitive  Ideas — Pioneer  Railway  Projects — Elliott's  Plan  of  a  Rail 
way  from  Portland  to  California — Incorporation  of  the  Astoria  & 
'Willamette  R.  R.  Co. — .Names  of  the  Incorporators — The  East  Side 
Railway — Ben  Ilolladay — The  Oregon  Central  R.  R.  Co.- — Anecdote 
— Need  of  Railways— -The  West  Side  R.  R.  Co.— A  Railroad  Boom 
in  Oregon — Effect  of  the  Introduction  of  Railways — Public  Opinion 
—Dissolution  of  the  Oregon  Central  and  Organization  of  the  Oregon 
and  California  Company — Officers  of  the  New  Company — River 
Transportation — Ilolladay  Bays  a  Newspaper — Its  Character — 
Issue  of  Bonds  of  the  0.  &  C.  R.  R. — Completion  of  the  Railway 
to  Roseburg — Want  of  Economy — Cessation  of  Railway  Building — 
Resumption  of  Work  in  1883 — Railways  Needed  in  Southern  Oregon 
—The  Railroad  Leased  to  the  Oregon  and  Transcontinental  Co. — The 
West  Side  Road — Ilolladay }s  Shrewdness — Portland's  Princely  Gift 
—Progress  of  the  West  Side  Road — Two  Factions — Exit  Ilolladay 
— Land  Grants — The  Conquer er  Appears — A  Giant's  Plans — Vil- 
lard — The  Narrow-Gauge  Road — The  Oregon  Pacific — Railroad 
Lands — Railway  Officials — Concluding  Remarks. 

THE  railroad  and  telegraph  are  now  everywhere  recognized  as 
necessary  accompaniments  in  the  grand  procession  in  which 
the  world  is  marching  onward  toward  a  perfected  state  of  social 
and  commercial  relations.  Without  these  adjuncts  the  growth  of 
any  country,  when  growth  is  possible,  is  slow,  enterprise  hindered, 
and  prosperity  conies  on  with  sluggish  steps  and  the  most  toilsome 
efforts  of  the  people.  As  the  old  process  by  which  the  scribes  in 
ancient  times  wrote  a  single  book  in  years  of  constant  labor,  and  a 
duplicate  could  only  be  had  by  a  repetition  of  the  task,  compares 
with  the  method  by  which  thousands  of  volumes  can  now  be  made 
in  a  single  day,  so  the  means  of  communication  and  travel  possessed 


492  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

for  the  first  quarter  of  a  century  by  the  people  who  settled  the 
Willamette  Valley  compare  with  the  facilities  which  now  enable  a 
resident  of  Portland  to  reach  Chicago  in  less  time  than  it  would 
have  taken  him  to  go  to  Jacksonville,  in  our  own  state,  twenty 
years  ago.  All  the  people  of  the  Willamette  Valley  now  have 
daily  communication  with  the  commercial  centers,  and  ready  trans 
portation,  at  reasonable  rates,  for  their  various  products. 

For  some  time  after  the  great  resources  of  Oregon  were  pretty 
generally  known  by  the  civilized  world,  but  few  of  her  people  were 
sanguine  enough  to  entertain  a  hope  that  they  would  live  to  see  the 
completion  of  a  railroad  connecting  this  part  of  the  Pacific  Coast, 
by  a  continuous  line,  with  the  Atlantic  Seaboard.  Twenty-five 
years  ago,  however,  it  was  thought  that  the  commercial  relations  of 
the  Southern  and  Northern  Coast  would  ultimately  necessitate  the 
construction  of  a  railway  from  San  Francisco  to  tide  Avater  on  the 
Columbia.  But  little  happened,  however,  at  that  early  period  to 
encourage  this  idea,  and  in  the  unsettled  condition  of  financial  af 
fairs  throughout  the  country,  consequent  upon  the  civil  war  then 
going  on,  no  enterprise  of  the  kind  made  any  headway.  However, 
men  who  foreseen  the  necessity  were  agitating  the  question,  and  in 
November,  1863,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Eugene  City  at  which,  per 
haps,  the  first  decided  expression  of  opinion  was  set  forth.  There 
were  present  quite  a  number  of  prominent  citizens  of  Oregon, 
among  whom  were  Col.  W.  W.  Chapman,  Jesse  Applegate,  Judge 
A.  J.  Thayer,  and  others.  The  Oregon  and  California  line  was  dis 
tinctly  contemplated  in  the  discussion  which  took  place,  and  resolu 
tions  were  passed  favoring  and  supporting  that  project.  The  pro 
vision,  however,  was  included  that  Oregon  directors  were  to  have  a 
voice  in  the  distribution  of  the  proceeds  of  public  lands  given  by 
Congress  to  aid  the  enterprise,  and  that  the  work  of  construction 
should  begin  simultaneously  at  Portland  and  Sacramento,  or  some 
other  point  in  California. 

In  December  of  the  same  year  (1863)  S,  G.  Elliott  made  public 
a  report  of  a  survey  of  a  route  from  Marysville,  California,  to  Port 
land,  Oregon,  a  distance  of  six  hundred  and  thirty-five  and  one-half 
miles,  the  estimated  cost  of  construction  being  $30,472,000,  or 
an  average  of  about  $48,000  per  mile;  the  most  expensive  por 
tion  of  the  route  lying  within  this  State  being  the  twelve  miles 


HISTOEY  OF  RAILWAYS.  493 

just  south  of  Canyonville,  in  Douglas  County,  to  cost  $100,000 
per  mile,  and  the  least  expensive  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  the  head  of  the  Willamette  Valley  to  Portland,  which  could 
be  built  for  $35,000  per  mile.  Under  these  estimates  the  total  cost 
of  the  road  from  Roseburg  to  Portland  would  have  been  a  little  less 
than  $7,000,000.  What  it  cost  under  the  Holladay  regime  will  be 
seen  further  on. 

This  survey  was  the  first  step  in  railroad  enterprises  in  the  Wil 
lamette  Valley  which  culminated  in  actual  effort  at  construction 
and  ultimately  in  tangible  results,  though  agitation  of  the  question 
was  rife  several  years  previous  and  some  corporations  had  been 
formed  with  glaring  prospectuses  and  millions  of  money  on  paper. 
In  1858  an  act  was  passed  incorporating  the  Astoria  and  Willam 
ette  Valley  Railroad  Company.  Among  the  incorporators  were 
the  following  named  gentlemen,  some  of  whom  have  been  quite 
prominently  identified  with  other  and  more  permanent  enterprises 
of  the  kind  in  the  country:  John  Adair,  John  McClure,  J.  Im- 
brie,  Wm.  Wilson,  James  Taylor,  J.  Welch,  C.  Boelling,  W.  W. 
Parker,  P.  Wilkes,  W.  R.  Bassett,  T.  R.  Cornelius,  Chas.  McKay, 
M.  Wolf,  R.  C.  Kinney,  Jo.  Meek,  R.  Bean,  W.  T.  Newby,  Andy 
Shuck,  Edward  Shiel,  J.  D.  Boon,  J.  H.  Moores,  W.  C.  Griswold, 
S.  Parker,  Jacob  Conser,  Jos.  Holman,  W.  H.  Rector,  L.  Westa- 
cott,  L.  F.  Grover,  E.  F.  Skinner,  E.  Bristow,  G.  Humphrey,  Jos. 
Teal,  L  R.  Moores,  P.  Brattain,  A.  A.  Smith,  W.  C.  Gallagher,  B. 
F.  Whitson,  Thos.  Kendall,  W.  Blair,  Chas.  Drain,  R.  Newell,  J. 
H.  Stevens,  J.  D.  Crawford,  H.  N.  V.  Holmes,  A.  C.  R.  Shaw,  J. 
H.  Lewis,  B.  F.  Burch,  H.  Linville,  J.  Thorp,  J.  C.  Avery,  J. 
Barnhart,  I.  N.  Smith,  Jno.  Kelsay,  A.  J.  Thayer,  Wm.  Gird,  I. 
Moore,  J.  Dohse,  Leonard  &  Green,  Ladd  &  Co.,  Thos.  Pritch- 
ard,  Job  McNamee,  Thos.  Carter,  D.  H.  Lownsdale,  J.  S.  Rinear- 
son,  S.  W.  Moss,  Geo.  Abernethy,  W.  C.  Bowring,  Thos.  H.  Smfth 
and  H.  Stevens.  These  men  were  all  well  known  in  Oregon  at 
that  day  and  their  names  as  incorporators  gave  an  air  of  responsi 
bility  to  the  enterprise  that  was  regarded  by  many  as  an  augury 
of  success.  But  many  of  them,  though  possessing  much  knowledge 
of  frontier  life  and  good  talent  for  the  ordinary  business  of  the 
country  in  that  day,  had  not  even  a  faint  idea  of  the  expense  or 
difficulty  of  building  railroads.  The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  first 


494  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

at  $5,000,000  and  was  afterwards  increased  to  $10,000,000,  and  the 
proposed  road  was  to  run  from  Astoria  to  Salem  and  thence  to  Eu 
gene  City;  work  of  construction  to  begin  in  two  years  and  the  road 
to  be  built  in  ten  years.  But  further  than  securing  its  charter  and 
exciting  some  hopes  in  the  breasts  of  sanguine  people,  the  company 
did  nothing.  Dying  in  a  few  months,  it  "left  no  sign  "  that  it  had 
ever  existed.  Other  corporations  were  formed  to  build  other  roads 
to  run  from  and  to  almost  every  prominent  point  in  the  valley, 
with  no  greater  results  and  except  the  short  lines  built,  owned  and 
run  by  the  Oregon  Steam  Navigation  Company,  on  the  portages  at 
the  Cascades  and  The  Dalles,  Oregon  had  not  a  foot  of  railway 
until  the  East  Side  road  was  built,  ground  being  broken  for  that 
enterprise  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  April,  1868,  though  the  work  of 
construction  progressed  very  slowly  for  a  year  or  two.  The  first 
rails  were  laid  in  October  of  the  following  year  when  twenty-three 
miles  were  ready  for  the  iron  and  the  road  was  finished  to  the 
Molalla  River  on  the  third  of  July,  1870,  and  the  first  train  arrived 
at  Salem  in  the  latter  part  of  October  the  same  year. 

About  the  middle  of  December  the  line  was  completed  to  Al 
bany,  and  an  excursion,  was  given  to  that  place  from  Portland,  upon 
which  occasion  there  was  a  good  deal  of  enthusiasm  and  some  ag 
gravations  of  the  ill-feeling  which  had  been  engendered  against 
Ben  Holladay  by  the  active  part  which  he  had  taken  in  political 
affairs.  Hon.  Geo.  K.  Helm,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Linn  county, 
had  been  selected  by  the  citizens  of  Albany  as  one  of  the  speakers 
on  the  occasion,  and  on  arriving  there  Holladay  gave  him  an  un 
deserved  snubbing  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of  distinguished 
guests,  to  which  Mr.  Helm  retaliated  fittingly,  and  for  a  time  there 
was  much  less  shouting  than  swearing.  The  occurrence,  in  one 
way,  forcibly  illustrated  Holladay's  character.  He  would  brook 
no  opposition.  Imperious  as  Caesar,  his  very  friends  were  com 
pelled  to  accept  his  policy  or  submit  to  his  denunciations,  which 
were  not  generally  delivered  in  language  or  manner  that  at  all  co 
incided  with  Chesterfieldian  rules.  With  power  irrevocably  in  his 
hands  he  would  have  been  a  great  tyrant,  but  in  a  republican 
community  he  used  the  necessary  policy  more  to  fortify  his  own 
prominent  position  and  to  clinch  his  hold  on  the  country,  than  be 
cause  he  set  any  great  store  on  the  will  of  the  people  in  the  abstract. 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  495 

While,  lie  was  for  such  reasons,  disliked  as  a  man,  he  was,  in  many 
respects,  well  fitted  to  pioneer  the  enterprise  of  which  he  was  the 
head.  Many  obstacles  were  in  his  way,  many  conflicting  interests 
had  to  be  reconciled.  While  there  was  a  universal  popular  desire 
to  see  the  road  built,  there  were  various  antagonistic  influences 
tending  to  hinder  and  obstruct  the  work  in  its  very  incipiency. 

Four  or  five  corporations  were  in  existence  when  Mr.  Holladay 
first  turned  his  attention  to  the  State,  having  been  formed  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  any  National  or  State  aid  that  might  be  given  to  railroads, 
but  none  of  these  corporations  had  the  influence  to  secure  such  aid, 
the  energy  to  begin  the  work,  or  the  means,  financially,  to  carry  it 
on.  They  were  all  sickly,  moneyless  institutions,  existing  only  on 
paper,  the  members  themselves  having  little  or  no  knowledge  of 
railroad  building  and  little  or  no  intention  of  ever  undertaking  the 
real  work.  These  corporations,  though  utterly  powerless  to  do 
anything  themselves,  stood  much  in  the  way  of  any  enterprise  giv 
ing  promise  of  actual,  tangible  results,  and  Holladay's  first  object 
was  necessarily  to  secure  control  of  some  one  of  these  corporations, 
remodel  it  and  place  it  upon  a  substantial  basis.  As  presenting 
the  best  nucleus,  the  Oregon  Central  Railroad  Company  was  se 
lected.  It  had  been  organized  some  time,  but  had  done  nothing 
looking  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  ostensible  object  of  its  form 
ation.  Its  Directors  were  George  L.  AVoods,  I.  R.  Moores,  E.  N. 
Cooke,  J.  H.  Douthit,  J.  H.  Moores,  T.  McF.  Fatten ,  Jacob  Con- 
ser,  A.  M.  Loryea,  H.  Boyd,  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  Phil.  Wassennan,  F. 

A.  Chenoweth,  S.  Ellsworth,  S.  F.  Chadwick,  J.  P.  Russ,  S.  A. 
Clarke,  J.  H.  D.  Henderson,  Jno.  F.  Miller,  A.  F.  Hedges  and  S. 

B.  Parrish.     The  board  was  officered  as  follows:     President,  I.  R. 
Moores;  Vice  President,  A.  M.  Loryea;   Treasurer,  E.  N.  Cooke; 
Secretary,  S.  A.  Clarke.     Holladay  took  hold  of  this  organization 
in  1868  and  at  once  infused  it  with  some  life  and  vigor;  proposing 
to  build  jthe  line  from  Portland,  through  the  valley  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Willamette  River  and  on  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
State,  where  it  was  to  connect  with  the  California  and  Oregon  Road 
coming  northward  from  San  Francisco.     Operations  were  soon  be 
gun.     Ground  was  broken  -with  much  eclat,  at  East  Portland  on 
the  sixteenth  of  April,  1868,  in  the  presence  of  five  thousand  in 
terested  spectators,  addresses  being  made  by  Hons.  J.  H.  Mitchell, 


496  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

John  F.  Caples,  Rev.  J.  L.  Fairish,  and  others.     Mr.  Farrish  threw 
the  first  earth  with  a  shovel  made  of  Oregon  silver. 

O 

The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was  $7,250,000,  of  which  it 
was  proposed  to  raise  $4,800,000  on  the  first  mortgage  bonds,  and 
the  company  promised  to  raise  $450,000  in  cash.  With  this 
financial  basis,  actual  work  was  begun  and  pushed  ahead  with  a 
good  deal  of  vigor.  Some  embarrassments  were  created  by  the 
demands  of  the  land  owners  along  the  line  of  the  road  for  the 
right  of  way.  Exorbitant  prices  were  asked  in  many  cases.  Geo. 
E.  Cole  was  authorized  to  negotiate  for  the  right  of  way,  and  Hon. 
C.  A.  Dolph  accompanied  him  most  of  the  time  as  attorney  for  the 
company.  On  their  return  they  related  some  very  amusing 
anecdotes  of  their  adventures  and  encounters  with  the  Oregon 
pioneers,  some  of  which  forcibly  illustrate  the  idea  which  people 
then  had  of  the  oparations  of  railroad  builders.  They  believed 
that  the  company  had  such  an  enormous  quantity  of  money,  that 
they  would  as  soon  give  a  thousand  dollars  for  the  right  of  way 
across  a  tract  of  land  as  to  give  a  hundred.  But  when  they  met 
the  company's  agent  they  soon  found  their  mistake,  for  while  he 
was  willing  to  pay  all  that  was  reasonable,  he  positively  refused 
to  accede  to  the  extravagant  demands  made  by  many  of  the  land 
owners  along  the  route.  A  rancher  in  Clackamas  County,  whose 
claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  was,  as  improved,  worth  not 
to  exceed  $2,000,  asked  $3,000  for  a  strip  through  it,  containing 
about  fifteen  acres.  u  What,"  said  Mr.  Cole,  u  that  is  more  than  the 
value  of  your  entire  claim.  I  will  give  you  $300."  "No,  sir," 
replied  the  rancher,  "  we  will  never  take  it,  will  we  wife,"  appeal 
ing  to  his  better  half,  who  was  present.  "  No,  sir,"  she  responded, 
"  we'll  law  'ern  till  doomsday  before  we'll  take  it."  After  further 
consultation,  the  man  and  his  wife  fixed  their  very  lowest  price  at 
$1,500,  but  the  agent  had  made  up  his  mind  before  he  saw  them, 
what  he  was  going  to  give,  and  felt  pretty  sure,  when  they  began 
to  come  down,  that  they  would,  at  last,  come  to  his  figures.  It 
took  a  good  deal  of  talk,  and  the  land  owner  and  his  wife  argued 
long  and  earnestly  to  get  the  agent  to  raise  his  figures  to  $500,  and 
seemed  determined  to  stand  by  that  sum,  even  to  the  extent  of  a 
law  suit.  Mr.  Cole  opened  his  grip  sack,  filled  with  $20  pieces, 
and  counting  out  fifteen  of  them,  tendered  the  man  the  $300,  ask- 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  497 

ing  him  and  his  wife  to  sign  the  deed  of  the  right  of  way,  which 
the  attorney  had  all  ready.  It  was  refused,  and  the  agent  and 
lawyer  started  for  their  conveyance,  which  stood  at  the  gate.  As 
they  reached  the  door,  the  man,  seeing  that  business  was  meant, 
recalled  them,  and,  with  a  good  deal  of  seeming  reluctance,  con 
sented  to  accept  what  was  about  four  times  as  much  for  his  land 
as  he  could  have  got  for  it,  from  any  one  else  in  the  world.  His 
claim  is  now  worth  $30  an  acre,  an  increase  in  value  largely 
attributable  to  the  fact  that  the  road  was  built  across  it,  an  event 
which  he  so  strenuously  endeavored  to  prevent.  A  great  many 
others  exhibited  the  same  spirit,  and  had  all  the  demands  of  the 
land  owners  along  the  line  been  complied  with,  the  entire  capital 
stock  would  scarcely  have  been  sufficient  to  purchase  the  right  of 
way.  There  were,  however,  some  who  were  liberal  to  the  com 
pany,  beyond  expectation,  and  gave  every  encouragement  to 
the  enterprise  which  was  in  their  power.  Lands  for  stations, 
side  tracks,  etc.,  were  often  secured  at  almost  nominal  rates. 
The  people  generally  were  anxious  for  the  road,  and  if  its 
completion  has  not  filled  their  expectations  of  the  benefits  to 
be  derived  from  it,  every  one  who  views  the  matter  in  its 
proper  light  admits  that  those  who  opposed  and  hampered  it 
in  its  incipiency,  opposed  the  true  interests  of  the  country.  And 
while  there  may  be  some  who  occasionally  long  for  the  return  to 
muddy  roads  and  ox  teams,  almost  al)  are  willing  to  admit  that 
the  railroad  era  in  Oregon  was  the  great  impetus,  if  not  the  begin 
ning  of  its  prosperity. 

The  Willamette  Valley  alone  contains  over  three  million 
acres  of  agricultural  land,  of  which,  at  least,  one  million  is  well 
adapted  to  the  production  of  grain,  and,  in  ordinary  years,  with 
proper  cultivation,  will  produce  an  average  of  twenty  bushels  to 
the  acre  of  wheat  or  barley,  or  thirty  bushels  of  oats.  Other 
products,  equal  in  quantity,  are  possible,  with  the  mild  climate  and 
prolific  soil,  and  this  valley  alone,  did  the  markets  of  the  world 
furnish  the  demand,  would  yield  fifty  million  tons  of  food  products. 
With  such  a  possible  capacity  and  such  a  climate,  the  future  of 
the  Willamette  can  not  be  said  to  be  doubtful.  Without  extremes 
of  heat  or  cold,  free  from  violent  storms,  earthquakes  or  other 
interruptions  of  nature's  even  course,  no  floods  nor  drouths,  where 


498  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

good  crops  are  the  almost  unexceptional  rule,  the  products 
possible  being  almost  everything  growing  any  where  in  the  tem 
perate  zone,  a  dense  and  prosperous  population  is  certain  in  the 
future  to  make  this  valley  the  garden  spot  of  the  country,  unexcelled 
in  its  producing  power  by  any  region  of  the  same  size  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Hence,  it  was  no  short-sighted  policy,  or  failure  to 
predict  the  future,  that  led  to  the  investment  of  capital  in  enter 
prises  looking  toward  doing  the  carrying  trade  of  such  a  country. 
With  the  country  sparsely  settled,  as  it  then  was,  and  isolated  by 
the  vast  distances  from  the  densely-peopled  countries  of  the  world, 
it  required  a  full  comprehension  of  the  advantages  which  Oregon 
offered  to  induce  the  undertaking,  with  years  of  efforts  to  be  cer 
tainly  a  necessity  before  paying  returns  could  be  expected.  But 
those  who  undertook  the  task  "  built  wisely,"  for  they  calculated 
upon  a  future  which  was  almost  assured.  With  two  lines  of  rail 
way  from  tide  water,  one  on  each  side  of  the  river,  to  the  head  of 
the  valley,  and  feeders  out  into  the  tributary  sections,  a  business 
will,  in  the  not  very  distant  future,  be  built  up,  that  in  magnitude 
ought  to  exceed  that  of  any  other  system,  of  the  same  extent,  in 
the  world,  and,  as  large  quantities  make  cheap  rates,  the  people  of 
this  valley  ought  then  to  enjoy  a  freedom  from  everything  savoring 
of  burdensome  freight  charges. 

The  enthusiasm  with  which  ground  was  broken  for  the  East 
Side  road  had  not  abated  when,  with  similar  demonstrations,  the 
same  ceremony  was  gone  through  with  on  this  side  the  river,  with 
reference  to  the  beginning  of  the  West  Side  road.  The  commence 
ment  of  these  two  roads  at  Portland,  both  in  the  same  week,  created 
the  first  real  railroad  boom  which  Portland  enjoyed  or  suffered — 
the  reader,  if  a  Portlander,  will  take  whichever  of  the  terms  suits 
him,  according  to  the  ultimate  effects  of  the  boom  upon  his  indi 
vidual  financial  interests.  Other  booms,  from  similar  causes,  have 
been  experienced  since.  They  come  to  every  town  to  or  through 
which  a  railroad  is  being  built,  their  aggregate  effects  being  some 
what  like  those  of  the  waves  of  the  ocean  upon  the  beach.  If  the 
mariner  who  is  trying  to  reach  the  land  strikes  the  wave  right  at  its 
flood,  he  is  carried  to  the  firm  shore,  but  coming  upon  it  at  its  ebb, 
he  is  most  probably  carried  back  into  the  billows,  and,  without  un 
usual  effort,  or  extreme  good  fortune,  engulfed  and  lost.  In  the 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  499 

booms  which  Portland  and  Oregon  have  experienced  in  times  of 
railroad  or  mining  excitement,  a  few  men  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  be  landed  by  the  wave  upon  financial  terra  firma,  but  a 
great  many  others  have  struck  the  boom  at  the  wrong  end  and  have 
been  swept  back  into  the  yawning  gulf  of  poverty  by  the  tide  which 
they  expected  would  carry  them  to  the  golden  shore  of  competence, 
if  not  of  substantial  wealth.  The  advantages  which  a  country  gets 
from  the  construction  and  operation  of  railways  are  not  to  be  meas 
ured  by  these  temporary  excitements  in  which  business  of  all  kinds 
is  inflated  beyond  the  ordinary  demand  or  exigencies  of  the  times, 
or  what  the  actual  bedrock  facts  of  the  situation  require.  These 
booms  are,  it  is  true,  generally  regarded  as  prosperous  times,  but 
they  are  not  so  much  so  as  the  surface  of  things  indicate,  and  every 
good  business  man  knows  that  the  prosperity  which  they  excite  is 
of  the  mushroom  character,  and  that  the  part  of  wisdom  is  to  be  pre 
pared  for  the  reactionary  period  which  is  sure  to  follow. 

Upon  the  beginning  of  railroad  work  in  Oregon  the  usual  effect 
was  everywhere  observable.  The  expenditure  of  large  sums  by 
the  company  was  anticipated  by  the  enlargement  of  investments 
in  business  .of  other  kinds.  Supplies  of  all  commodities,  which  men 
buy  and  sell,  were  increased.  Augmented  facilities  were  added  ; 
larger  stores,  and  more  of  them,  were  demanded,  rents  went  up, 
and  real  estate  doubled  or  trebled  in  value,  or  rather  in  prices. 
Speculation  was  rife  in  everything,  and,  more  especially,  in  land. 
Money  was,  or  seemed  to  be,  plenty,  and  many  men  engaged  in 
business,  apparently  with  the  idea  that  this  state  of  affairs  would 
continue.  Debts  were  incurred,  upon  the  supposition  that  when 
they  became  due,  the  means  to  liquidate  would  be  as  easily 
obtainable  as  when  they  were  contracted.  Men  paid  high  prices 
for  things,  of  which  they  had  no  real  need,  and  out  of  which  no 
immediate  profit  could  be  expected,  calculating  upon  a  long  con 
tinued  advance  in  values,  not  regarding  the  fact  that  values  were 
fictitious,  or,  that  when  the  public  pulse  began  to  indicate  a  de 
cline  of  the  fever,  the  vitality  of  speculation  would  suddenly 
weaken,  and  many  enterprises  possessed  of  much  seeming  vigor, 
would  greatly  relax,  or  totally  collapse.  Many,  who  then  looked 
only  at  the  shining  side  of  the  subject,  now  see  their  mistake,  and 
regret  that  railroads  were  ever  introduced  into  Oregon,  But  all 


500  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

who  have  been  guided  by  their  better  judgment,  who,  in  the  times 
of  excitement  and  inflation,  kept  in  mind  the  fact  that  all  former 
experience  was  to  the  effect  that  reaction  would  most  certainly 
come,  and  regulated  their  affairs  accordingly,  now  admit  the  great 
advantage  which  the  country  has  derived  from  the  work  of  those 
who  first  seriously  undertook  these  great  enterprises  in  the  North 
west.  They  see  that  the  benefit  was  not  the  flush  times  or  era  of 
undue  speculation,  incident  to  the  building  of  the  roads,  but  in  the 
gradual  and  permanent  development  of  the  country,  which  would 
follow  upon  the  revolution  of  the  transportation  business,  the  in 
creased  facilities  for  intercourse  and  trade,  and  the  impetus  given 
to  the  general  progress  of  the  people  toward  what  is  regarded  as 
the  highest  state  of  civilization.  The  greatest  prosperity  is  not 
that  which  gives  the  speculator  the  largest  returns  on  his  venture, 
but  that  in  which  the  whole  people  are  inspired  with  confidence  in 
the  business  situation,  and  feel  a  reasonable  degree  of  assurance  in 
the  success  of  obtaining  the  united  returns  for  the  labor  they  per 
form  and  the  capital  they  invest  in  legitimate  enterprises.  Infla 
tion  and  fluctuation  of  values  always  militate  against  that  safe  and 
permanent  condition  of'  affairs  in  which  public  confidence  is  most 
prevalent.  The  "  greatest  good,"  which  the  building  of  railways 
through  a  country,  gives  to  the  greatest  number,  is  realized  not  in 
the  era  of  speculation  incident  to  the  work  of  construction,  but 
afterward,  when  the  operation  of  such  roads  is  the  means  by  which 
the  business  pulse  of  the  country  is  quickened,  and  a  healthy  busi 
ness  activity  brought  about. 

Such,  notwithstanding  the  murmurs  of  the  croakers,  has  been 
the  effect  of  railroad  enterprises  in  Oregon,  and  with  a  continuance 
of  that  fairness  which  has  characterized  their  operations  under  the 
present  management,  the  time  will  come  when  none  will  be  found 
to  regret  that  the  days  of  pack  trains  and  ox  wagons,  over  long, 
rough  and  muddy  roads  in  Oregon,  have  forever  passed  away. 

At  the  time  ground  was  broken  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
the  company  was  known  as  the  Oregon  Central  Railroad  Company  of 
Salem,  the  late  I.  R.  Moores  being  President  andS.  A.  Clarke,  Sec 
retary,  but  the  leading  spirits  were  Ben  Holladay  and  C.  Temple 
Ernmett,  and  the  company  remained  in  existence  and  continued 
work  under  the  old  name  until  March,  1870,  when  The  Oregon 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  501 

Central  was  dissolved  and  The  Oregon  &  California  was  organized 
with  a  new  board  of  directors,  as  follows:  Ben  Holladay,  W.  L. 
Halsey,  C.  Temple  Emmett,  Geo.  W.  Weidler,  I.  R.  Moores,  C.  H. 
Lewis,  J.  C.  Hawthorne  and  Medorem  Crawford.  Ben  Holladay 
was  chosen  President,  W.  L.  Halsey,  Vice  President,  and  A.  G. 
Cunningham,  the  Secretary.  The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $20,- 
000,000.  This  company  also  proposed  to  build  the  road  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  extending  it  south  through  the  Umpqua  and 
Rogue  River  valleys  to  the  California  line.  In  the  meantime  the 
road  had  been  finished  to  Albany,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles  from 
Portland.  The  company  then  owned  six  passenger  cars,  one  Pres 
ident's  car,  one  hundred  and  thirty  flats  and  box  cars  and  seven 
locomotives.  The  steam  ferry  between  Portland  and  East  Port 
land  had  also  been  built,  and  was  launched  in  December,  1870. 
The  road  was,  of  course,  accepted  by  the  Government  Commissioners, 
as  all  sorts  of  roads  are,  but  much  of  the  work  was  poorly  done 
and  soon  needed  repairs.  Notably,  the  bridge  across  the  Clacka- 
mas  River  was  at  once  condemned  by  every  one  who  had  any  knowl 
edge  of  such  things,  as  a  piece  of  work  most  wretchedly  designed 
and  executed.  It  was  used  for  some  time,  however,  but  when  Hol 
laday  went  out  of  railroading  in  Oregon,  it  was  at  once  abandoned 
and  a  new  one  built.  The  rolling  stock,  however,  was  of  a  sub 
stantial  character,  and  the  people  found  no  fault  with  the  road  it 
self  though,  then  as  now,  there  were  plenty  of  men  who  began  to 
be  dissatisfied  with  its  management  and  especially  the  attempt  of 
Mr.  Holladay,  not  only  to  be  a  railroad  king,  but  also  a  political 
dictator.  While  the  company  only  had  a  short  line  of  road,  eighty 
miles  in  length,  the  head  was  cursed  as  a  "grinding  monopolist," 
whose  aim  was  to  get  the  whole  country  under  his  iron  heel  and 
crush  out  every  enterprise  that  in  any  way  interfered  with  his  ob 
jects.  While  this  view  of  his  character  was,  to  a  considerable  ex 
tent,  exaggerated,  there  was  some  good  ground  for  the  hostility 
manifested  toward  him  in  this  respect.  As  an  example,  he  organized 
a  local  transfer  company  in  Portland  and,  in  connection  with  his 
railroad,  river  and  ocean  steamers  and  ferry,  made  such  discrimina 
tions  as  to  drive  almost  every  one  in  the  business  of  transferring 
freight  in  the  city  out  of  it  entirely,  by  imposing  such  burdens  upon 
them  as  to  make  any  profit  in  the  business  impossible.  Charges  for 


502  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

freights  upon  the  road  were  quite  high,  and  while  the  river  was 
still  open  to  the  people,  and  some  efforts  were  made  to  furnish 
transportation  by  that  means  at  moderate  rates  by  outside  parties, 
Holladay  got  control  of  the  principal  fleet  of  boats  on  the  Willam 
ette,  and  by  charging  high  figures  for  transportation  by  rail  and 
very  low  rates  by  steamer,  was  able  to  crush  out  all  opposition  and 
at  the  same  time  save  himself  from  actual  loss  in  the  aggregate. 
The  criticisms  of  the  press  of  the  State  upon  his  course  induced 
him  to  undertake,  at  great  expense,  the  enterprise  of  publishing  a 
newspaper.  He  purchased  a  large  plant  and  started  the  Portland 
Daily  and  Weekly  Bulletin.  Sparing  no  expense  in  the  matter 
of  obtaining  news,  and  employing  some  of  "  the  brightest,  wisest 
and  meanest"  writers  on  the  coast,  he  issued  a  journal  that  was 
at  once  a  credit  and  a  disgrace  to  the  country.  By  persistent  en 
ergy  on  the  part  of  the  management  of  this  paper,  it  obtained  quite 
an  extensive  patronage,  but  never  got  much  hold  on  the  public 
confidence,  and  being  the  organ  of  one  man,  when  he  failed  it  soon 
followed  suit. 

Reverting  to  the  work  proper  of  the  railroad  company,  construc 
tion  south  of  Albany  was  vigorously  pushed  forward.  Holladay 
had  plenty  of  energy  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  large  amount  of 
money  which  he  expended  with  a  lavish  hand.  He  went  east  in 
1872  and  negotiated  $10,950,000  of  mortgage  bonds  at  prices  that 
netted  about  six  and  a  half  million  dollars,  and  with  this  the  road 
was  completed  to  Roseburg  and  other  enterprises  embraced  in  the 
Holladay  regime  set  on  foot.  These  bonds  sold  by  Holladay  were 
never  worth  more  in  the  market  than  he  got  for  them,  and  in  a  few 
months  after  were  quoted  down  to  thirty-five  cents  on  the  dollar,  a 
decline  as  much  due  to  the  way  the  road  and  its  construction  were 
managed  as  to  aught  else,  though  there  have  at  no  time  yet  been 
circumstances  or  good  reasons  why  the  road  should  be  considered  a 
good  paying  piece  of  property.  Reaching  Roseburg,  two  hundred 
miles  south  of  Portland,  in  1872,  work  was  entirely  suspended, 
means  for  further  construction  being  exhausted,  though,  with  a  rea 
sonable  degree  of  economy,  it  has  been  asserted  that  the  money 
which  had  been  expended  by  Holladay  would  have  finished  and 
equipped  it  to  the  California  line.  When  it  reached  the  Calapooia 
Mountains  it  was  confidently  predicted  that  in  eighteen  months 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  503 

more  Portland  would  be  connected  by  a  continuous  line  with  San 
Francisco  and  the  east;  the  eastern  connection  has  been  made,  but 
by  another  route  and  by  other  men  than  those  thought  of  by  the  peo 
ple,  who  had  an  idea  formed  on  Holladay's  liberal,  if  not  extrava 
gant,  disbursement,  that  his  resources  were  illimitable. 

But,  though  Holladay  failed,  he  had  accomplished  a  great  work, 
and  Western  Oregon  had  her  first  railroad  built  through  a  country 
unsurpassed  in  fertility  of  soil  or  variety  in  all  the  resources  the  pos 
session  of  which  go  to  support  convenience  arid  prosperity  of  a  peo 
ple.  The  southern  section  of  the  road  was  generally  of  a  very  good 
character,  and  in  ten  or  twelve  years'  operation  has  required  only  rea 
sonable  outlays  for  renewals  and  repairs.  The  rolling  stock,  though 
not  extensive,  was  sufficient  for  the  business  offering  and  has  gener 
ally  been  kept  up  to  the  demands  of  the  times. 

In  point  of  time  many  other  railroads  in  Oregon  were  projected 
and  some  of  them  carried  to  the  extent  of  partial  construction,  be 
fore,  under  other  auspices,  the  Oregon  and  California  line  was  again 
taken  up  and  built  to  a  point  further  south  by  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  reaching  the  town  of  Ashland,  in  Jackson  County. 
This  work  was  done  in  1883-84  under  the  Villard  management, 
the  road  having  been  leased  to  the  Transcontinental  Company  by 
the  bondholders,  who  took  it  in  charge  upon  the  failure  of  Holla- 
day.  The  country  tapped  by  this  extension  embraces  the  Rogue 
River  Valley,  one  of  the  finest  sections  of  land  in  Oregon,  and  one 
long  settled  and  peculiarly  in  need  of  railroad  facilities,  being  with 
out  navigable  streams  and  so  remote  from  commercial  centers  of  the 
Coast.  The  freight  on  supplies  for  the  growing  population  of  that 
region  was  oppressive  to  an  extreme  on  consumers,  while  producers 
had  no  market  for  their  products,  except  the  local  demand.  Noth 
ing  could  be  shipped  abroad  except  at  a  loss.  On  account  of  these 
high  freights  the  Rogue  River  Valley  was  made  as  nearly  self-sup 
porting  as  possible,  but  twenty  years  ago  the  people  of  Jackson 
County  alone  were  paying  annual  freight  charges  amounting  to 
over  $100,000.  Further  development  of  that  region,  and  the  large 
population  certain  to  fill  it  in  a  few  years,  will  demonstrate  the 
wisdom  of  the  enterprise  which  extended  the  road  into  that  section. 

The  lease  by  the  bondholders  to  the  Oregon  Transcontinental 
Company,  however,  was  soon  terminated,  its  validity  being  con- 


504  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tested  in  the  courts,  and  successfully  impeached.  The  manage 
ment,  therefore,  reverted  to  the  Oregon  &  California  Company, 
Mr.  Koehler,  Manager,  the  source  of  authority  being  the  German 
bondholders,  but  the  company  retaining  its  old  name.  Under  this 
management  the  road  is  now  operated  in  a  manner  quite  satisfac 
tory  to  the  public.  It  runs  through  the  best  portions  of  Clackamas, 
Marion,  Linn,  Lane,  Douglas  and  Jackson^  counties,  and,  By- 
careful  management,  is  paying  a  small  interest  on  the  investment. 
The  construction  of  the  Oregon  and  California  Road  naturally 
stimulated  the  desire  of  the  people  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Willamette  River  for  a  line  of  railway  through  the  counties  of 
Washington,  Yamhill,  Polk  and  Ben  ton,  on  this  side.  These 
counties  contain  about  one-half  of  the  arable  land  of  the  Willam 
ette  Valley,  and,  with  the  development  of  their  resources,  will, 
one  day,  furnish  a  large  and  paying  business  to  the  roads  now  in 
operation  through  them,  as  well  as  to  other  branches  yet  to  be 
built. 

Various  projects  for  securing  a  road  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  had  been  broached,  and  some  organizations,  with  a  show  of 
apparent  strength,  had  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  construct 
ing  such  a  road.  But  none  of  them  did  very  much  to  advance  the 
work  which  Holladay,  who  had  control  of  a  corporation  known  as 
the  Oregon  Central  Railroad  Company,  evinced  a  disposition  to 
undertake.  It  is  not  strictly  within  the  scope  of  this  article  to  put 
on  record  the  history  of  the  various  organizations  that  were 
formed  and  that  issued  prospectuses,  and  made  pretensions  to  the 
public  as  railroad  companies,  or  volumes  might  be  filled  with  the 
narration  concerning  corporations  formed  years  ago  with  great 
flourish,  but  which,  long  ago,  ceased  to  exist,  having  never  accom 
plished  any  part  of  the  gigantic  schemes  set  forth  on  paper.  In 
those  days  almost  everybody  was  talking  in  favor  of  railroads. 
The  people  who  are  often  liable  to  go  to  extremes,  were  then  as 
far  from  acting  on  the  old  maxim  uthe  middle  ground  is  the 
safest,"  as  are  those  of  the  present  time,  who  are  unsparing  in  their 
denunciation  of  all  railway  corporations  as  monopolies  and  sub 
versive  of  public  prosperity.  Those,  were  willing  to  concede  too 
much,  these  are  unwilling  to  grant  what  is  just.  Men  who  gave 
hundreds  of  dollars  to  Ben  Holladay  to  build  the  road  on  Fourth 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  505 

Street,  in  Portland,  a  year  or  two  afterwards  expressed  a  willing 
ness  to  give  thousands  if  the  track  could  be  removed.  But  Holla- 
day,  who  had  a  clever  way  of  eliciting  contributions  from  the 
people,  persuaded  Portlanders  to  believe  that  unless  a  large  sub 
sidy  was  given  him,  his  road  would  be  carried  across  the  river,  at 
a  point  five  or  six  miles  above  their  city.  The  fear  that  he  would 
do  this  was,  of 'course,  not  the  most  reasonable,  but  it  answered 
the  purpose,  and  the  people  made  him  the  magnificent  gift  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  to  do  something,  the  privilege  to  do 
which  was  worth  more  than  that  sum.  For,  by  it,  he  obtained  a 
direct  and  easy  entrance  into  the  heart  of  the  city,  whence  his  road 
was  to  secure  most  of  its  business,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  Ben  Holla- 
day  doesn't  yet  sometimes  "  laugh  in  his  sleeve "  at  the  way  in 
which  this  princely  donation  was  obtained.  But  it  taught  the 
people  of  Portland  a  lesson,  and  they  would  not  now,  probably, 
donate  a  dollar  for  a  station  and  side  track  on  a  line  from  the 
Elysian  fields  to  Paradise. 

With  the  hold  he  had  upon  the  situation  in  Oregon,  Holladay 
had  not  much  trouble  in  getting  control  of  the  most  promising 
organization  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and,  having  secured  im 
portant  aid  from  Washington  and  Yamhill  counties,  in  the  way  of 
guaranteed  interest  on  bonds,  in  addition  to  the  gift,  from  Port 
land,  work  was  undertaken  on  the  west  side  in  1870-71,  with  a 
good  deal  of  energy.  Some  heavy  grading  and  expensive  bridging 
on  the  first  few  miles  out  from  Portland  made  the  work  slow,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1871  only  fourteen  miles  of  iron  had  been  laid.  The 
next  year,  however,  the  road  was  finished  to  St.  Joe,  on  the  Yam- 
hill  River,  a  distance,  from  Portland,  of  about  thirty-five  miles. 
This  terminated  Holladay ?s  work  at  building  railroads  in  Oregon, 
and  his  decline,  much  less  brilliant  than  his  rising,  began.  He 
had  done  much  for  the  State,  and  the  people  had  done  much  for 
him,  so  that  the  honors  were  about  even,  and  the  maledictions  that 
were  heaped  on  him  were,  in  a  measure,  unjust.  Where  he  left 
the  west  side  road,  it  stood  for  some  years,  passing  out  of  his 
hands  in  about  the  same  way  as  did  the  east  side  division.  It  was, 
however,  steadily  operated,  and  did  a  fair  business  for  a  line  of  its 
length.  He  maintained  a  hold  on  the  roads,  however,  for  two  or 
three  years  longer,  and  as  late  as  May,  1875,  waged  a  bitter  fight 


506  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

against  a  faction  of  the  stockholders,  with  Jos.  Gaston  at  the  head, 
for  the  absolute  control  of  the  road.  At  a  meeting,  held  in  Port 
land,  May  27th,  Stephen  Coffin,  W.  T.  Newby,  Henry  Bagster, 
Robt.  Imbrie,  D.  C.  Lewis,  O.  H.  Kimball  and  Jos.  Gaston,  were 
elected  a  board  of  directors  ;  and  on  the  same  day  the  Holladay 
faction  chose  as  directors  Ben.  Holladay,  W.  L.  Halsey,  J.  N. 
Dolph,  Geo.  W.  Weidler,  H.  W.  Scott,  M.  Crawford  and  Jos. 
Gaston.  Each  of  these  factions  claimed  to  be  entitled  to  control 
the  road,  and  to  the  possession  of  the  company's  office  in  Portland, 
over  which,  at  one  time,  a  small  riot  seemed  imminent,  the  police 
of  the  city  being  called  on  to  protect  the  Holladay  men,  who  were 
in  actual  possession.  Litigation  long  and  vexatious  ensued,  which 
was  finally  terminated  by  a  compromise,  in  which,  it  was  said, 
some  parties,  who  began  with  nothing,  came  out  with  fair-sized 
fortunes.  The  Holladay  side  came  out  victorious,  at  considerable 
expense,  which  so  weakened  the  company,  of  which  he  was  the 
head,  that  but  a  short  time  elapsed  ere  he  gave  up  all  control  of 
Oregon  railroads,  and  left  the  State,  it  is  said,  a  good  deal  poorer 
than  when  he  came  into  it. 

The  West  Side  road,  as  it  is  usually  called,  received  a  very  consid 
erable  amount  of  aid  in  the  way  of  subsidies  and  land  grants,  more, 
proportionately,  than  any  other  road  in  Oregon.  Congress  gave 
twenty  sections  of  land  per  mile,  Portland  gave  $100,000  outright, 
Yamhill  County  guaranteed  interest  on  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$75,000,  and  Washington  County,  we  believe,  to  the  amount  of 
$50,000.  The  people,  also,  individually  were  liberal  in  their  treat 
ment  of  the  enterprise,  and  grounds  for  stations,  side-tracks,  right 
of  way,  etc.,  was  secured  with  comparatively  small  outlay.  But 
only  the  fifty  miles  between  Portland  and  St.  Jo.  were  built  with 
all  this  help,  and  the  people  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  valley 
were  compelled  to  wait  several  years  longer  before  they  obtained 
any  railway  communication  with  the  balance  of  the  State.  After 
the  failure  of  Holladay  another  and  more  powerful  than  he  turned 
his  attention  to  railroad  matters  in  Oregon.  The  eyes  of  Wall  Street 
were  directed  to  the  Northwest,  and  Henry  Villard  came  hither  to 
take  a  closer  survey  of  the  advantages  which  the  situation  presented. 
He  was  a  man  in  some  respects  like  Holladay,  but  in  others  the 
exact  opposite.  His  views  were  broader,  his  manner  polished  and 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  507 

his  methods  far  more  systematic.  His  movements  were  altogether 
upon  a  larger  scale.  Holladay's  plan  was  to  control  the  commerce 
of  the  Northwest  Coast;  VillarcTs  to  form  it  as  a  part  of  the  great 
commercial  system  of  the  whole  country  of  the  United  States,  llol- 
laday  would  become  an  important  tributary;  Villard  assumed  to  be 
a  co-equal  branch.  Holladay  failed  because  of  his  lack  of  economy; 
Villard  rather  missed  success  by  reason  of  financial  stringency, 
then  beginning  to  be  felt  throughout  the  country  and  which  has 
since  become  so  general  and  engulfed  such  a  vast  number  of  men 
and  so  many  stupendous  enterprises.  Both  did  a  great  work  for 
Oregon,  and  for  much  that  they  did  deserve  the  gratitude  of  the 
people.  Both  failed,  and  while  both  are  remembered,  the  kinder 
feelings  of  the  people  are  doubtless  for  the  one  whom  disaster  over 
took  rather  than  for  the  one  who  brought  it  on  himself. 

Mr.  Villard,  possessed  of  and  representing  vast  capital,  saw  the 
resources  of  this  region  with  the  eye  of  a  prophet,  took  hold  of  the 
work  with  the  hand  of  a  giant  and  conducted  it  with  the  policy  of 
a  diplomat.  He  interested  all  and  repulsed  none.  Grasping  con 
trol  of  railroad  matters  with  a  firm  hand  and  imbued  with  an  en 
thusiasm  and  an  ambition  to  accomplish  a  great  work,  he  called  to 
his  aid  all  the  elements  within  his  reach.  He  awoke  an  interest  in 
the  people  and  brought  into  fuller  recognition  the  possibilities  of 
the  country.  His  grand  idea  of  a  direct  road  across  the  continent, 
taken  up  where  the  crash  of  1873  and  the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke  had 
left  it,  at  once  resolved  itself  into  practical  form,  and  the  stupendous 
work  at  once  begun.  With  the  vigor  of  his  own  mind  it  was 
pushed  forward,  and,  while  he  gave  it  all  his  strength  and  fortune, 
he  lived,  financially,  to  see  the  fruition  of  his  hope  in  its  comple 
tion  ;  but  weakened  by  the  supreme  effort,  was  compelled  to  yield 
his  position  among  the  moneyed  magnates  and  commercial  kings  of 
the  world. 

To  Mr.  VillarcVs  influence  and  work  is  not  only  due  the  grati 
tude  of  the  people  of  the  Northwest,  for  the  two  thousand  miles  of 
road  which  connect  us  with  the  East,  but  throughout  the  State 
monuments  of  his  enterprise  may  be  found  to  remind  all  portions, 
of  his  day.  The  branch  road  from  Albany  to  Lebanon  in  Linn 
county,  the  extension  from  St.  Jo.  to  Corvallis,  and  from  Roseburg 
to  Ashland,  are  all  the  result  of  his  efforts,  and  bring  the  Willam- 


508  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ette  Valley  system  about  tip  to  the  demands  of  the  times.  The  line 
to  Puget  Sound,  though  finished  after  his  retirement  from  the  con 
trol,  is  a  part  of  his  great  plan  and  the  result  of  his  efforts,  as  is 
also  the  branch  from  Umatilla  to  Baker  City.  These  various  roads, 
forming  a  partially  completed  system,  that  will  give  the  Northwest 
almost  perfect  facilities  for  transportation  and  intercourse,  certainly 
constitute  a  monument  to  the  ability,  enterprise  and  energy  of  their 
projectors  and  builders,  that  will  be  as  enduring  as  the  hills  which 
they  pierce,  and  keep  the  memory  of  Oregon's  pioneer  railroad  men 
green  as  the  valleys  they  traverse. 

What  is  known  as  the  narrow-gauge  roads,  built  by  the  Orego- 
nian  Railway  Company  (limited),  William  Reid,  President,  have 
hardly  fulfilled  the  expectations  of  the  projectors,  though  had  the 
original  design  been  carried  out,  they  would  have  formed  a  very 
important  part  of  the  transportation  system  of  the  Willamette  Val 
ley.  The  plan  of  Mr.  Reid  was  to  connect  these  roads  with  Port 
land,  and  the  grading  was  done  to  a  point  within  ten  miles  of  the 
city,  but  a  failure  to  secure  certain  privileges  within  the  city  limits 
caused  a  stoppage  of  the  work  which  has  not  yet  been  renewed. 
Construction  was  begun  in  1879  and  carried  steadily  forward  for 
two  years,  the  road  being  finished  to  Dallas  in  Polk  county,  in  May, 
1880,  and  to  Silverton  in  Marion  county,  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
the  former  being  on  the  west  side  and  the  latter  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river.  The  point  of  commencement  was  at  Ray's  Landing  on 
the  Willamette,  about  forty  miles  above  Portland,  where  it  was 
designed  to  construct  a  bridge,  thus  connecting  the  two  lines  at 
that  point.  Though  these  roads  have  not  been  finished,  nor  the 
bridge  built,  they  have  done  an  important  business,  tapping,  as 
they  do,  large  sections  of  the  best  agricultural  lands  in  the  State, 
the  western  branch  having  been  extended  to  Airlie  in  Polk  county, 
and  the  eastern  to  Coburg  in  Linn  county.  They  have  been  used 
to  quite  an  extent  as  feeders  to  the  transportation  business  done  by 
steamers  on  the  Willamette  River,  but  the  passenger  traffic  has 
never  been  large.  Some  steps  are  now  being  taken,  looking  to 
ward  the  extension  of  these  roads  so  as  to  render  them  more  avail 
able  as  outlets  for  the  country  they  were  designed  to  serve.  They 
were,  at  one  time,  in  a  state  of  active  operation  which  induced  a 
feeling  of  rivalry  with  the  Oregon  and  California  lines,  but  the 


HISTORY  OF  RAILWAYS.  509 

latter  very  easily  overcome  what  opposition  the  narrow-gauge  roads 
offered  and  ultimately  obtained  control  of  them. 

The  Oregon  Pacific  Railroad  Company  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice,  because  of  the  work  which  it  has  mapped  out  and 
the  energy  which  has  been  displayed,  in  the  face  of  great  difficulty, 
in  carrying  it  forward.  In  1875  the  question  of  the  construction 
of  a  railway  from  Yaquina  Bay  to  Corvallis,  which  had  long  been 
agitated,  assumed  a  definite  form,  and  the  people  of  Benton  and 
Linn  counties  were  asked  to  aid  the  enterprise,  which  they  did  by 
very  liberal  subscriptions.  Work  was  shortly  begun  at  Yaquina 
Bay,  but  has  been  delayed  by  various  causes,  and  now  the  com 
pleted  portion  of  the  road  is  just  nearing  Corvallis.  The  design 
is  to  carry  it  on  through  the  upper  valley  across  the  Cascade 
Mountains  and  Eastern  Oregon,  to  a  junction  with  the  Central 
or  Union  Pacific.  At  least,  it  bids  fair  to  be  the  first  railroad  in 
Oregon  to  connect  the  Willamette  Valley  with  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  when  the  harbor  at  Yaquina  is  improved,  as  it  should  be,  by 
the  General  Government,  this  line  will  do  a  large  business,  and 
form  an  important  part  of  the  transportation  system  of  the  State. 
Mr.  T.  Egerton  Hogg,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  enterprise,  though, 
perhaps,  not  representing  as  much  capital  as  either  Villard  or 
Holladay,  has  staid  with  the  work  with  commendable  perseverance, 
and  has  seen  the  downfall  of  both  these  powerful  magnates,  while 
he  has  held  his  own,  or  gone  steadily,  though  slowly,  forward. 

Of  the  roads  doing  the  local  business  of  the  Willamette  Valley, 
only  two  have  been  aided  by  land  grants,  and  these  have  not  been 
the  sources  of  revenue  that  most  people  imagine.  The  east  side 
division  of  the  Oregon  and  California  has  earned,  under  the  acts  of 
Congress,  one  million  seven  hundred  and  eighteen  thousand  four 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres,  and  the  west  side  division  two 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  thousand.  Of  the  latter  portion  eleven 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  had  been  sold  by  the 
Oregon  Central  Company  before  its  consolidation  in  1880  with  the 
O.  &  C.  Since  the  consolidation,  there  were  sold,  up  to  May, 
1882,  one  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  acres,  leaving  a  balance  undisposed  of,  at  that  time,  of  over 
one  and  three-quarter  million  acres.  The  sales,  during  the  two 
years  past,  have  not  proportionately  increased,  and  all  the  sales 


510  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

that  have  been  made  would  probably  not  have  paid  the  expenses 
of  repairs  on  the  roads  for  any  one  year  of  their  operation.  The 
assistance  which  the  people  of  the  State  gave  to  these  roads  has 
been  of  more  actual  money  value  to  them,  as  yet,  than  the  land 
grants,  though,  when  the  lands  still  held  by  them,  come  into  de 
mand,  very  considerable  sums  may  yet  be  realized  from  them. 

The  various  individuals  who  have  been  prominent  in  railway 
matters  in  this  valley,  mainly  came  from  abroad  to  confer  the  ben 
efits  of  their  experience  upon  the  State,  and  quite  a  number  of  them 
are  of  foreign  birth.  This  State  has  not  as  yet  bred  any  distin 
guished  financiers,  although  quite  a  number  of  her  adopted  citizens 
have  manifested  sufficient  intelligence  and  enterprise  to  have  at 
tained  a  reputation  even  in  so  arduous  a  work  as  railway  construc 
tion  and  operation.  During  its  existence  the  Oregon  and  California 
Railroad  has  served  to  test  the  judgment,  perseverance  and  energy 
of  its  builders  and  operators  as  strenuously  as  any  line  in  America; 
and,  beyond  a  doubt,  those  who  have  conducted  it  have  found  their 
task  a  most  trying  one.  Of  late  years  the  control  and  management 
of  this  road  has  fallen  exclusively  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  R.  Koehler, 
and  the  financial  and  other  difficulties  which  have  beset  the  com 
pany  are  on  the  road  to  a  happy  solution.  Mr.  Koehler,  by  his 
familiarity  with  the  road  and  its  needs,  has  made  himself  a  most 
capable  and  indispensable  manager,  and  in  the  ten  years  or  more  of 
his  connection  with  it,  has  seen  it  grow  from  the  nucleus  formed  by 
Ben  Holladay,  into  the  extensive  system  which  the  Oregon  and 
California  Railroad  Company  own  and  maintain  to-day. 

The  intimate  connection  which  the  necessities  of  traffic  foster 
between  an  important  railroad  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  country 
through  which  it  passes,  requires  that  the  management  of  such  a 
road  shall  partake  of  qualities  of  perseverance  and  judgment  in  a 
marked  and  extraordinary  degree.  It  has  been  pointed  out  how 
Ben  Holladay  failed  partly  through  his  autocratic  behavior,  and 
partly  through  the  system  of  wasteful  expenditure  fostered  during 
his  regime.  On  the  accession  of  Mr.  Koehler,  who,  as  agent  of 
the  German  bondholders,  whose  purses  sustain  this,  the  principal 
railway  of  Oregon,  the  injurious  policy  of  his  predecessor  was  in 
stantly  abandoned,  and  a  careful  and  conscientious  mode  of  pro 
cedure  took  its  place.  Instead  of  the  overbearing,  tyrannical  and 


HISTOKY  OF  RAILWAYS.  511 

cowboy ish  behavior  of  the  first  epoch,  the  gentlemanly  and  cour 
teous  methods  of  the  polished  business  world  came  in  vogue  and 
still  remains.  It  has  been  well  said  that  "  Mr.  Koehler  brings  to 
bear,  in  the  handling  of  the  road,  an  experience  and  judgment  that 
are  extremely  valuable.  He  is  an  affable,  courteous  gentleman, 
enjoying  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  owners  of  the  road,  as 
well  as  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him.  His  official  conduct  is 
marked  by  an  enlightened  regard  for  the  true  interests  of  the 
country  through  which  the  road  passes." 

The  principal  officers  of  the  Oregon  and  California  Road  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1885,  were,  H.  Villard,  President  ;  C.  E. 
Bretherton  and  Donald  Macleay,  Vice  -  Presidents ;  R.  Koehler, 
General  Manager ;  E.  P.  Rogers,  General  Freight  and  Passenger 
Agent ;  and  J.  Brandt,  Superintendent.  The  Oregon  Railway 
and  Navigation  Company's  affairs  in  the  valley  are  administered 
by  Elijah  Smith,  President ;  C.  H.  Prescott,  Vice-President  and 
Manager  ;  Dr.  P.  T.  Keene,  Assistant  Manager  ;  and  A.  L.  Stokes, 
General  Freight  and  Traffic  Agent.  Messrs.  Prescott,  Keene  and 
Stokes  reside  in  Portland,  while  the  stock  of  the  road  is  mostly 
held  in  the  East,  and  the  President  resides  there.  The  Northern 
Pacific  Railway  officials  resident  in  Portland  are  A.  D.  Charlton, 
General  Western  Passenger  Agent ;  and  P.  Schulze,  Land  Agent. 
Robert  Harris,  of  New  York,  is  thePresident,  and  T.  F.  Oakes, 
Vice-President. 

To  conclude,  it  may  be  said  that  Oregon  has  obtained  fair  rail 
road  facilities,  with  as  little  trouble  and  actual  expense  to  the 
people  as  any  other  State  in  proportion  to  her  population,  and 
though  there  have  been  instances  when  the  complaints  of  the 
people  had  good  foundation,  there  never  has  been  a  moiety  of  the 
cause  for  the  denunciation  of  railroads,  that  has  time  and  again 
been  furnished  by  the  relentless  monopolies  that  control  the  carry 
ing  trade  of  our  sister  State  on  the  south.  Generally,  the  manage 
ment  of  the  roads  has  been  mingled  with  a  degree  of  fairness  that 
has  made  their  exactions  bearable,  if  not  satisfactory  to  the  public. 
Rates  of  transportation  have,  it  is  true,  been  tolerably  high,  but 
those  who  comprehend  the.  great  expense  of  building  and  operating 
the  roads,  see  the  necessity,  in  a  country  comparatively  sparsely 
settled,  of  higher  rates  than  could  be  justified  when  by  reason  of 


512  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  greater  population,  the  business  is  by  so  much  increased.  Ex 
tremists  on  the  subject  of  monopolies  are  seldom  right,  and  legisla 
tion  upon  it  ought  to  be  begun  with  careful  scrutiny  of  probable  re 
sults  upon  the  commercial  interests  of  the  country.  While  such 
legislation  ought  to  go  to  the  constitutional  limit  in  guarding  the 
rights  and  furnishing  adequates  remedies  for  the  wrongs  of  the 
people  at  large,  it  ought  not  to  cripple  this  all -important  part  of 
our  commercial  system  by  unjust  or  useless  restrictions.  Properly 
controlled  and  regulated,  the  railroad  enterprises  become  a  most 
powerful  factor  in  promoting  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country, 
but  when  by  a  persistent  opposition  to  the  maintainance  of  their 
legal  rights  by  the  people,  or  when  by  extortion  and  oppression  by 
the  roads,  war  springs  up  between  them  and  the  public,  it  results 
in  evil  only,  to  both  sides.  There  are  now  in  operation  in  Oregon 
less  than  one  thousand  miles  of  railroad,  all  told,  to  furnish 
transportation  for  the  products  of  a  tract  of  country  capable  of 
sustaining  a  population  of  more  than  two  million  people,  and  of 
furnishing  the  world's  markets  with  millions  of  tons  of  staple 
food  products. 

Hundreds  of  miles  of  road  are  yet  needed  or  will  be  in  a  few 
years  when  the  population  increases,  as  it  will.  The  four  roads 
leading  out  of  Portland  will  be  fxed  by  branches  coming  from  the 
various  sections  of  the  Willamette  Valley  and  from  the  plains  of 
Eastern  Oregon  and  from  Washington  Territory,  constituting  one 
grand  system  and  doing  the  business  of  a  region  greater  in  extent, 
richer  in  products  and  better  adapted  to  the  support  of  a  large  pop 
ulation  than  any  one  of  several  states,  each  of  which  now  have  five 
times  the  facilities  in  this  respect  possessed  by  Oregon.  With  mod 
eration  in  the  laws  affecting  this  important  interest,  so  that  the  peo 
ple  will  be  treated  with  fairness,  the  rights  of  persons  and  property 
protected,  we  may,  with  confidence,  look  forward  to  a  supply  of  the 
demand  of  the  country  for  further  improvements  of  the  kind,  and 
the  time  when  Oregon  shall  rank  with  the  older  states  in  the  facil 
ities  enjoyed  for  the  intercourse  of  her  people  and  the  business  of 
the  times; — a  time  when  every  home  in  our  State  shall  be  closely 
connected  with  every  other  by  the  iron  band,  and  the  iron  horse 
shall  wake  the  echoes  in  every  green  valley  and  on  every  hillside 
in  our  fair  State. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Boundaries  of  the  Valley — Dimensions — Streams — Mountains — Cas 
cade  Range — Peaks — The  Minto  Pass — Coast  Range — Animal  In 
habitants — -Trapping  and  Hunting — Distances — Elevation  of  Places 
on  the  Willamette  River — Lands — Prairie  and  Timbered  Lands — 
Those  first  Taken  Up — Foothill  Lands — Their  Importance  and 
Great  Value — Brush  Lands — Advantages — Location — Unoccupied 
Lands  of  Value — Altitude  of  Vacant  Lands — How  Brush  Lands  are 
Cleared — Railroad  and  Government  Land — Amount  of  Vacant  Land 
in  the  Valley — Railroad  Grants — Timbered  Sections — Catalogue  of 
Forest  Trees —  Valuable  Sorts — Trees  Which  Grow  on  Low  Lands — 
Conjectures  Regarding  the  Amount  of  Timber  now  Standing — Effect 
of  Denuding  the  Land  of  Trees — Injurious  Results  Predicted — 
Forest  Fires  Produce  Vast  Damage  and  Should  be  Prevented. 

THE  Willamette  Valley  constitutes  the  most  valuable  portion  of 
the  State  of  Oregon,  and,  in  fact,  of  the  Pacific  Northwest;  while 
in  point  of  fertility  it  is  inferior  to  no  locality  in  the  United  States. 
It  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  Willamette  River — whence  its  name— 
and  extends  to  the  ranges  of  mountains  which  enclose  it  upon  either 
side.  To  avoid  ambiguity  we  will,  in  the  following  pages,  consider 
that  the  valley  embraces  not  only  the  flat  or  nearly  flat  land  be 
tween  the  base  of  the  mountains,  but  includes  the  inner  slopes  of 
the  mountains  which  are  drained  by  the  river,  namely,  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  and  the  western  slope  of  the  Cascades, 

To  the  north  the  valley  terminates  at  the  Columbia  River, 
whereto  the  Willamette  River  flows,  while  on  the  south  its  boundary 
is  the  Calapooia  Mountains,  which  form  the  watershed  separating 
the  Willamette  from  the  Uinpqua  valley.  Thus  the  dimensions  of 
the  valley  are  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  length,  by  one 


514  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

hundred  in  average  breadth ;  whence  the  area  is  computed  to  be 
thirteen  thousand  square  miles,  or  nearly  one-seventh  of  the  whole 
State  of  Oregon.  There  are  several  remarkable  geographical  facts 
in  this  connection,  which  it  is  suitable  to  point  out.  If  the  reader 
will  provide  himself  with  a  map  of  the  Northwestern  portion  of 
America,  he  will  have  his  attention  directed  to  the  unique  system 
of  parallelism  of  the  rivers,  mountain  ranges  and  coast  lines  of  this 
part  of  the  world.  Notice  the  north  and  south  line  which  the  Coast 
Range  and  Cascades  pursue,  and  their  close  parallelism  with  the 
course  of  the  Pacific  shore.  Of  necessity  the  Willamette  flows  in 
the  same  direction  and  discharges  into  the  Columbia  at  a  point 
about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean.  Observe  the  numerous 
affluents  of  the  Willamette,  and  compare  their  number  with  the 
comparative  dearth  of  living  streams  in  the  eastern  portion  of  this 
State  and  the  adjacent  Territories.  There  are  the  Tualatin,  Cheha- 
lem,  Yamhill,  La  Creole,  Luckiamute,  Mary's  River,  Long  Tom, 
Coast  Fork,  McKenzie,  Calapooia,  Santiam,  Mill  Creek,  Putin 
(miscalled  "Pudding"),  Molalla,  and  Clackamas,  all  streams  of 
note  and  importance  in  every  sense.  Some  of  these  are  navigable; 
and  all  flow  from  their  elevated  source  in  the  mountains,  through 
heavy,  dense  forests,  then  enter  upon  a  slower  course  through  fertile 
bottom  lands,  and  finally  reach  their  destination  in  the  Willamette. 
The  observing  student  of  geography  will  doubtless  cast  his  eye 
upon  the  page  where  is  indicated  the  station  of  the  mighty  range 
which  stands  forever  on  guard  to  the  eastward.  Far  out  of  sight 
to  the  north,  among  the  Alaskan  wilds,  are  Mts.  St.  Elias  and  Fair- 
weather — the  former  named  for  a  Russian  saint,  and  the  only 
lofty  mountain  so  far  from  the  Equator.  Southward  are  Mts. 
Brown  (16,000  feet  high)  and  Hooker  (15,700);  both  are  in  the 
British  Possessions.  Just  within  the  American  boundary  is  Baker, 
a  redoubtable  volcano,  still  active,  and  ten  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fourteen  feet  high,  although  a  large  portion  of  its  top  fell  in  or 
off  in  October,  1864.  Next  comes  Rainier,  or  Tacoma,  fourteen 
thousand  and  four  hundred  feet  high  and  one  of  the  loftiest  moun 
tains  in  the  United  States,  and  regarding  its  height  above  its  own 
base,  one  of  the  highest  in  the  world.  It  rises  from  a  compara 
tively  lew  situation.  St.  Helens,  south  of  Rainier,  is  nine  thousand 
seven  bundled  and  fifty  feet  in  altitude,  if  we  may  believe  the  to- 


DESCRIPTION"  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  515 

pographical  surveyors,  and  Adams  is  somewhat  less,  though  the 
latter  was  once  supposed  to  have  been  just  thirteen  thousand  two 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet.  South  of  the  Columbia,  Hood  towers 
aloft  to  a  height  of  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty -five 
feet,  and  is  the  most  noticeable  peak  of  the  whole  chain.  Its  fame 
is  great;  and  when  its  height  became  a  matter  of  speculation,  there 
were  men  who  said  it  was  twenty  thousand  feet  high,  and  these 
figures  went  down  on  maps.  Later  they  fixed  on  eighteen  thousand 
as  a  good  round,  majestic-sounding  number,  and  clung  to  that  until 
the  military  surveys  of  Colonel  Williamson  in  1867  proved  to  the 
sorrow  of  Oregon  that  the  peak  was  but  eleven  thousand  two  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five  feet  high  above  sea-level.  It  has  been  as 
cended  many  times  and  the  trip  is  not  dangerous  nor  particularly 
fatiguing.  The  ascent  has  been  made,  in  at  least  two  instances,  by 
ladies.  Mount  Jefferson  (9,000  feet  high)  and  the  Three  Sis 
ters  are  also  snow  peaks,  but  of  less  than  Hood's  altitude.  The 
former  is  east  by  south  of  Salem,  the  latter  are  at  the  head  of  Me- 
Kenzie  Fork.  At  the  head  of  the  main  branch  of  the  Willamette 
is  Diamond  Peak,  marked  five  thousand  and  five  hundred  feet  alti 
tude  in  most  maps,  but  undoubtedly  through  mistake,  for  the  moun 
tain  can  not  be  much  less  than  nine  thousand  feet,  according  to  the 
judgment  of  capable  mountaineers  and  travelers. 

The  main  range  of  the  Cascades,  aside  from  the  prominent  peaks 
named,  is  supposed  to  average  about  seven  thousand  feet  high,  with 
some  few  "  passes"  at  lower  levels,  notably,  the  Minto  Pass  at  the 
head  of  the  North  Santiam,  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty - 
six  feet  in  altitude  by  barometrical  determinations,  and  another  near 
by,  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  less.  By  those  a  railroad 
could  be  built  over  the  range,  whose  average  grade  from  Salem  to 
the  summit  would  be  but  fifty  feet  per  mile.  Such  a  road  has  long 
been  proposed,  and  lacks  only  the  ripeness  of  time  to  become  a  re 
ality.  A  number  of  valley  people  have  been  more  or  less  wrapped 
up  in  the  idea  of  railway  connection  with  Eastern  Oregon  by  way 
of  the  Minto  Pass,  and  its  necessity,  if  it  exists,  will  doubtless  be 
decided  in  the  not  distant  future.  The  discovery  of  the  Minto  Pass 
is  by  Mr.  Minto  ascribed  to  the  Canadian  trappers  and  settlers  in 
Marion  county,  who,  about  1844  and  earlier,  were  in  the  habit  of 
crossing  over  from  the  Willamette  to  the  DesChutes  River  to  trap 


516  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  hunt.  Bat  this  fact  was  not  generally  known.  Stephen  Hall 
Meek,  brother  of  Joseph  Meek,  had,  however,  ascertained  the  fact, 
and  deeming  it  likely  that  the  route  would  be  practicable  for  im 
migrants  he,  in  1845,  undertook  to  lead  a  party  to  the  Willamette 
from  Fort  Hall  by  the  new  route.  They  proceeded  up  the  Malheur 
River  and  got  safely  to  the  east  slope  of  the  Cascades,  but  could 
not  find  the  trail  of  the  trappers.  Their  condition  becoming  des 
perate,  they  were  about  to  do  violence  to  their  guide,  when  he  fled 
from  their  wrath.  They,  finally,  after  severe  suffering,  got  safely  to 
the  Willamette  via  The  Dalles.  Mr.  Minto  is  of  the  opinion  that 
The  Dalles  route  should  have  crossed  the  Cascades  at  the  head  of 
the  Santiam  River  (Minto  Pass),  instead  of  the  circuitous  and  dif 
ficult  route  it  took. 

The  Coast  Range  presents  fewer  points  of  interest  than  the  Cas 
cades,  inasmuch  as  it  is  less  lofty,  does  not  separate  the  valley  from 
any  extensive  country  beyond,  and  hence  is  not  such  a  barrier  to 
mankind  as  the  more  notable  range.  It  is,  however,  a  very  beau 
tiful  and  picturesque  chain  of  mountains,  and  except  by  being  over 
shadowed  by  its  mighty  rival,  would  be  exceedingly  prominent  and 
important.  Its  maximum  height  does  not  rise  to  the  snow  line, 
and,  indeed,  is  scarcely  more  than  five  thousand  feet.  The  highest 
summits  are  in  Benton  county,  and  are  of  little  prominence,  ex 
cepting  Mary's  Peak,  near  Corvallis. 

Within  the  forests  which  cover  the  flanks  of  the  great  ranges 
roam  many  species  of  wild  animals,  some  of  them  valuable  for 
food  or  their  fur.  The  elk  is  one  of  them,  although  this  magnifi 
cent  game  animal  has  become  almost  extinct  in  this  part  of 
Oregon,  and  now  is  to  be  found  in  small  numbers  only  #bout  the 
head  of  the  Nehalem  River,  while  a  very  few  specimens  inhabit 
the  Cascades  about  Mount  Jefferson,  where  they  live  in  compara 
tive  security,  far  from  the  haunts  of  men.  The  black-tail  deer  is 
very  plenty,  and  under  the  protection  of  a  good  game  law,  vigi 
lantly  enforced,  will,  no  doubt,  continue  so.  The  black  bear  finds 
ample  stores  of  food  in  the  roots  and  berries  of  this  favored 
region,  and  is  able,  on  occasion,  to  tempt  his  omnivorous  appetite 
with  the  flesh  of  such  of  the  lesser  animals  as  he  may  capture  by 
surprise.  Though  his  strength  is  great,  the  bear  is  a  timid  animal, 
and,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  not  dangerous.  Along  with 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  517 

the  bear,  and,  occupying,  like  him,  the  densely  wooded  canyons 
and  slopes,  the  puma  is  found.  He  is  distinctly  carnivorous,  is 
very  powerful  and  active,  and  is  known  by  the  names  of  Oregon 
lion,  mountain  lion,  cougar,  and  panther.  He  is,  in  appearance, 
like  a  great,  fawn-colored  cat ;  is  seven,  or  even  eight  feet  in  ex 
treme  length,  including  a  tail  which  measures  thirty  inches,  and  is 
thought  to  weigh  as  much  as  two  hundred  pounds.  His  consti 
tutional  cautiousness  prevents  him  from  being  dangerous  to  man, 
and  he  is  merely  a  troublesome  neighbor,  prone  to  destroy  young 
stock.  Of  lesser  animals  there  are  the  coyote,  the  wild  cat,  and  the 
other  ordinary  forest  inhabitants  of  this  latitude. 

The  skins  of  some  of  these  animals  have  been  sought  for,  and, 
in  past  years,  have  furnished  a  portion  of  the  resources  of  the 
country.  Now,  the  fur-bearing  animals  are  nearly  extinct,  and 
their  pursuit  is  not  followed  except  by  a  few  who,  through  the 
winter,  brave  the  isolation  and  the  cold,  trapping  the  remnant  of 
the  former  forest  inhabitants. 

Though  the  most  valuable  fur-bearing  animals  have  long  since 
disappeared  from  the  forests  and  rivers,  there  are  a  great  many 
game  animals,  which  furnish  such  sport  for  the  hunter  as  few 
localities  can  equal.  The  streams,  too,  are  full  of  trout,  and,  in 
their  season,  salmon  and  salmon  trout,  and  the  combination  of  fish 
and  game  and  scenery,  makes  Western  Oregon  an  exceptionally 
favorable  sphere  for  the  pleasure  seeker's  exertions. 

Travelers  have  spoken  in  terms  of  admiration  of  the  magnificent 
scenery  of  the  Cascades,  with  the  gigantic  snow  peaks,  standing  at 
measured  distances,  as  if  guarding  the  land  they  overlook  ;  the 
grand  evergreen  forests,  almost  endless  in  extent ;  the  numerous 
lakes  with  which  the  region  is  dotted  ;  the  valley  to  the  west,  with 
the  dark  back-ground  of  the  Coast  Range,  bounding  the  extensive 
prospect.  No  finer  views  exist  in  any  land.  With  very  many 
considerations  affecting  it,  it  is  a  fact  that  no  country  in  the  world 
possesses  more  attractions,  inviting  the  tourist  and  the  pleasure 
seeker,  than  this  portion  of  Oregon.  To  enumerate  these  attrac 
tions  is  to  recall  the  glories  of  a  delightful  summer  and  a  moderate 
and  even  winter  climate  ;  to  describe  and  compare  the  changing 
phases  of  gorgeous  and  sublime  scenery  ;  to  expatiate  upon  the 
luxuriance  of  rich  vegetable  productions  ;  and  to  realize  the  hospi 
tality  and  kindliness  of  a  generous  public. 


518  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  Willamette  flows,  as  has  been  stated,  parallel  with  the  coast, 
from  which  it  is  distant,  in  the  mean,  about  fifty  miles.  From 
Eugene  City  the  distance  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  coast  is  fifty 
miles;  from  Corvallis,  forty-two  miles;  Albany,  forty-eight;  Salem, 
fifty-one;  Oregon  City,  sixty-six;  Portland,  sixty-two;  all  these 
towns  lie  upon  the  river.  The  summits  of  the  Coast  Range  are  at 
distances  varying  from  twenty  to  thirty-eight  miles  from  the  sea, 
while  the  mean  distance  of  the  Cascade  Range  from  the  Pacific  may 
be  set  down  as  one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  The  mouth  of  the  Wil 
lamette  is  in  latitude  45°  32' north;  longitude  122°  45'  west  of 
Greenwich.  The  southern  extremity  of  the  valley  is  approximately 
in  43°  40'  north  latitude.  The  States  of  Wisconsin,  Michigan, 
New  York,  and  Massachusetts  are  in  nearly  the  same  latitude. 

The  central  portion  of  the  valley  lies  at  an  elevation  of  from 
seventy  to  four  hundred  feet  above  title  water,  as  the  figures  follow 
ing  will  show:  The  heights  are  referred  to  the  level  of  the  "  basin" 
below  the  Willamette  Falls.  Baker's  Prairie,  near  Oregon  City, 
is  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  above  said  level;  Molalla  Prai 
rie,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven;  Barlow's,  forty-nine  and  a  half; 
the  surface  of  Pudding  River  (formerly  known  as  Putin,  of  which 
"Pudding"  is  a  clumsy  imitation),  thirty-seven;  French  Prairie, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight;  Lake  La  Biche,  ninety-seven;  Saleni 
(corner  of  Commercial  and  State  Streets),  one  hundred  and  thirteen; 
Jefferson,  one  hundred  and  seventy-three;  Albany,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one;  Corvallis,  one  hundred  and  fifty;  Eugene  City,  three 
hundred  and  seventy-three.  To  these  elevations  must  be  added  a 
constant  quantity  representing  the  height  of  the  "  basin '' above 
sea-leVel,  which,  for  ordinary  purposes,  may  be  assumed  as  twenty 
feet. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  earlier  settlers  in  the  valley,  the  lands  were 
found  to  consist  of  two  sorts — forest  and  "  prairie  "• —the  latter  bare 
of  vegetation  other  than  the  rank  grasses  which  then  grew  luxuri 
antly  upon  every  open  spot.  The  prairie  extended  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette  southward 
to  the  Calapooias.  Nearly  all  the  elevations  of  land  were  timbered, 
but  hardly  to  their  present  extent.  The  Indians,  it  is  said,  were  in 
the  habit  of  burning  the  brush  upon  the  hills  to  serve  some  aborig 
inal  purpose,  and  this  custom  perishing  with  the  natives,  the  hills 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  519 

now  are  covered  with  brush  and  young  trees  which  are  said  to 
have  made  their  growth  since  the  cessation  of  that  custom.  Ex 
cepting  for  the  marks  of  tillage  on  cultivated  fields,  and  the  evi 
dences  of  civilization,  the  valley  remains,  as  regards  its  salient 
features,  about  as  the  first  explorers  found  it.  There  are  the  broad 
and  fertile  prairies  separated  by  streams,  shaded  by  strips  of  wood 
land,  and  the  heavy  forests  of  timber  trees,  covering  the  mountains 
and  hilly  slopes  as  with  a  garment. 

The  first  acts  of  the  earlier  settlers  were  to  select  the  most  avail 
able  tracts  of  prairie  as  the  sites  of  the  future  homes.  Some,  with 
a  more  skilled  prescience  than  the  majority,  laid  claim  to  such 
tracts  as  in  the  nature  of  things  would  become  most  valuable.  Thus 
the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  boat  landings  and  water-powers  were  soon 
taken.  There  was  a  sufficiency  of  land  for  all,  though  the  Donation 
Land  Act,  passed  by  Congress  for  the  exclusive  benefit  of  Oregon, 
gave  to  each  married  settler  the  generous  subsidy  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  of  his  own  selection,  and  to  the  single  person 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  AVith  such  inducements  immi 
grants,  came  in  rapidly,  and  in  due  process  of  time  the  vallvy  be 
came,  as  to  its  prairie,  covered  by  the  claims  of  permanent  settlers. 
The  level  open  land  was  nearly  all  occupied  thirty  years  since,  and 
the  settlements  extended  to  the  edges  of  the  great  forests  which 
clothe  the  flanks  of  the  inclosing  ranges.  The  later  increase  in 
population  has  been  co-incident  with  the  divisions  of  the  original 
donation  claims,  and  to  a  less  extent  the  settlement  of  waste  spaces 
or  partially  wooded  tracts. 

Outside  of  the  level  prairies  there  is  a  belt  of  rolling  land  verg 
ing  into  hills  and  mountains  in  the  higher  portions,  which  extends 
almost  entirely  around  the  valley  and  constitutes  a  very  valuable 
part  of  the  country.  The  soil  is  mainly  basaltic  and  sandstone,  and 
of  great  general  fertility.  Its  products  are  more  diversified  than 
those  of  the  lower  lauds  and  frequently  exceed  them  in  quality. 
These  rolling  or  hill  lands  are  usually  covered  with  brush  and  re 
quire  to  be  cleared  before  cultivation  is  possible.  The  principal 
advantages  of  these  brushy  tracts  are  good  soil,  natural  drainage, 
good  water,  a  climate  beyond  the  reach  of  malaria,  an  ample  and 
general  supply  of  wood  for  fuel  and  building  purposes,  and  com 
parative  freedom  from  early  frosts.  The  latter  consideration  has 


520  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

not  yet  received  due  attention,  but  it  is  probable  that  a  moderate 
elevation  secures  here  the  same  advantages  as  are  known  to  exist  in 
the  hilly  regions  of  California  and  elsewhere.  The  subject,  how 
ever,  requires  further  investigation. 

The  tract  now  being  described  does  not  by  any  means  embrace 
all  the  so-called  brush  lands  of  the  valley,  but  includes  the  greater 
portion.  There  are  comparatively  small  tracts  of  bushes  and  young 
trees  in  nearly  every  section,  but  they  are  isolated  by  stretches  of 
prairie.  The  foot-hill  lands,  as  we  may  with  propriety  term  them, 
lie  at  an  elevation  of  from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet, 
roughly  speaking,  and  vary  greatly  in  width  between  those  bound 
aries.  At  present  it  is  only  to  stock-growers  that  these  lands  pre 
sent  encouragement.  To  them,  the  excellent  water,  green  grass  and 
freedom  from  burrs  that  injure  wool,  are  superior  inducements. 
When  cleared,  the  brush  lands  will  be  as  productive  as  any  that 
exist.  Such  special  occupations  as  bee-keeping,  the  raising  of  goats, 
the  fattening  of  cattle  for  the  shambles,  and  the  raising  of  most  va 
rieties  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  will  doubtless  find  a  better  location 
there  than  elsewhere. 

Large  quantities  of  these  desirable  lands,  mostly  wooded,  lie 
about  the  upper  courses  of  nearly  every  one  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Willamette,  and  only  await  the  hand  of  the  energetic  settler  to 
produce  abundantly.  Such  lands  have  the  advantage  of  drying 
earlier  in  the  year  than  valley  lands,  whereby  it  becomes  possible 
to  cultivate  the  soil  to  better  advantage.  The  cause  is  that  the  water 
runs  quickly  off  these  sloping  surfaces,  whereas  it  remains  for  a  time 
on  the  level  plains,  and  is  only  removed,  usually,  by  the  slow 
process  of  evaporation.  A  greater  variety  of  farm  products  can  be 
raised  in  the  hills,  and  their  quality  is  choicer. 

The  greater  extent  of  valuable  hill  lands  exists  in  Lane  and  other 
southern  counties  where,  on  the  large  affluents  of  the  Willamette, 
room  for  many  hundred  settlers  is  easily  found.  Of  these  streams, 
the  McKenzie,  the  Coast  Fork  and  the  main  Willamette,  are  the 
principal.  The  second  named  is,  by  way  of  example,  a  fine  stream, 
flowing  northward  over  a  rocky  bottom,  through  narrow  channels 
and  entering  the  main  river  not  far  from  Eugene  city.  Fifteen 
miles  above  its  mouth  three  lovely  valleys  join,  of  which  the  prin 
cipal  one  is  twenty -five  miles  long  and  three  wide.  Through  it  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  521 

Oregon  &  California  Railroad  runs,  and  it  is  settled  well,  contain - 
ino-  fine  farms  and  a  flourishing  community.  Other  branches  of 
the  Coast  Fork  rise  in  the  dense  evergreen  forest  that  clothes  the 
Calapooias,  sixty  miles  above  Eugene.  For  forty  miles  of  the 
course  of  the  Coast  Fork,  settlements  have  been  made,  but  the  re 
maining  length  is  mostly  unoccupied.  The  valley  land  along  the 
stream  is  said  to  be  held  at  from  five  to  thirty  dollars  per  acre.  The 
McKenzie  flows  through  large  tracts  of  unclaimed  timber  and  rail 
road  lands,  where  settlement  might  be  profitably  made.  They  are 
accessible  by  means  of  a  good  road. 

Muc]h  good  agricultural  land  lies  as  high  as  two  thousand, 
five  hundred  feet,  being  in  small,  isolated  valleys,  and  difficult  of 
access.  The  quality  of  soil  is  said  to  be  high,  producing  with  un 
failing  regularity  the  crops  possible  to  the  latitude.  They  are  par 
ticularly  adapted  to  stock-raising,  and  are  partially  occupied  for 
that  purpose.  Still,  there  are  many  thousands  of  acres  yet  subject 
to  settlement. 

As  for  the  mode  of  clearing  brush  lands,  it  is  recommended  to 
slash  down  the  bushes  in  June;  by  September  they  will  be  dry  and 
may  be  burned.  The  larger  poles  are  used  oftentimes  for  fencing 
or  for  fuel.  The  growth  usually  consists  of  oak  grubs,  young  fir, 
maple,  hazel,  etc.  None  of  these  trees  reach  much  size  except  in 
age,  and  hence  may  be  easily  handled  and  removed  from  the  soil. 
The  fern  is  a  far  more  troublesome  growth,  requiring  much  labor, 
time  and  patience  for  its  extirpation.  It  grows  in  many  fields,  both 
in  the  prairies  and  in  the  hills,  and  gives  a  vast  deal  of  trouble  by 
its  presence.  It  lives  at  almost  any  altitude  and  is  found  growing 
high  up  on  the  Cascades.  The  Chinese  are  most  frequently  em 
ployed  for  clearing  brush  land,  for  which  their  charges  are  about 
ten  dollars  per  acre  for  felling  and  burning  the  growth,  and  eighty- 
five  cents  per  cord  for  chopping  the  sticks  into  cord  wood.  The 
lands  uncleared  are  supposed  to  be  worth  at  present  about  five  dol 
lars  per  acre.  A  great  many  rails  are  made  from  the  fir  saplings 
which  grow  in  such  profusion,  and  the  newly-cleared  fields  are 
usually  fenced  with  them.  There  are,  approximately,  two  millions 
of  acres  of  brush  lands  lying  unclaimed,  a  large  proportion  of  it 
in  the  central  portion  of  the  valley,  the  remainder  verging  into  the 
great  timber  belts.  Wheat  grown  in  the  new  fields  is  free  from  all 


522  nisTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

injurious  seeds — that  is,  it  is  clean.  Commonly  enough,  the  farm 
ers  slash  and  barn  the  brash  at  the  proper  season  and  then  sow 
wheat  which  they  brush  into  the  ashes  by  dragging  a  clump  of 
bushes  over  it,  no  plowing  or  harrowing  being  done.  The  result 
usually  is  a  crop  of  wheat  of  twenty  to  thirty  bushels  per  acre, 
which  frequently  pays  all  the  expenses  of  bringing  the  soil  into 
cultivation.  The  stumps  of  fir  and  hardwood  trees  rot  quickly  and 
disappear  from  the  husbandman's  track,  and  more  enduring  sorts 
are  usually  left  alone  until  time  compasses  their  destruction. 

The  vacant  lands  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  or  those  open  to 
settlement,  are  of  four  kinds — United  States  Government,  State, 
Railroad  and  Wagon  Road  grants,  and  School  and  University  lands. 
As  elsewhere,  the  Government  lands  are  held  at  the  price  of  one 
dollar  and  twenty -five  cents  per  acre,  or  in  case  of  lands  within  the 
limits  of  railroad  grants,  at  double  this  rate.  The  railroad  lands  are 
subject  to  a  price  which  varies  according  to  location,  being  from  one 
dollar  and  twenty- five  cents  to  seven  dollars  per  acre.  They  are, 
moreover,  to  be  had  on  favorable  terms  as  to  time  and  modes  of 
payment.  Generally  speaking,  ten  years1  credit  is  given,  or  less,  ac 
cording  to  the  requirements  of  the  purchaser.  The  Oregon  &  Cal 
ifornia  Railway  has  yet  a  large  portion  of  its  grant  in  its  possession, 
and  the  character  of  their  land  compares,  of  course,  favorably  with 
that  of  the  adjoining  Government  or  private  holdings.  It  is  chiefly 
hill  land,  covered  more  or  less  thickly  with  brush,  often  bearing  an 
immense  amount  of  the  finest  timber,  but  sometimes  is  open  prairie, 
suitable  for  cultivation  and  grazing.  In  respect  to  the  cost  of  clear 
ing,  it  is  the  same  as  the  adjacent  tracts.  It  is  well  for  intending 
purchasers  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  lands  spoken  of  as  vacant  are 
so  because  they  require  to  be  cleared  before  they  will  be  of  any  use. 
As  for  their  productiveness,  they  are  not  generally  a  whit  behind 
the  best  valley  lands,  and  they  have,  as  before  pointed  out,  very 
great  advantages  over  any  valley  land.  As  to  the  total  quantity  of 
unoccupied  or  untilled  lands  suitable  for  settlement  aloug  the  edges 
of  the  valley,  there  can  not  be  much  less  than  two  million  acres, 
making  proper  deductions  for  tracts  which  are  worthless  because 
too  rocky  or  too  steep.  This  amount  would  be,  in  the  present  con 
dition  of  affairs  in  Oregon,  capable  of  supporting  from  fifty  thousand 
to  one  hundred  thousand  persons;  and  a  greater  number,  of  course, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  523 

when  the  condition  of  trade,  and  particularly  of  agriculture,  shall 
have  advanced.  At  present,  such  tracts  yield  no  income  to  any 
person,  excepting  the  few  who  graze  cattle  or  sheep  in  the  more 
open  spots. 

All  the  land  of  Oregon  became  the  property  of  the  United 
States  Government,  and  no  part  of  it  is  or  was  subjected  to  any 
foreign  grant.  The  Government  gave  three  million  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand  acres  to  the  State  for  educational  pur 
poses,  and  five  hundred  thousand  for  public  buildings  ;  reserved  one 
million  and  forty  thousand  acres  for  the  Indians,  and  granted  one 
million  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand  acres  to  aid  in  the  con 
struction  of  wagon  roads  ;  four  million  five  hundred  thousand  acres 
to  the  Oregon  and  California  Railroad  ;  and  three  million  two  hun 
dred  thousand  acres  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway.  A  portion  of 
each  of  these  grants  lies  in  the  Willamette  Valley.  The  Oregon 
and  California  Railway  grant  extends  through  the  center  of  the 
valley,  from  the  Columbia  to  the  Calapooias,  and  passes  thence 
through  the  Umpqua  and  Rogue  River  valleys,  to  the  California 
state  line.  The  grant  is  of  great  value.  It  consists  of  the  alter 
nate  sections  of  unsold  land  on  either  side  of  the  road  for  thirty 
miles,  and  embraces  the  greatest  variety  of  prairie,  timber 
and  brush  lands.  The  wagon  road  grants  extend  from  Eugene 
City,  by  way  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Willamette,  more 
commonly  called  the  main  Willamette,  to  the  eastern  bound 
ary  of  the  State  ;  from  Corvallis  to  Yaquina  Bay  ;  from  Albany, 
by  way  of  Canyon  City,  to  the  boundary  of  Idaho.  It  is,  perhaps, 
unnecessary  to  add  that  the  unoccupied  lands,  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking,  belong,  indifferently,  to  each  of  these  classes,  and 
whatever  be  the  present  ownership,  may  be  had  on  nearly  the 
same  terms  as  to  price,  with  some  distinction  in  favor  of  the  rail 
way  lands,  as  far  as  terms  of  payment  are  concerned. 

The  timber  lands  lie  mainly  upon  the  interior  slopes  of  the 
enclosing  mountains.  The  extent  of  the  forests  is  prodigious,  but, 
as  }Tet,  only  the  vaguest  statements  can  be  given  as  to  the  available 
quantity.  Speaking  generally,  there  is  a  belt  of  timber  trees  upon 
the  western  slope  of  the  Cascades  that  is  twenty  or  more  miles 
wide,  and  extending  north  and  south  the  whole  length  of  the  range. 
A  great  portion  of  it  is  inaccessible  at  present,  and  will  so  remain 


524  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

for  many  years.  The  limited  present  demand  has  caused  the 
building  of  a  few  small  mills  for  the  supply  of  isolated  localities, 
while  a  considerable  amount  is  annually  floated  down  the  Wil 
lamette,  or  its  tributaries,  and  sawed  into  lumber  at  convenient 
mills.  The  locality  of  the  forest  extends  from  the  snow  line 
downwards  nearly  to  the  plains,  but  may  be  said  to  terminate  in 
the  brushy  lands.  There  are  some  detached  bodies  of  evergreen 
trees,  particularly  firs,  growing  down  in  the  valley,  which  are  large 
enough  for  use  as  saw  logs.  The  trees  attain  their  greatest 
development  at  a  considerable  altitude.  Their  maximum  sizes, 
varieties,  etc.,  may  be  ascertained  from  the  accompanying  table, 
which  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Professor  Collier,  of  the  Univer 
sity  of  Oregon.: — 

ft  f>  (4  CD 

h*         §|l 

FOREST  TREES  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  |.^       ||| 

Acer  cercinatum.    Vine  maple 25  8 

"    macro-phyltum.    Large-leaved  maple 70  40 

Abies  amabUls.    Lovely  fir.    (Habitat  from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  eleva 
tion) 100  36 

"     concolor.    Called  white  fir  in  California 100  36 

14     dou(jLu8sii 300  144 

"     mertt'nsiani.     Hemlock 130  4) 

"     nobUis.     Noble  fir— 3. dOO  to  o.OOO  feet 200  72 

"     sub-alpin<i.     From  3  O.,0  to  6,0  JO  feet 60  24 

Ainu*  rhombifoUa.     Alder 8J  36 

Amelanchid  Vanadentfis.    Service  berry 20  4 

Arbutus  menziesii.    Madrone 50  36 

ArctQ8taphyto8  pungens,     Manzanita 20 

Betula  oocid  ntalis.    Birch.      (Eastern  Oregon) 

Castanopsis  ch.rysophyUa.     Chincapin 60 

Cornus  nuttaUii.    Dogwood 50  10 

Orataeyus  douylassii.    Black  haw 2) 

rivufaris 20 

Cupressus  Nootkaemis.    Sitka  cedar.    Found  at  base  of  Mt.  Hood---  80  24 

Fraxinus  Oregona.     Oregon  ash 60  25 

Librocedrus  decurrens.    Thick-barked  cedar.     (From  Santiam  south 
wards) 150  48 

Negundo  Calif ornica 

Nuttallia  cerasiformis.    Squaw  berry — seam  berry 20  3 

Pinus  contorta.    Black  pine— jack  pine.     (Near  summits  of  Cascade 

range) 70  36 

lambertiana.     Sugar  pine 250  100 

montioola.    Silver  pine 15'J  4) 

ponderosa.     Common  valley  pine 175  60 

Pirusrivalaris.     Crab  apple 30  7 

44     sambucifoUa.    Mountain  ash 

Prunus  (cerams]  emaryinata.    Wild  cherry 50 

demisa.     Choke  cherry 35  7 

Populus  tremuloides.     Quaking  asp 31)  8 

trichocarpa.      Balm SO  72 

Quercus  yarryana.     White  Oak 90  40 

"       heUoggn.    Black  oak     (Junction  City  southwards) 90  48 

Rhamnus  purshiana.    Chittim  wood — bearberry 40  8 

Sambricus  yiauca.    Elder 40  2) 

&tlix  lasiandra.     Willow 50  13 

Common  cedar— thia  or  smooth-barked  cedar 175  60 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  525 

Of  these  varieties,  the  one  most  valuable  for  ordinary  uses  is 
Abies  Douglassii,  the  Douglass  fir,  which  yields  great  quantities 
of  the  best  lumber,  and  is  the  main  reliance  of  the  lumbermen. 
This  noble  tree  grows  to  the  height  of  three  hundred  feet,  with  a 
perfectly  straight  trunk,  and  is  frequently  one  hundred  feet  high  to 
the  lowest  limbs.  It  is  generally  sound,  and  produces  very  tough, 
strong  lumber,  which  is  very  much  in  demand  for  ordinary  build 
ing  purposes.  This  species  is  called  yellow  or  red  fir,  and  its  lum 
ber  is  known  in  California  as  "Oregon  pine"- — a  decided  misnomer. 
It  is  shipped  largely  to  that  State  and  to  the  Pacific  ports  generally. 
Ocean  and  river  vessels  of  various  sorts  have  been  constructed  of 
this  wood,  and  it  has  proved  very  well  adapted  for  that  purpose, 
possessing,  as  it  does,  strength,  toughness  and  durability  beyond 
most  varieties;  and  with  the  additional  advantage  of  being  procu 
rable  in  planks  and  spars  of  any  desirable  length — even  a  hundred 
or  more  feet.  The  large-leaved  maple,  acer  macro-phyllum,  is  an 
extremely  beautiful  tree,  exactly  suited  for  purposes  of  shade  and 
ornament.  It  grows  throughout  the  level  lands  of  the  valley  and 
has  been  planted  extensively  in  cities  and  towns.  Its  seeds  have 
come  to  form  quite  an  article  of  export.  Mr.  W.  H.  Leininger,  of 
Salem,  has  entered  upon  the  business  of  gathering  and  selling  them 
in  the  Eastern  States,  where  the  size  of  the  leaves  is  esteemed 
almost  incredible.  His  exports  amount  to  many  tons  of  seeds  an 
nually. 

Of  the  timbered  lands,  the  best  trees  are  found  at  medium  ele 
vations,  and  are  accessible  by  ordinary  logging  roads.  They  have 
a  value  depending  upon  their  nearness  to  market,  or  to  streams  of 
sufficient  size  to  float  the  logs.  The  land  is  worth,  for  the  trees 
alone,  from  five  to  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  depending  upon  the  size 
and  the  number  of  the  trees.  "  Stumpage,"  or  the  price  of  standing 
timber,  is  usually  one  dollar  or  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  thousand 
feet,  board  measure.  The  principal  trees  found  on  low  lands,  are 
the  fir,  pine,  yew,  ash,  oak,  maple,  balm,  and  alder;  on  the  hills, 
there  are  scattering  oaks  and  firs,  while  in  the  mountain  regions 
grow  the  firs,  pine,  spruce,  hemlock,  cedar,  larch,  and  madrone, 
with  more  or  less  undergrowth,  depending  on  the  altitude. 

No  one  has  yet  ventured  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  quantity  of 
timber  yet  standing  on  all  the  borders  of  the  Willamette  Valley, 


526  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

for  the  data  for  such  a  calculation  has  yet  to  be  supplied.  Speak 
ing  without  regard  to  exactness,  the  total  area  from  the  crest  of  one 
range  to  the  other  must  be  composed  of  five-sixths  forest,  to  one- 
sixth  prairie  or  cleared  land.  Hence,  there  are  rather  more  than 
ten  thousand  square  miles  of  brush  land,  timber  land  and  elevated 
waste  tracts.  This  corresponds  to  six  million  four  hundred  thousand 
acres,  from  which,  if  the  two  million  acres  of  brush  land  be  sub 
tracted,  there  is  left  four  million  four  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
timber  and  waste  land,  the  proportion  of  the  former  being,  by  a  not 
extravagant  estimate,  nine-tenths  of  the  whole,  or  nearly  four  mil 
lions  of  acres.  What  amount  of  lumber  an  average  acre  would 
yield,  is,  of  course,  undetermined.  Some  mill  men  have  set  it  at 
twenty  thousand  feet,  but  the  calculation  embraces  too  man}7  ele 
ments  of  uncertainty.  Few  people  have  ever  concerned  themselves 
with  the  matter,  and  all  that  is  known  at  present  of  the  vast  stores 
of  timber  upon  the  east  and  west  is  that  the  total  must  run  into 
billions  of  feet,  or  enough,  in  the  ordinary  process  of  events,  to  sup 
ply  the  valley  with  lumber  for  many  centuries,  providing  the  forest 
fires,  which  are  so  recklessly  and  wantonly  set  out,  do  not  destroy 
this  munificent  legacy  of  nature  to  humanity. 

Doubtless  it  is  only  a  question  of  a  few  score  years  when  the 
enormous  forests  that  now  surround  the  Willamette  Valley  will 
have  been  cleared  off  and  converted  into  lumber,  or  burned  where 
they  fell  ;  for  the  lumberman  in  search  of  trees,  and  the  farmer 
seeking  to  enlarge  the  productive  capacity  of  his  farm,  are  moved 
by  no  considerations  of  sentiment.  There  is,  however,  a  utilitarian 
consideration  of  importance,  enough  to  cause  even  the  industrious 
timber  cutter  to  pause.  It  is  certainly  demonstrated  that  the  loss 
of  her  forests  lays  a  country  open  to  destructive  inundations.  This 
fact  has  been  shown  in  too  many  localities  to  admit  of  doubt.  Nor 
are  the  evil  affects  confined  to  freshets  ;  the  rainfall  becomes  ex 
cessively  capricious,  now  exceeding,  now  falling  far  below  the 
normal  quantity,  as  if  the  controlling  influence  which  once  main 
tained  a  happy  medium  had  lost  its  power,  and  the  apparatus  of 
the  heavens  was  left,  as  a  steam  engine,  to  the  operations  of  change. 

So  far  has  the  evil  of  forest  denudation  progressed,  that  certain 
governments — notably  some  European  ones,  and  the  State  of  New 
York — have  legislated  in  favor  of  the  retention  of  forests,  and 


DESCKIPTION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY.  527 

others  have  had  their  attention  drawn  to  the  matter.  The  United 
States  Government  has  instituted  a  tentative  measure,  designed  to 
originate  forest  culture  in  the  western  States  and  Territories  ;  but 
the  effort  made  seems  thus  far  to  be  abortive.  Whatever  sort  of 
legislation — whether  imposing  a  penalty  for  the  destruction  of 
woods,  or  promising  a  reward  for  the  planting  of  trees — shall  pre 
vail,  it  will  certainly  have  to  be  urged  with  vigor  and  carried  out 
with  determination.  No  one  can  doubt  that  the  extensive  forests 
of  Western  Oregon  have  a  vast  influence  upon  the  climate,  par 
ticularly  on  the  rainfall,  but  there  will  be  found  many  who  will 
scoff  at  the  idea  that  the  clearing  of  land,  carried  on  through  any 
ordinary  period  of  time,  could  possibly  make  any  difference  with 
the  climate  of  this  region.  The  subject  is  one  that  demands,  in  the 
opinion  of  some,  the  illuminations  of  subsequent  time,  when  the 
matter  shall  have  reached  an  experimental  stage. 

Every  timber  tree,  suited  by  its  species  and  size  to  produce 
lumber,  is  worth  saving.  It  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  custom  to 
cut  down  and  burn  them,  without  regard  to  their  increased  value. 
Of  course  the  idea  of  clearing  lands  is  incompatible  with  that  of 
preserving  the  forests,  but  in  many  cases  the  best  trees  might  be 
left,  while  the  worthless  underbrush — generally  abundant  in  these 
woods — is  cleared  out.  It  happens,  however,  that  the  aggregate 
damage,  resulting  from  the  operations  of  lumbermen  and  the  in- 
tentioned  destruction  wrought  by  farmers,  is  nothing  in  comparison 
to  the  loss  from  general  forest  fires  on  vacant  land.  The  habit  of 
setting  out  fires  in  dry  seasons  is  responsible  for  the  most  universal 
destruction  of  woods  and  timber  ever  recorded.  There  have  been 
calculations  made,  showing  that  the  average  damage  by  extensive 
forest  fires  amounts  to  between  one  million  and  two  millions  of 
dollars  annually.  All  this  loss  is  sustained  through  the  careless 
ness  of  farmers  in  allowing  the  fires,  kindled  upon  their  own  lands, 
to  get  beyond  their  control,  and  to  sweep  over  large  tracts  of 
Government  timber  land.  The  most  destructive  fires  have  occurred 
on  the  west  slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  sometimes  extending  to  the 
eastern  slope.  The  effect  of  such  conflagrations  is  not  only  to 
destroy  every  tree,  shrub  and  living  plant,  but  to  actually  consume 
the  soil  to  some  depth.  This  phenomenon  arises  from  the  fact  that 
the  ground  is  covered  with  a  considerable  thickness  of  organic 


528  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

matter,  consisting  of  the  leaves  and  roots  of  plants,  in  a  state  of 
decay,  which  mixture  is  usually  combustible,  and  as  it  constitutes 
the  larger  part  of  the  soil,  that,  too,  appears  to  burn.  This 
destruction  of  the  soil  is  an  evil  of  no  small  magnitude,  inasmuch 
as  it  can  not  be  replaced  until  the  vegetation  shall  again  cover  the 
ground,  to  be  in  turn  decomposed. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY. 

Peculiarities  of  Climate — Distinctions  of  the  Seasons — Particular  Sea 
sons — Table  of  Pleasant,  Rainy,  Stormy  and  Snowy  Days — Averages 
of  Each — Tables  of  Maximum,  Minimum  and  Mean  Temperatures 
and  Rainfall  for  Thirteen  Years — Table  of  Monthly  and  Annual 
Mean  Temperatures  for  Nine  Localities — Geology — Dynamical  Geol 
ogy — Sandstone  the  Prevailing  Sedimentary  Formation — It  Belongs 
to  the  Tertiary  Age — Newer  Deposits — Erosion  of  Sandstone  Strata- 
Fossils  of  Tertiary  Mammals — The  Volcanic  Rocks — Whence  They 
Came — Enormous  Extent — Composed  of  Basalt —  Volcanic  Buttes  in 
the  Upper  Part  of  the  Valley — Composition  of  the  Cascade  Range — 
Glaciers — Mines — Santiam  Gold  Mines — Bohemia  District — Other 
Minerals — Iron  Ore — Important  Developments  at  Oswego — Ore  Beds 
Worked  and  Furnaces  Erected — Sketch  of  the  Operations  there — 
Quality  of  Product — Soils  Considered — Origin  of  Rich  Basalt  Soils 
—Their  Constant  Renewal — Red  Hills — Mixed  Soils —  Valley  Loams 
the  Result  of  Disintegration  and  Alluvial  Action. 

THE  climate  of  Western  Oregon  is  extremely  peculiar  in  some 
respects.  It  is  as  if  nature  had  struck  a  medium  between  the 
climate  of  California,  with  its  alternations  of  wet  and  dry  seasons, 
and  that  of  the  Eastern  States,  with  their  shifting  and  uncertain 
changes.  In  the  summer  the  torrid  heat  of  California  is  not  ex 
perienced,  nor  in  the  winter  is  there  any  but  gentle  reminders  of 
Eastern  snows.  The  influences  at  work  have  given  the  Willamette 
Valley  a  climate  that  is  esteemed  perfectly  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
humanity.  No  sudden  or  wide  variations  of  temperature  take  place; 
no  extreme  or  long- continued  heated  terms  are  known;  the  cold  of 
winter  is  less  than  the  most  favored  Eastern  States  and  European 
countries  feel.  The  trade-winds  of  the  Pacific  moderate  the  heat 


530  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  cold,  and  with  the  great  Japanese  Ocean  current,  serve  as  a 
regulator  of  temperature.  The  thermometer  rarely  rises  above 
ninety  degrees,  in  summer,  in  the  hottest  days,  and  scarcely  ever  sinks 
below  twenty  in  winter.  So  the  most  active  out-door  labor  may  be 
performed  throughout  the  year.  Strictly  speaking,  the  distinction 
of  the  seasons  does  not  exist  in  Western  Oregon  as  in  the  Eastern 
States,  nor  is  the  application  of  the  terms  dry  and  wet  season  en 
tirely  suitable.  The  rains,  beginning  in  September  or  October,  fall 
with  increasing  frequency  in  the  succeeding  months,  reaching  their 
maximum  in  any  one  of  the  winter  months.  Diminishing  then 
in  intensity,  they  continue  until  June,  July  or  August,  falling 
then  semi -occasionally  and  exerting  no  ill-effect,  excepting  in  case 
that  the  grain  crop  may  suffer  if  far  enough  advanced.  The  rain 
fall  during  a  summer  month  may  amount  to  two  inches,  or  it  may 
be  nothing.  Only  twice  in  forty  years  have  the  grain  crops  been 
injured  by  untimely  rains,  for  the  season  of  harvesting  is  pre-emi 
nently  the  dry  time.  The  summer  of  1883  was  exceptionally  dry; 
Jess  than  one-fifth  of  an  inch  of  rain  fell  in  June,  July  and  August, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  last  of  September  that  the  rain  fell  in  suffi 
cient  quantities  to  extinguish  the  forest  fires  and  clear  the  atmos 
phere  of  smoke  which  had  for  months  obscured  the  country.  Not 
withstanding  the  lack  of  rain  and  the  uncommonly  warm  season, 
no  loss  occurred  to  the  farmers,  but  a  very  profitable  crop  was 
harvested.  Drouth  is  never  known  in  the  Willamette  Valley. 

Western  Oregon  is  exempt  from  hurricanes,  cyclones,  and 
strong  winds  of  all  description.  Such  have  been  known  here,  but 
in  only  few  instances  of  a  force  sufficient  to  do  damage.  Hail 
storms  and  thunder  storms  are  likewise  innocuous,  and  hardly 
known.  Earthquakes,  it  may  be  observed,  are  never  felt  with 
any  degree  of  violence.  There  is,  however,  a  peculiarity  worthy 
of  note.  The  occurrence  of  "  cold  snaps  "  of  considerable  severity, 
at  intervals  of  ten  or  twenty  years,  constitutes  an  evil,  which, 
although  of  no  consequence,  in  comparison  with  the  extremes  of 
other  climates,  is  yet  sufficiently  remarkable  to  be  noticed.  These 
storms  have  only  occurred,  with  severity,  twice,  or,  at  most,  three 
times,  since  the  advent  of  white  men.  They  are  characterized  by 
the  depression  of  the  thermometer  nearly,  or  quite  to  zero,  and 
more  particularly  by  strong  and  long  continued  north  'orj  east 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  531 

winds,  accompanied  by  a  fall  of  snow.  They  are,  in  fact, 
"  blizzards,"  tempered  by  the  position  of  the  valley  and  its  current 
of  wind  from  the  Pacific. 

Concerning  individual  seasons,  it  is  recorded  that  the  winter  of 
1852-3  was  not  severely  cold,  but  on  Christmas  morning  the  snow 
stood  two  feet  deep  on  Salem  Prairie,  and  stock  suffered  much 
from  the  consequent  deprivation  of  food.  The  coldest  day  in  1854 
was  January  19th,  when  the  mercury  stood  at  two  degrees  below 
zero,  Fahrenheit.  On  December  28,  1855,  it  was  at  fourteen 
above  ;  and  during  the  winter  the  Willamette  was  frozen  over 
below  the  Falls  at  Oregon  City.  The  winters  succeeding,  until 
1861-62,  were  mild,  and  no  figures  of  temperature  are  at  hand.  The 
season  last  mentioned  was  exceptional  for  its  severity.  Snow  fell 
profusely,  and  staid  on  the  ground  for  fifty-two  successive  days. 
The  thermometer  on  January  30th  reached  a  minimum  of  ten 
degrees  below  zero.  The  Lower  Columbia  was  blocked  with  ice, 
rendering  the  passage  to  Portland  impossible  for  ocean  and  river 
steamers — a  phenomenon  repeated  several  times  since.  The  Wil 
lamette  was  frozen,  and  men  crossed  on  foot.  Snow  disappeared 
by  the  tenth  of  March.  The  season  of  1863-64  was  a  mild  one  as 
regards  temperature.  The  maximum  cold  of  the  year  1864  was 
twelve  degrees  above  zero,  occurring  on  January  12th.  On  Decem 
ber  13th,  of  the  following  year,  the  mercury  reached  its  minimum 
for  the  year  at  sixteen  degrees  above  zero.  The  year  1866  was  a 
mild  one.  The  coldest  day  of  1867  was  January  llth,  three  de 
grees  above  zero.  January  10,  1868,  saw  the  thermometer  at  four 
degrees  below  zero,  and  steamer  traffic  on  the  Willamette  and 
Columbia  was  suspended.  These  rivers  had  likewise  been  closed 
in  1864-65.  The  winters  of  1868-69,  1869-70  and  1870-71,  were 
not  marked  by  severe  weather,  and  the  lowest  temperature  recorded 
was  twenty  degrees  above  zero.  On  December  25,  1871,  it  was 
sixteen  degrees  above  zero.  In  1872  it  descended  to  twenty-two 
degrees  above  zero,  and  in  1873  to  twenty-five  degrees.  On 
January  13,  1875,  it  stood  at  three  degrees  above  zero,  and  on 
January  21st  following,  it  was  at  twelve  above.  In  1876  it  went 
no  lower  than  twenty  degrees  above,  and  in  1877  its  lowest  was 
twenty-five  degrees  above  zero.  The  year  1878  was  mild,  and 
only  eighteen  above  zero  was  felt.  The  following  year  saw  some 


532  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sharp  weather,  namely  :  three  degrees  above  zero  in  December.  A 
year  later  the  mercury  descended  as  low  as  nineteen  degrees  above 
zero.  In  1881  it.  was  once  at  twenty-four  degrees  above  zero.  In 
1882  it  registered  eighteen  degrees  above,  and  in  1883,  seven 
above. 

The  annexed  table  shows  the  relative  proportion  of  "  pleasant," 
"rainy,"  "shower  and  sunshine"  and  "snowy"  days  in  the  years 
1859  to  1868  inclusive:- 

Shower  and 
Pleasant.    Rainy.     Sunshine.     Snowy. 

1859 228  73  47  17 

1860 232  72  57  5 

1861 224  20  61  10 

1862 250  47  52  16 

1863 220  82  55  8 

1864 252  60  47  7 

1865 227  65  63  10 

1866 230  73  59  3 

1867 244  65  49  7 

1868 272  30  55  9 

2379      637       545        92 

Dividing  those  totals  by  ten,  the  number  of  years  during  which 
the  observations  were  taken,  we  have  an  average,  disregarding  frac 
tions,  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  "pleasant"  days,  sixty- 
three  "  rainy  "  days,  fifty-four  of  alternate  "  shower  and  sunshine," 
and  nine  "snowy"  days.  Thus  there  are,  roughly  speaking,  sixty- 
five  per  cent,  of  "  pleasant "  days  during  which  the  sun  shines  with 
undisturbed  serenity. 

The  meteorological  observations,  taken  at  the  Signal  Service 
Station,  in  Portland,  in  the  years  1872 — 1884,  serve  to  set  forth 
the  peculiarities  of  the  climate  more  fully  than  could  be  done 
otherwise,  and  also  afford  the  only  practicable  basis  of  comparison 
with  the  climates  of  other  localities.  Observations  taken  in  other 
parts  of  the  valley  show  that  the  rainfall  at  Portland  somewhat 
exceeds  the  average  in  the  valley,  but  this  excess  has  not  yet  been 
determined.  For  the  purposes  of  comparison,  it  is  allowable  to 
assume  that  the  rainfall  and  temperature  at  the  station  is  the  aver 
age  of  the  valley,  and  on  that  assumption  we  proceed  to  give,  in 
tabulated  form,  the  principal  observations  there  taken: 

The  meteorological  tables  show  the  temperature  and  rainfall  at 
the  Portland  station  since  its  establishment.  The  maximum  and 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  533 

minimum  temperature  (taken  only  since  June,  1874)  are  useful  as 
showing  the  extreme  range  of  the  thermometer.  Every  reliance 
may  be  placed  upon  these  figures,  the  determinations  having  been 
made  with  the  utmost  system  and  regularity  by  skilled  observers 
accustomed  to  more  than  military  promptness  and  accuracy.  The 
table  of  monthly  mean  temperature  includes  nine  separate 
stations,  taken  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  with  localities  with 
which  such  a  comparison  seems  most  interesting  and  useful.  The 
means  represent  in  the  strongest  light  the  advantages  of  the  Oregon 
climate  as  regards  evenness  of  temperature  over  every  other  locality 
in  the  catalogue.  This  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  We 
find  the  annual  mean  temperature  to  be  below  that  of  Washington, 
Memphis,  Sacramento,  Umatilla,  Chicago  and  Albany;  and  we  see 
that  the  summer  months  are  a  great  deal  cooler  than  in  either  of 
those  places,  while  beginning  with  November  the  contrary  is 
the  case,  the  average  winter  temperature  being  higher  with  us 
than  in  the  other  places  named,  excepting  Sacramento.  As  the 
season  progresses  the  comparison  becomes  still  more  favorable  to 
the  Willamette  Valley,  for,  with  two  exceptions,  the  Portland  climate 
is  warmest  in  December  and  January.  February  shows  less  favor 
able;  March  and  April  present  a  fair  average;  while  the  sudden 
rise  of  temperature  which  heralds  the  spring  in  the  Eastern  States, 
is  mellowed,  as  it  were,  and  in  the  Willamette  the  temperature  of 
winter  shades  into  summer  heat  with  a  scarcely  perceptible  but  very 
pleasant  progression. 

Regarding  the  rainfall,  it  appears  that  notwithstanding  the  oft- 
repeated  assertions  and  gibes  concerning  the  superabundance  of 
Oregon  moisture,  the  average  supply  is  not  in  excess  of  what  falls 
in  Memphis,  New  Haven,  and  other  places  not  distinguished  for 
extreme  dampness.  It  appears  that  the  main  characteristic  of  the 
Western  Oregon  climate  is  not  that  it  rains  overmuch,  but  that  it 
threatens  too  much.  The  depressing  effect  of  fogs,  clouds  and  light 
drizzling  rains  is  truly  felt  deeper  than  the  heavy  downpouring  to 
which  the  land  is  often  subjected.  It  has  been  said  that  "  It  always 
rains  in  the  Webfoot  country,  or  is  always  going  to."  We  may  con 
clude  that  the  continuous  threatening  and  lowering  aspect  of  the 
heavens  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  prevailing  reputation  of  the 
climate,  even  more  than  the  quantity  of  rain  that  actually  falls, 
which,  as  the  tables  show,  is  not  really  excessive: 


534 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY. 
MONTHLY  MEAN  TEMPERATURE, 


535 


1881. 

1882. 

c 

03 
0) 

1 

C 

_c 

"(0 

CC 

c 
c 
<C 

3 

IB 

3 
bfl 

o> 
GO 

1 

o 

i 

1-5 

1 

o 
oS 

a 

'- 
— 

1 

a 

Portland,  Or  
Albany,  N.  Y  
Chicago  
Sacramento  
Umatilla,  Or  
Yankton,  D.  T  
Washington,  D.  C. 
New  Haven,  Ct-  — 
Memphis,  Tenn._- 

63.7 
73.9 
72.9 
71,1 
69.0 
75.0 
77.4 
70..  5 
83.2 

62.6 
73.3 
75.0 
68.2 
67.1 
76.8 
76.4 
71.2 

5.92 
70.9 
69.5 
67.8 
61.1 
60.1 
77.0 
69  6 

49.9 
55.1 
55.9 
56.8 
49.3 
48.9 
62.8 
55  9 

43.4 
43.5 
39.9 
50.8 
40.5 
32.4 
47.5 
43.1 

43.0 

38.7 
37.1 
46.2 
36.1 
32.8 
41.7 
37  6 

39.337.7 
27.4:32.6 
28..3I38.2 
45.146.3 
33.6!35.9 
23.4'29.2 
33.240.4 
26.8131.6 

43.7 
38.8 
38.3 
53.0 
44.9 
34.4 
44.1 
36  9 

48.5 
47.0 
45.9 
55.8 
50.4 
47.6 
50.8 
43  5 

56.362.8 
55.960.0 

51.763.6 
64.068.1 
59.  068'.  4 
54.5J68.0 
59.273.8 
51.366.2 

50.8 
52.2 
51.4 
57.8 
37.3 
48.6 
57.0 
50  4 

53.68 
38.42 
36.36 
24.63 
9.94 
29.04 
42.15 
52.61 

83.7176.7 

68.3 

50.648.0 

43.452.9 

57.4 

63.5 

67.1i79.164.5 

53.64 

The  geological  history  of  the  valley  is  not  in  any  respect 
singular  or  striking.  Such  of  the  natural  phenomenon  as  are 
represented  in  its  strata,  have  not,  as  yet,  received  the  attention 
and  study  which  so  important  a  subject  deserves.  The  State,  as 
might  be  supposed,  has  made  no  efficient  provision  for  geological 
explorations,  and  the  status  of  this  interesting  science  in  Oregon 
is  quite  low.  Chance  observations,  thus  far  not  made  with  care, 
and,  consequently,  only  partially  reliable,  and  always  cursory  in 
their  character,  form  its  only  basis.  There  are  certain  general  facts 
which  repeated  observation  has  well  attested,  which  comprise  about 
all  of  permanent  value  thus  far  ascertained. 

The  valley,  it  is  conceded,  must  have  been  formed  by  the  eleva 
tion  of  the  enclosing  ranges,  at  a  time  subsequent  to  the  deposition 
of  the  strata  which  compose  it,  this  time  being  referred  usually 
to  the  middle  tertiary.  The  identification  of  these  strata  has  al 
ready  been  accomplished,  and  the  fossils  enclosed  have  been 
studied  sufficiently  to  prove  their  identity  with  those  of  similar 
strata  in  other  portions  of  North  America.  The  rocks  which 
underlie  this  portion  of  Oregon  are  of  aqueous  origin,  and  consist 
exclusively,  it  is  supposed,  of  sandstone.  Upon  this  stratum, 
which  reaches  a  vast  and  unknown  thickness,  possibly  of  several 
miles,  are  superimposed  the  deposits  of  alluvial  matter  which  form 


536  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

soils,  together  with,  in  many  places,  other  materials,  the  most  com 
mon  of  which  is  a  deposit  of  water- worn  pebbles,  intermingled 
with  finer  material,  also  of  fluviatile  origin.  The  pebbles  and 
sand  are  the  representatives,  or  rather  the  relics,  of  a  time  when  a 
part,  or  rather  the  whole,  of  the  valley,  was  under  water,  but  still 
not  ancient  as  compared  to  the  age  of  the  sandstone.  Their  de 
position  antedates  probably  the  arrival  of  man  upon  the  scene,  but 
does  not,  by  any  means,  reach  back  to  the  time  of  the  early 
mammals  of  the  tertiary.  The  water-worn  deposits  may  be  seen 
and  studied  at  many  points  in  the  valley,  particularly  wherever  the 
railway  cuttings  have  exposed  considerable  thicknesses  of  this 
material,  but  more  particularly  upon  the  sides  of  high  banks 
where  the  process  of  erosion  may  be  in  progress.  Such  a  place  is 
the  high  bluff  on  the  east  side  of  the  Willamette,  some  four  miles 
below  Portland.  The  banks  of  gravel,  clay  and  pebbles,  says  one, 
were  formed  as  a  sea  beach  in  the  age  of  the  mammoth,  and  being 
coeval  with  that  great  mammal,  are  thought  by  geologist  Dana 
to  be  180,000  years  old.  A  still  older  sea  beach  is  visible  along 
the  slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  distinctly  traceable  for  many  miles. 

As  regards  the  sandstone  floor  of  the  valley,  it  is  best  studied  in 
the  Coast  Range,  where  the  upturned  edges  of  the  strata  afford 
abundant  opportunities  for  investigation.  Here,  too,  the  dynamical 
agencies  may  be  studied,  particularly  the  phenomena  of  erosion,  a 
process  now  going  on  with  a  rapidity  hardly  elsewhere  known. 
As  regards  the  extent  of  these  contemporaneous  tertiary  beds,  they 
are  said  to  reach  Sitka  on  the  one  hand,  and  San  Francisco  on  the 
other.  Eastward  they  are  lost  to  view  under  the  prodigious  lava 
deposits  of  Central  Oregon,  of  which  we  will  speak  anon. 

At  various  points  in  the  valley  there  have  been  found  remains 
of  the  mammoth,  and,  possibly,  of  the  mastodon  ;  two  incisors  and 
a  rib  of  the  latter  were  reported  to  have  been  dug  up  at  Butteville, 
in  the  center  of  the  valley,  and  nine  feet  below  the  surface.  One 
of  the  teeth  weighed  eighteen  pounds.  Other  mastodon  or  mam 
moth  remains  have  been  exhumed  at  Middleton,  Washington 
County  (1880),  and  Albina  (1883). 

With  regard  to  the  volcanic  rocks,  we  find  the  ancient  basalts 
well  represented.  In  fact,  the  eastern  and  northern  portions  of 
the  valley  contain  a  very  considerable  area  of  basalt,  both  scoria- 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  537 

ceous  and  columnar,  covering  the  underlying  floor  of  sandstone  to  a 
depth,  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  many  hundred  feet.  The 
genesis  of  the  volcanic  rocks  is  an  interesting  study  in  itself,  but 
one  that  does  not  seem  indispensable  here.  It  is  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  that  the  lava  has  a  common  origin  with  that  which  covers 
Eastern  Oregon  to  a  great  depth  ;  in  fact,  the  lava  which  en 
croaches  upon  the  fertile  lands  of  the  Willamette,  is  a  portion  of 
the  enormous  lake  which  once  covered  the  whole  Columbia  region 
with  liquid  fire.  This  great  sea  of  lava  was  the  product  of  the 
immense  volcanoes  of  the  then  newly  erected  Cascade  Range. 
Successive  depositions  of  melted  basalt,  in  varying  conditions  as  to 
fluidity,  density,  and,  probably,  of  chemical  composition,  were 
formed  in  ages  which  are  of  enormous  absolute  remoteness,  but 
seem  near  when  compared  with  the  age  of  even  the  newest  created 
mammals.  These  deposits  of  basalt  have  been  exposed  since  to 
the  decomposing  and  modifying  influences  of  sun,  light  and  heat, 
the  rain,  rapid  changes  of  temperature,  the  atmospheric  oxygen 
and  carbonic  acid,  and,  finally,  the  erosion  of  rain  and  streams  of 
water  ;  and  the  result  has  been  their  extensive  wearing  down.  In 
connection  with  the  topic  of  soils  we  will  speak  further  of  those 
instances,  and  show  how  these  ancient  volcanic  rocks  play  a 
weighty  part  in  effecting  and  maintaining  the  fertility  of  soils. 
The  lava,  we  are  told,  overlies  only  tertiary  rocks  in  the  valley, 
but  east  of  the  Cascades  it  rests  upon  metamorphic  slate,  mica 
schist,  gneiss  and  granite.  It  remains  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  in 
the  position  that  it  assumed  on  cooling.  It  exists,  as  trap  rocks 
most  frequently  do,  in  successive  horizontal  layers,  the  product  of 
successive  deposition.  Its  principal  chemical  characteristic  is  the 
apparently  varying  tendencies  of  different  specimens  to  decompo 
sition. 

The  geology  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  valley  presents  some  in 
teresting  peculiarities.  There  are  in  Linn  and  Lane  counties  some 
peculiar  elevations  which  have  attracted  the  attention  of  scientific 
and  uon -scientific  people  alike.  These  elevations  are  locally  termed 
buttes,  and  are  of  volcanic  origin.  Peterson's  Butte,  so  called, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Albany,  is,  in  shape,  somewhat  like  Mt. 
Hood.  Its  composition  is  trachyte,  overlaid  with  columnar  basalt. 
Washington  Butte,  five  miles  from  Albany,  rests  on  miocene  strata, 


538  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

it  is  said,  and  shells  crop  out  at  the  base.  These  and  other  eleva 
tions  evidently  were  islands  in  the  expanse  of  water  which  once 
covered  the  Willamette  Valley.  At  the  Saddle  Buttes  the  alluvial 
deposits  cover  ancient  depositions  containing  fossil  impressions  of 
leaves  and  twigs.  Another  observed  fact  of  considerable  import 
ance,  is  that  granite  boulders,  waterworn  and  evidently  erratic,  are 
found  on  Albany  Prairie,  and  at  other  points  in  the  valley. 

Near  the  former  butte  a  boring  was  once  sunk  for  a  well.  The 
surface  soil  was  one  yard  in  thickness,  supported  by  a  soft,  white 
rock  containing  shells,  and  extending  to  a  further  depth  of  nine 
and  a  half  feet.  Below  this  were  found  in  succession,  soapstone, 
one  hundred  and  four  feet;  "gray  granite,"  four  feet;  soapstone, 
ten  feet;  soft  sandstone,  forty-eight  and  one-half  feet. 

Proceeding  to  the  Cascade  Kange,  we  find  that  chain  of  mount 
ains  to  be  composed  mainly  of  granite,  with  slate  on  the  lower 
spurs,  and  great  masses  of  trap  and  other  sorts  of  lava  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  the  volcanoes,  of  which  there  are  at  least  half  a  dozen,  all 
now  extinct.  These  volcanic  points  have  attained  great  height,  and 
form  the  snow  peaks  known  as  Mounts  Hood,  Jefferson,  the  Three 
Sisters,  etc. 

Among  the  dynamical  agencies  which  shaped  the  valley,  glacia- 
tion  has  an  important  place.  The  peculiar  and  impressive  phe 
nomena  of  the  glaciers  of  the  Cascade  Range,  is  a  subject  that  has 
not  yet.  got  beyond  its  initial  stage  of  inquiry.  It  happens,  how 
ever,  that  the  evidences  of  their  action  is  too  evident  for  doubt,  and 
the  vast  and  far- extending  moraines  and  glaciated  surfaces  are 
easily  referred  to  their  proper  cause.  On  this  coast  the  first  observer 
to  point  out  the  habitat  of  a  living  glacier  was  Edward  T.  Cole- 
man,  who,  in  1866,  explored  the  ice  fields  of  Mt.  Baker.  This  dis 
covery  proved  the  key  to  a  number  of  similar  ones,  and  it  was  soon 
known  that  nearly  all  the  prominent  peaks  were  the  abodes  of 
glaciers.  That  of  Mt.  Hood  is  well  known,,  and  those  of  other 
members  of  the  Cascade  Range  are  equally  accessible,  and  the  sites 
of  former  extensive  but  now  extinct  glaciers  are  frequent. 

The  principal  discoveries  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  country 
tributary  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  have  been  made  in  the  Cas 
cades,  about  the  headwaters  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the  east  side 
of  the  Willamette.  The  only  gold  or  silver-bearing  veins  which 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  539 

have  ever  attracted  much  attention  are  the  group  of  veins  about  the 
heads  of  the  Santiam  and  the  Molalla.  Of  these,  the  former  are  of 
the  greater  importance.  The  Santiam  mines  have  been  worked, 
more  or  less,  for  nearly  twenty  years,  but  the  explorations  made 
have  resulted  in  no  pecuniary  gain.  Some  "pockets"  of  rich 
quartz,  carrying  gold  profusely,  have  been  found,  and,  as  is  usual 
in  such  cases,  a  considerable  impetus  is  given  to  prospecting  on 
each  recurring  "  strike "  of  this  sort.  In  the  judgment  of  Mr. 
Veatch,  a  capable  mineralogist,  who  visited  them  in  1870,  the 
Santiam  mines  give  the  strongest  proof  of  being  rich,  and  are  cer 
tainly  very  extensive,  "  requiring  only  labor  and  the  expenditure 
of  money  in  their  development." 

At  the  head  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Willamette  lies  the 
so-called  Bohemia  Mining  District.  According  to  the  authority 
already  quoted,  this  is  a  promising  field  for  the  employment  of 
capital.  Its  rock  is  metal -bearing  quartz  veins,  and  has  been  ex 
plored  and  worked  somewhat.  As  in  the  Santiam  district,  mills 
have  been  put  up,  but  no  great  measure  of  success  has  been  met 
with. 

Near  Eugene  City  extensive  group  of  gold-bearing  quartz 
veins  are  said  to  exist,  where  their  working  and  reduction  would 
be  favored  by  the  co- existence  of  unlimited  water  power,  good 
roads,  and  plenty  of  timber  for  fuel  and  lumber.  Whatever  of 
real  wealth  may  be  enclosed  within  these  veins  does  not  appear. 

On  the  McKenzie  River  the  "color"  has  repeatedly  been  found, 
but  no  promising  veins.  In  perhaps  one  hundred  other  localities 
indications  of  gold  and  silver  have  been  numerously  discovered, 
and  small  mining  camps  have  existed  at  various  points  in  the 
Cascades  and  Coast  Range.  Future  strikes  are  likely  to  take  place, 
and  the  discovery  of  great  mineral  wealth  is  neither  impossible  nor 
improbable. 

Of  other  minerals  of  economic  value,  little  can  be  said.  Some 
insignificant  deposits  of  coal  have  been  found  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  Coast  Range,  and  lead  ore — galena  mostly — is  known  to 
exist  in  quantity.  In  1872  some  veins  or  chimneys  of  galena  were 
discovered  at  the  foot  of  the  Cascades,  in  Linn  County,  which 
assayed  sixty  per  cent,  of  lead,  with  eighteen  dollars  per  ton  in 
silver.  In  1875,  mining  interests  having  become  prominent  by 


540  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

reason  of  the  Galice  Creek  discoveries  in  Southern  Oregon,  an 
association  calling  itself  the  Oregon  Mining  Bureau  was  formed  in 
Portland,  its  object  being  "to  develop  the  mining  resources  of  the 
State,  to  keep  a  record  of  discoveries  and  locations,  and  to  deal  in 
mining  property."  Its  existence  was  short. 

Iron  ore  forms  by  far  the  most  important  mineral  resource  of 
the  valley.  The  deposits  of  ore  at  Oswego,  nine  miles  above 
Portland,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  Willamette  River,  have  been 
worked  for  nearly  twenty  years,  though  unsteadily,  and  have 
already  been  a  considerable  source  of  wealth,  and  promise  still 
greater  things.  The  history  of  the  enterprise  is  instructive  and  in 
teresting. 

General  M.  M.  McCarver  is  credited  with  the  discovery  of  the 
ore  beds.  In  1862  six  tons  were  taken  out  and  sent  to  California 
to  be  tested.  The  test  was  successful,  it  yielding  from  fifty-six  to 
sixty -five  per  cent,  of  metal  of  a  good  quality.  Immediately  a 
company  was  formed  (in  February,  1865)  to  utilize  the  deposits, 
called  the  Oregon  Iron  Company,  of  whom  W.  S.  Ladd,  H.  D. 
Green  and  John  Green  were  the  incorporators,  and  the  capital 
stock  was  fixed  at  $500,000,  of  which  nearly  two-thirds  were  sub 
scribed  by  residents  of  Portland.  This  company  erected  the  first 
iron -smelting  furnace  ever  built  upon  this  coast.  The  structure 
was  thirty-two  feet  high,  nine  feet  in  interior  diameter,  hot  blast, 
and  had  a  capacity  for  ten  tons  of  iron  per  day.  Charcoal  was 
necessarily  adopted  as  the  fuel,  in  the  absence  of  stone  coal  of 
suitable  quality. 

A  chemical  analysis  of  the  Oswego  ore  gave  sesquioxide  of  iron 
77.16  per  cent.,  corresponding  to  54.37  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron. 
The  other  constituents  were,  water  11.16,  silica  11.08,  sulphur 
and  phosphorus  together  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent.  The  ore  was 
of  the  sort  called  brown  hematite,  was  abundant  and  easily  mined, 
lying,  as  it  did,  near  the  surface.  The  beds  were  irregular,  in 
clined  some  eight  or  ten  degrees  from  the  horizontal,  and  appeared 
to  have  been  deposited  from  solution  on  the  lava  below.  Dirt  had 
accumulated  on  the  ore  to  the  depth  of  several  feet.  The  ore  did 
not  continue  of  so  rich  a  description  as  the  test  sample,  but  had 
fallen  off  in  richness  to  ten  per  cent,  sometime  during  the  working. 

Work  has  gone  on  by  fits  and  starts  during  the  intermediate 
years,  and  the  production  of  iron  has  not  been  so  great  as  to  justify 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  541 

the  former  hopes  of  pecuniary  success.  In  1874-75,  when  the 
furnace  was  producing  ten  tons  per  day,  a  calculation  of  the  cost  of 
production  exhibited  the  following  figures.  They  are  based  on  the 
cost  of  producing  one  ton  of  iron.  The  necessary  ore  at  the  furnace 
cost  $10.75;  charcoal,  one  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  at  nine  cents 
per  bushel,  $13.50;  wages,  $4.00;  limestone — brought  from  Puget 
Sound — five  hundred  pounds — $5.00.  Total  cost  of  one  ton,  $33.25. 
At  that  time  the  iron  sold  in  San  Francisco  in  limited  lots  at 
$46.00  per  ton.  It  was  in  use  for  special  purposes  where  iron  of 
unusual  strength  was  required,  but  its  cost  prevented  it  from  com 
ing  into  competition  with  Scotch  and  English  brands  of  pig  iron, 
which  are  profitably  produced  at  less  than  $20  per  ton.  The  Cen 
tral  Pacific  Railroad  Company  tested  its  adaptability  to  the  manu 
facture  of  car  wheels  and  found  it  to  answer  the  purpose  excellently. 
From  the  date  of  its  completion  the  furnace  was  run  until 
April,  1869,  making  meanwhile  two  thousand  three  hundred  and 
ninety-five  tons  of  iron.  It  was  idle  then  until  March,  1874,  when, 
the  company  having  re -organized,  work  again  began  and  continued 
until  September,  1876,  making  five  thousand  and  seventy-five  tons. 
The  property  was  then  sold  at  sheriff's  sale  to  satisfy  the  demands 
of  creditors.  The  purchasers  started  the  furnace  again  in  June, 
1878,  and  made  eleven  hundred  and  seventy  tons,  stopping  then  to 
rebuild  the  furnace,  increasing  its  size.  The  next  run  was  from 
April,  1879,  to  September,  1881,  when  they  paused  to  introduce 
further  changes.  The  sales  of  iron  in  the  latter  year  amounted,  it 
was  said,  to  $200,000.  From  whatever  cause,  the  furnace  is  not 
now  (1885)  in  operation.  This  is  said  by  some  to  be  owing  to 
timidity  on  the  part  of  the  owners;  but  doubtless  has  its  cause  in 
well-defined  business  reasons.  It  is  conceded  that  the  metal  is  of 
excellent  quality,  and  that  the  cost  of  production  is  slightly  lessened 
since  the  preceding  computation  of  cost  was  made.  At  least,  the 
necessary  limestone  need  not  cost  the  fourth  of  what  was  stated, 
and  it  is  probable  that  labor  of  a  more  skilled  sort  would  be  avail 
able  since  the  furnaces  of  the  east  have  reduced  their  wages  and  so 
driven  many  trained  operators  to  seek  other  situations.  Besides  the 
experienced  and  high-priced  assistants,  the  necessities  of  the  iron 
company  require  the  services  of  several  hundred  men,  the  charcoal 
burners  alone  aggregating  three  hundred  at  times.  The  supply  of 


542  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ore  is  deemed  practically  inexhaustible,  and  is  of  a  very  high 
quality.  The  company  has  owned  a  large  amount  of  property,  in 
cluding  the  furnace  and  grounds,  several  thousand  acres  of  wood 
lands  and  mineral- bear  ing  territory,  as  well  as  its  extensive  improve 
ments,  which  embrace  a  narrow-gauge  railway  connecting  the 
furnace  with  the  ore  beds,  a  canal  to  Sucker  Lake  to  furnish  water- 
power  for  running  the  blast,  etc. 


In  connection  with  the  geology  of  the  valley  a  short  discussion 
of  the  soils  seems  in  place.  It  has  been  mentioned  that  a  consider 
able  portion  of  the  valley  is  now,  or  has  been  at  some  time,  covered 
by  superincumbent  lava  beds.  These  deposits  of  lava  have  been 
much  changed  in  their  appearance  by  the  erosive  effects  of  rivers, 
but  have  been  subject  to  another  destroying  influence  scarcely  less 
important — this  is  chemical  decomposition.  Considerable  thicknesses 
of  once  solid  lava  have  been  changed  by  the  slow  action  of  perco 
lating  rain  drops  and  ibhe  active  constituents  of  the  air — oxygen  and 
carbonic  acid — until  they  are  fairly  decomposed  and  disintegrated. 
To  understand  this  change,  it  is  necessary  to  remember  that  basalt, 
the  common  lava,  is  composed  mainly  of  augite  and  feldspar, 
bodies  capable  sometimes  of  decomposition  in  contact  with  the 
atmosphere,  and  in  the  case  before  us  particularly  so.  Every  one 
must  have  noticed  certain  characteristics  of  the  lava  deposits  at 
various  points  in  the  valley,  wherever  cuttings  have  been  made. 
There  the  basalt  presents  frequently  the  appearance  of  decay,  show 
ing  upon  its  surface  the  familiar  yellow  or  red  stains  which  sometimes 
penetrate  the  solid  portion  of  the  rock,  and  which  result  from  the 
oxidation  of  iron,  which  is  an  invariable  though  small  constituent. 
These  symptoms  of  decay  are  found  to  extend  to  the  depth  of  a 
hundred  or  more  feet,  or  as  far  as  the  combined  influences  of  air  and 
water  extend.  This  action  is  not  rapid ;  it  takes  a  lengthened  term 
of  years  to  reduce  a  large  boulder  to  fine  matter,  but  time  is  a  factor 
to  which,  in  geological  hypotheses,  very  great  extension  is  allowed. 
At  any  rate,  the  process  of  rotting,  so  to  speak,  has  gone  on  until 
the  large  areas  of  lava  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Cascades  are 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  543 

covered  mainly  with  a  layer  of  earth  resulting  solely  from  the  de 
composition  of  the  rocks  in  situ\  or  else  have  had  and  lost  this 
covering  through  the  influence  of  heavy  rains,  landslides,  etc.  Be 
neath  the  surface  of  such  soil  we  find  a  rather  coarse  deposit — in 
fact  the  size  of  the  particles  shades  from  the  fine  detritus  upon  the 
surface,  into  the  gravel  beneath,  then  becomes  stones  of  notable  size, 
those  resting  upon  boulders  split  from  each  other  and  decomposed 
only  upon  their  outer  surface.  Below  all  is  the  solid  mass  of  lava, 
resting  upon  the  aqueous  strata  beneath. 

Thus  the  lava  is  decomposed  and  converted  into  soil — partly  by 
mechanical,  partly  by  chemical  forces  working  conjointly.  The  soil 
created  in  this  curious  way  might  be  supposed  to  be  barren,  because 
of  its  unpromising  parentage.  This,  however,  is  a  mistake;  it  con 
tains  nearly  all  the  elements  of  fertility.  Basalt,  in  its  constituent, 
feldspar,  contains  potash,  which,  when  set  free  from  the  silica  with 
which  it  is  combined,  by  the  action  of  carbonic  acid  is  converted  into 
the  carbonate  of  potash,  and  goes  to  enrich  a  soil  more  than  tolera 
bly  fertile  without  it.  It  also  contains  lime,  derived  from  another 
constituent — augite.  And  these,  with  magnesia,  silica,  and  one  or 
two  less  important  minerals,  make  up  the  soil  as  it  exists  before  veg 
etable  growth  begins.  Should  trees,  grasses  or  shrubs  become  es 
tablished  upon  such  a  soil,  their  natural  course  from  life  to  death, 
from  cohesion  to  decomposition,  results  in  addition  of  organic  mat 
ter  to  this  soil  whereby  its  adaptability  for  producing  such  new 
growths  is  vastly  increased.  Decayed  vegetable  matter  in  proper 
condition,  is,  as  everybody  knows,  a  most  valuable  fertilizer.  It  is 
highly  probable  that  the  presence  of  organic  matter  in  the  basaltic 
soils  aids  the  process  of  decomposition  and  wearing  down  of  the 
particles  of  rock.  The  decay  of  wood,  grass  roots,  and  in  fact  almost 
every  form  of  woody  fibre  gives  rise  to  compounds  called  humus, 
which  have  an  affinity  for  potash  and  other  alkalies.  As  potash  is 
set  free  from  Ihe  rocks  it  doubtless  combines  with  the  humus  and 
forms  a  new  compound,  of  use  to  vegetation.  It  would  seem  that 
the  decay  of  the  rocks  would  be  hastened  by  the  presence  of  the 
humus,  and  the  decomposition  of  the  mineral  and  of  the  vegetable 
substances  would  go  on  with  equal  steps.  From  this  source  a  large 
part  of  the  soil  of  the  valley  is  derived. 


544  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Large  portions  of  hilly  tracts  possess  a  soil  whose  upper  surface 
is  dark  brown  or  black  from  the  intermixture  of  organic  matter, 
with  the  lower  particles  of  a  lighter  and  lighter  tint,  until  the 
basalt  blocks  below  are  reached,  whose  interstices  are  filled  with 
fine  fragments  broken  off  from  above.  Still  lower  is  the  solid 
ledge.  The  surface  soil  varies  greatly  in  depth,  according  to  its 
more  or  less  protected  situation.  If  exposed  to  running  water  or 
on  a  considerable  slope  the  thickness  will  not  be  great ;  if,  on  the 
contrary,  the  level  is  horizontal,  or  in  the  bottom  of  a  sloping 
canyon,  the  thickness  may  be  many  feet.  The  soil  of  the  Waldo 
Hills  has  become  celebrated  for  its  fertility.  It  is  of  basaltic 
origin,  and  is  the  best  type  of  that  class  of  soils,  as  the  mode  of  its 
formation  and  its  value,  endurance  and  strength  are  being  studied. 
Such  soil,  as  we  may  conclude  from  the  circumstances,  is  inex 
haustible  in  fertility,  inasmuch  as  the  materials  for  renewing  its 
strength  exist  beneath  it,  and  the  process  of  renewal  is  constantly 
going  on,  and  by  the  process  of  tillage  the  renewal  is  quickened. 
Stirring  up  the  ground  exposes  more  rock  to  the  action  of  the 
air,  and  the  elements  do  their  work  of  pulverizing,  replacing  the 
exhausted  particles  by  fresh  materials,  and  supplying  the  loss 
caused  by  cropping,  and  the  unavoidable  waste  by  running  streams 
which  carry  away  the  finer  portion.  Vast  quantities  of  fine  soil  are 
brought  down  from  all  sloping  lands  by  the  winter  rains,  but  are 
replaced,  in  the  course  of  time,  by  fresh  decompositions.  In  a  wet 
climate,  like  that  of  Western  Oregon,  such  decompositions  take 
place  much  more  rapidly  than  in  a  dryer  one,  and  the  very  abun 
dance  of  our  rains  is  an  advantage,  and  a  very  decided  one.  To 
sum  up  all  this  in  one  sentence,  it  seems  that  the  basaltic  rocks 
furnish  an  inexhaustible  source  of  manure,  which  nature  herself 
applies  to  the  unsated  soil.  The  most  noticeable  results  of  this 
kind  are  found  in  the  hills  already  spoken  of.  These  are  known 
by  the  general  name  of  the  "red  hills,"  the  term  being  derived 
from  the  prevailing  color  of  the  exposed  rocky  surfaces  and  the 
soil.  Generally  speaking,  the  hills  are  composed  of  basalt,  sand 
stone,  conglomerates,  argillaceous  rocks,  and  brecciated  volcanic 
materials.  Chalky  marl  is  likewise  said  to  exist. 

Besides  the  localities — chiefly  upon  the  tops  and  slopes  of  hills — 
where  basaltic  soils  exist,  unmixed  with  other  mineral  resultants, 


CLIMATE  AND  GEOLOGY.  545 

there  is  a  far  larger  proportion  of  mixed  soils,  which  owe  a  great 
deal  of  their  productiveness  to  a  percentage  of  basaltic  admixture. 
Such  soils  exist  on  the  bottom  lands,  or  on  the  lower  courses  of 
streams  whereby  they  have  been  brought  from  a  distance.  The 
transporting  power  of  water  is  sufficient  to  have  brought  the  finer 
particles  from  a  very  long  distance.  Formerly  it  was  thought — a 
common  error — that  the  bottom  lands  of  streams  must  be  more 
fertile  than  the  uplands  to  whose  loss  the  former  are  indebted  for 
their  fatness.  That  this  supposition  is  untrue  it  is  only  necessary 
to  examine  the  relative  productiveness  of  the  Waldo  and  other 
ranges  of  hills,  with  the  lands  bordering  the  Willamette  River. 
The  latter  gain  in  the  comparison  only  as  regards  ease  of  tillage 
and  immediate  adaptability  to  a  crop.  In  fertility,  endurance  and 
certainty  of  a  crop,  the  hill  soils — in  selected  localities — are  found 
to  be  superior  to  most  bottom  lands. 

Regarding  the  location  of  the  exclusively  basaltic  soils,  they  are 
confined,  as  before  hinted,  to  the  tops  and  sides  of  hills  where  they 
were  generated.  All  the  bottom  lands,  almost  without  exception, 
possess  an  alluvial  soil,  made  up  of  the  above  named  detritus  from 
the  hills,  added  to  the  clays  and  loams  from  other  sources.  Of 
course  the  ingredients  of  these  soils  are  in  general  finer  than 
ordinary,  and,  in  many  places,  have  been  subjected  to  the  sifting 
action  of  the  streams  by  which  their  materials  are  assorted  as  re 
gards  size  and  specific  gravity.  The  soil  of  the  level  portions  of 
the  valley  is  entirely  alluvial — that  is,  was  brought  to  its  present 
position  by  water  agencies.  It  varies  greatly  in  depth,  from  a  few 
inches  to  many  feet,  and  somewhat  in  quality,  which  is  mainly, 
however,  excellent.  In  composition  it  is  made  up  from  the  wash 
ings  of  the  hills,  aided  by  organic  matter.  The  hill  washings,  it 
may  be  said,  are  of  two  principal  kinds,  the  basaltic  and  the  sand 
stone  particles,  the  latter  of  which  are  mainly  derived  from  the 
streams  of  the  Coast  Range.  The  soils  of  the  west  side  are  chiefly 
of  the  latter  class,  to  all  appearance.  In  another  connection  we 
will  consider  the  adaptability  of  these  soils  to  various  branches  of 
culture.  These  derivative  soils  are  usually  described  as  loam, 
which  is  a  term  of  indefinite  significance.  The  varieties  of  loam 
are  designated  by  their  colors,  and  are  almost  endless.  Loam,  in 
general,  is  a  mixture  of  sand  (silica)  with  clay,  and  contains  com- 


546  HISTOJSY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

monly  carbonate  of  lime,  iron  oxides,  the  oxides  of  other  metals, 
and  organic  matter.  The  color  is  owing  to  the  predominance  of 
the  oxide  of  iron  and  organic  matter.  Loam,  particularly  rich  in 
the  latter,  is  usually  dark  brown  or  black.  The  presence  of  iron 
oxide  is  known  by  a  reddish  or  brownish  color.  Loam  is  derivable 
from  a  mixture  of  disintegrated  soils,  brought  down  by  water. 
The  portions  furnished  by  the  destruction  of  the  basaltic  rocks 
would  be  the  clay — silicate  of  alumina — produced  by  decomposing 
feldspar,  and  the  valuable  potash.  Broken  up  or  decomposed 
granite,  gneiss  or  sandstone  furnishes  the  sand.  These  substances, 
mingled  with  organic  matter  and  other  -matters,  form  loam.  This 
is  found  extensively  in  the  valley,  mostly  near  its  center,  and  is 
spoken  of  under  the  names  of  black  loam,  sandy  loam,  brown 
loam,  etc.  It  is  often  found  to  rest  upon  a  clay  or  marl  subsoil, 
and  can  usually  be  depended  on  for  good  crops. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

GRAIN  PRODUCTS. 

Wheat  the  Staple  Production — Its  Earliest  Cultivation — Impetus  Given 
by  Mining — Laxity  of  the  State  Government  in  the  Matter  of 
Statistics — Want  of  a  Policy — Flour  Successfully  Made — Its 
Quality  Never  Elsewhere  Surpassed — Wheat  Crop  Never  Fails — 
Wheat  the  Principal  Factor  in  Commercial  Affairs —  Why  Farmers 
Raise  Wheat — Objections  Thereto — Persistent  Wheat  Raising  will 
Impoverish  the  Country — Statistics — Productiveness  and  Endurance 
oj-  Soils — Cost  per  Bushel  to  Raise  Wheat — Influence  of  the  Rail 
ways  upon  Wheat-growing — Increase  of  the  Business  from  1869 — Its 
Probable  Future — Its  Possible  Production —  Varieties  Cultivated — 
Wheat  Crop  of  1880 — Other  Grain  Products — Oats  a  Favorite  Crop 
— Immense  Production — Indian  Corn  not  a  /Success — Barley — 
Table  of  Production  of  Wheat,  Oats,  Corn  and  Barley. 

WHEAT  is  the  staple  product  of  the  Willamette  Valley.  Its 
suitableness  has  ever  been  recognized  since  the  arts  of  agricul 
ture  began  in  the  northwest,  and  the  first  rude  attempts  at  cultiva 
tion  were  made.  When  the  Hudson's  Bay  trappers,  superannuated 
in  the  service  of  their  company,  were  placed  on  the  retired  list  and 
sent  to  the  Willamette  prairies  to  become  farmers,  their  first  and 
principal  operations  were  directed  to  the  cultivation  of  that  ad 
mirable  cereal.  If  we  may  believe  Leonard  in  his  statements  con 
cerning  the  productions  of  this  country  in  those  early  times,  these 
retired  trappers,  aided  by  a  few  Americans,  produced,  in  the 
valley,  in  the  year  1844,  such  a  quantity  of  wheat  that  there  wrere 
one  hundred  thousand  bushels  as  a  surplus  for  export.  (See  page 
61,  of  Leonard's  book).  When,  some  years  later,  the  California 
miners  began  to  make  demands  on  this  valley  and,  indeed,  every 
accessible  region,  for  food,  the  farmers  of  the  Willamette,  by  this 


548  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

time  largely  increased  in  numbers,  undertook  to  supply  a  portion 
of  the  meat  and  breadstuffs  wanted,  and  the  culture  of  wheat 
attained  great  prominence.  For  a  time  the  miners  of  Yreka  and 
Jacksonville  and  their  vicinity  drew  the  greater  portion  of  their 
food  supply  from  this  valley,  whence  it  was  carried  upon  the  backs 
of  pack  animals.  Rapid  as  was  the  expansion  of  the  wheat  and 
flour  industry  on  the  Willamette,  its  growth  was  destined  not  to 
flourish  long  upon  the  demands  from  those  mines,  for,  within  a 
surprisingly  short  space  of  time,  not  over  three  years  at  the  most? 
the  fertile,  though  contracted  valleys  of  Southern  Oregon,  were 
taken  up  by  an  incoming  tide  of  people  from  the  border  States, 
who  instantly  discovered  the  adaptability  of  the  soil  of  that  region 
for  raising  immense  crops  of  wheat,  and  very  shortly  the  abnormal 
demand  of  the  miners  was  met  by  supplies  of  flour  made  from 
grain  grown  upon  the  banks  of  the  streams  from  whose  bed  their 
active  hands  were  washing  the  precious  metals. 

The  new  and  promising  industry  which  had  been  so  favorably 
inaugurated  in  the  valley  of  the  Willamette  was  not,  however, 
suffered  to  languish.  San  Francisco,  then  in  the  years  of  her 
energetic  youth  ;  the  Pacific  ports,  in  every  zone  ;  and  the  great 
empires  of  China  and  Japan,  became  customers,  and  bought  the 
wheat  and  flour  of  this  favored  State  in  quantities  greater  than  any 
mining  region  could  ever  hope  to  control. 

Statistics  of  the  production  of  subsequent  years  are  scarce.  The 
most  important  pursuit  that  Oregon  has  ever  engaged  in  has  seemed 
not  to  be  thought  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  the  systematic 
preservation  of  the  few  and  easily  procured  facts  that  would  enable 
the  history  of  Oregon  agriculture  to  be  written.  Indeed,  we  may 
say,  with  entire  truth,  that  no  facts  whatever,  concerning  the  his 
tory  and  resources  of  this  State,  have  ever  been  preserved  by  State 
enactment.  Oregon  has  never  appropriated  a  single  dollar  to  pre 
serve  the  record  of  what  her  people  have  done.  What  is  more  to 
the  purpose,  the  State  Government  has  not  made  a  single  efficient 
effort  to  attract  settlers  to  the  State.  When  the  United  States  are 
receiving  accessions  of  half  a  million  European  immigrants  each 
year,  worth  to  the  country,  economists  say,  not  less  than  $1,000 
each,  the  State  of  Oregon,  calmly  contemptuous  of  her  proper 
destiny,  sits  in  lonely  grandeur  by  the  sounding  Pacific  shore,  and 


GRAIN  PRODUCTS.  549 

only  aspires  to  be  let  alone.  In  this  behavior  she  is  unique; — no 
other  State  or  Territory  manifests  a  like  spirit.  Some  of  the  lesser 
States,  whose  natural  resources  would  be  no  perceptible  addition 
to  these  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  could  they  be  joiaed  to  hers, 
exert  the  machinery  of  their  Governments  to  encourage  immigra 
tion,  and,  invariably,  with  healthful  effects.  Such  is  the  moral  in 
fluence  of  immigration  that  the  arrival  of  one  thousand  families  of 
steady  and  industrious  Americans  in  this  valley,  would  be  more 
beneficial,  immediately  and  remotely,  than  the  harvesting  of  the 
heaviest  wheat  crop.  Such  a  policy  as  is  manifested  by  the  State 
Government  of  Oregon,  is  detrimental  to  what  political  economists 
and  practical  men  of  every  profession  would  esteem  the  best  in 
terests  of  a  State  or  community,  and  is  defensible  on  no  rational 
grounds.  There  should,  by  all  means,  be  some  means  provided  for 
procuring  statistical  information,  and  publishing  it.  The  welfare 
of  the  State  is  concerned  in  it,  notwithstanding  its  small  apparent 
importance,  and  to  further  neglect  a  matter  of  the  kind  is  to  render 
the  collection  of  this  sort  of  information  more  difficult  writh  each 
recurring  year. 

Returning  to  the  subject  of  wheat,  we  find  that  that  crop  early 
assumed  the  most  important  position  among  agricultural  produc 
tions — a  position  that  it  has  held  with  constantly  increasing  im 
portance  until  now.  The  causes  of  this  are  obvious,  and  hence 
hardly  to  be  considered.  The  foreign  demand  for  wheat  during 
the  first  twenty  years  amounted  to  nothing  ;  yet  there  were  scatter 
ing  mining  populations  to  be  fed,  and  the  very  considerable  home 
demand  to  be  met.  The  art  of  flour  making  grew  apace,  and 
when  in  the  ^sixties,  the  shipping  of  wheat  attained  prominence, 
the  quality  of  flour  made  in  Oregon  was  of  the  best.  The  small 
mills  of  that  date  have,  as  regards  flour  for  export,  given  way  to 
the  massive  structures  known  and  celebrated  over  wide  areas  for 
the  excellence  of  their  brands.  At  Oregon  City,  Salem,  Albany, 
and  elsewhere,  large  flour  mills  have  long  been  in  operation  ;  and 
the  Albina  flour  mill,  erected  in  1883,  and  having  a  capacity  of 
a  thousand  barrels  per  day,  has  been  added  to  the  number. 

There  has  never  been  any  question  raised  as  to  the  adaptability 
of  the  3oil  for  wheat  raising.  The  experience  of  forty  years,  with 
out  a  failure  of  the  crop,  has  proved  that.  In  quantity  and  quality 


550  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY* 

the  Oregon  product  is  undoubtedly  distinctly  superior  to  that  of 
any  other  section.  A  great  part  of  the  excessively  high  reputation 
of  California  in  this  regard  was,  doubtless,  built  up  upon  the 
merits  of  Oregon  wheat  in  the  days  when  the  surplus  of  the  latter 
State  was  always  sent  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  re-shipped  to 
European  ports  as  first- class  California  wheat.  From  the  first,  the 
grain  was  found  to  be  heavier,  per  bushel,  than  ordinary,  and 
there  were  no  insect  depredators  to  injure  the  crop.  Nor  was  rust 
known.  Drouth,  as  we  have  said,  never  troubled  the  farmer  of 
Western  Oregon,  for  one  sure  dependence  he  has  ever  had — the 
copious  rains  of  heaven,  which,  however,  have  thrice,  in  forty  years, 
injured  his  crop  by  falling  untimely.  The  yield,  per  acre,  has 
been  various,  oscillating  between  moderately  narrow  extremes. 

Wheat,  then,  being  so  important  a  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the 
valley,  the  general  prosperity  of  the  people  has  depended  upon  its 
successful  and  profitable  production.  When  wheat  is  high,  every 
body  has  money,  and  when  it  is  low,  times  are  hard  and  poverty 
becomes,  as  it  were,  a  present  circumstance.  It  is  always  saleable 
at  some  price  or  other,  and  the  ready  cash  can  be  commanded  for 
it.  In  this  respect  it  is  the  best  crop  to  raise,  for  the  market  for 
it,  which  includes  the  whole  world,  is  reliable,  and  extensive 
enough  to  satisfy  the  most  cautious  farmer.  Being  easily  raised 
and  quickly  sold,  for  cash,  without  the  necessity  of  barter,  it  has 
become  the  favorite  crop  ;  but  it  has  obvious  drawbacks.  It  has 
to  be  sold  at  the  minimum  price  in  the  whole  world  ;  for  such  is 
the  state  of  the  wheat  market  that  every  civilized  and  semi-civilized 
wheat-producing  country  comes  into  competition,  and  the  wheat  of 
India,  Southern  Russia,  England,  and  elsewhere,  seeks  for  a  sale 
at  the  expense  of  Oregon  grain.  Any  surplus  beyond  the  wants 
of  the  farmers  here  is  thrown  into  competition  with  the  grain,  per 
haps,  of  the  antipodes,  and  with  it  awaits  the  consumer. 

Having  now  sold  his  wheat  at  a  price,  regulated  in  Liverpool 
or  London,  and  received  for  it  the  price  that  rules  there,  less  com 
missions  to  middle- men  and  brokers,  and  the  cost  of  transportation 
from  the  home  farm  to  vvhatever  port  it  may  be  destined,  the  • 
farmer  draws  his  pay,  and  pays  it  over  for  articles,  which,  in  a 
majority  of  cases,  are  of  eastern  or  foreign  manufacture,  and  which 
Jie  has  to  pay  for  at  the  highest  price  for  which  they  are  3old  in 


GEAIN  PRODUCTS.  551 

an}7  civilized  country.  His  wants  are  varied  ;  the  Oregon  farmer, 
despite  his  pioneer  training,  is  not  particularly  simple  in  his  tastes, 
nor  ultra-economical.  Consequently,  he  is  a  ready  purchaser,  and 
quickly  expends  the  proceeds  of  his  wheat  sold  at  a  minimum 
price,  for  manufactured  goods  bought  at  a  maximum  price.  So 
apparent  are  these  evils,  and  so  many  other  ones  exist,  that  people 
of  intelligence  have  seriously  questioned  whether  the  culture  of  the 
one  great  staple  should  not  cease,  and  mixed  husbandry  take  its 
place. 

It  has  become  almost  an  axiom  with  political  economists  that 
agricultural  communities,  devoted  to  the  culture  of  any  one  great 
staple,  in  preference  to  the  culture  of  several  or  many  products, 
become  impoverished  ;  and  they  have  endeavored  to  account  for 
it  on  the  supposition  that  the  soil  is  robbed  of  its  valuable  elements, 
or  else  that  a  class  of  middle-men  spring  up  and  fasten  themselves 
like  barnacles  upon  the  industry,  and  by  absorbing  the  profits, 
ruin  the  farmers.  These  are  evils,  doubtless,  but  both  insufficient 
and  both  unavoidable.  It  seems  that  the  real  reason  for  the  decay 
and  impoverishment  of  a  country  so  circumstanced  is  to  be  sought 
for  on  other  grounds.  The  impoverishment  arises  from  the  loss  of 
the  labor  of  the  farming  class.  Wheat-raising  demands  the  active 
energies  of  men  for  but  a  limited  part  of  the  year.  In  plowing, 
seeding  and  harvesting  the  wheat-grower  is,  undoubtedly,  urged  to 
his  utmost ;  but  for  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  year  his  exertions 
are  confined  to  the  routine  work  about  the  farm-house,  with  short 
and  irregular  spasms  of  fence -building,  etc.  And  the  inevitable 
result  of  an  exclusive  devotion  to  wheat-growing,  or  other  special 
employment,  is  to  cause  the  farmer  to  slight  all  other  necessary 
work.  Hence,  there  arises  a  class  of  skilled  and  efficient  specialists 
in  agriculture,  but  whose  exertions  only  extend  over  a  fraction  of 
the  year,  and  who  esteem  all  other  pursuits  trivial  and  unworthy 
beside  the  one  to  which  they  are  devoted.  It  is,  undoubtedly,  the 
loss  of  labor  that  prevents  a  wheat  or  cotton -growing  country 
from  attaining  opulence.  One  of  the  direct  consequences  of  such 
habits  would  be  the  general  air  of  untidiness  about  the  farm — the 
fences  down,  the  fields  full  of  weeds,  hogs  rooting  in  the  door-yard, 
and  the  other  familiar  signs  of  unthrift  and  decadence.  And  these, 
it  is  often  said,  are  the  rule  in  agricultural  communities  devoted  to 


552  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  single  staple,  while  the  closest  observers  fail  to  detect  their 
general  application  to  regions  where  mixed  farming  prevails. 

There  are  some  peculiar  features  connected  with  the  wheat  in 
dustry  in  Oregon  that  deserve  mention.  In  the  first  place,  wheat 
commands  a  price  lower  by  many  per  cent,  in  Oregon  than  in  the 
United  States,  at  large,  and  lower  than  in  any  other  State  or  Terri 
tory.  The  average  price  throughout  the  State  in  1878  was  ninety- 
two  cents  per  bushel  ;  in  the  United  States  it  was  seventy-eight 
cents,  and  in  no  other  recorded  year  have  these  figures  approached 
so  closely.  In  1881  the  Oregon  price  averaged  eighty-eight  cents  ; 
the  average  price  in  the  United  States,  one  dollar  and  nineteen 
cents.  In  the  former  year  the  wheat  production,  per  acre,  in 
Oregon,  averaged  twenty-one  bushels  per  acre  ;  in  the  United 
States,  eight  bushels,  three  pecks.  In  1881  these  numbers  were 
seventeen  bushels  and  two-tenths,  and  ten  bushels  and  two-tenths. 
Taken  throughout,  the  average  wheat  product,  per  acre,  in  Oregon, 
is  about  twice  that  of  the  country  at  large,  but  this  difference  is 
partly  compensated  by  the  lowness  of  the  price  in  Oregon.  Ap 
proximately,  the  Oregon  farmer  receives  about  twenty  per  cent, 
more  for  the  product  of  an  acre  than  does  the  average  American 
wheat-raiser.  His  disadvantage  consists,  finally,  in  the  greater 
depletion  of  his  soil,  which  must  yield  annually  a  very  large 
quantity  of  its  fertile  elements  to  produce  over  twenty  bushels  of 
wheat,  with  a  corresponding  amount  of  straw. 

It  is  likely  that  a  comparison  of  soils  would  likewise  redound 
to  the  credit  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  for  instances  of  almost  ex- 
haustless  fertility  are  connected  with  nearly  every  farm.  Con 
tinuous  wheat-cropping  for  thirty  years  has  been  followed  at 
certain  places  in  Marion  County,  with  unimpaired  production.  Cer 
tain  soils  in  the  French  Prairie,  have  been  devoted  to  wheat  for 
that  time,  and  still  raise  a  good  crop.  Such  results  are  unheard  of 
in  other  States,  and  would  seem  highly  improbable  in  the  Missis 
sippi  States,  where  a  much  less  test  has  reduced  the  average  of 
whole  States  from  twenty  or  more  bushels  to  less  than  ten.  One 
well-attested  case  illustrating  the  singular  strength  of  Willamette 
Valley  land  is  that  of  the  farm  of  William  Ruble,  near  Eola,  Polk 
County,  who  tilled  a  portion  of  red  hill  land,  and  for  fifteen,  and 
even  nineteen  years,  raised  crops  usually  exceeding  thirty  bushels 


GRAIN  PRODUCTS.  553 

per  acre,  without  the  addition  of  any  fertilizer — such  being  un 
known  in  Oregon — and  without  the  least  perceptible  impairment  of 
the  soil.  How  this  apparently  paradoxical  result  can  take  place 
are  discussed  in  another  connection,  where  the  characteristics  of 
the  soil  and  its  constant  renewal  on  a  gigantic  scale  are  treated  of. 

In  1875  it  was  said  that  the  average  production  of  wheat  in  the 
valley  was  nineteen  and  a  half  bushels  per  acre.  Elaborate  calcu 
lation  of  the  cost  of  raising  wheat  and  its  comparative  profits  were 
set  on  foot  at  that  time.  To  raise  a  ton  of  wheat  required  about 
two  acres  of  land,  to  plow  and  seed  which  cost  four  dollars  per 
acre  ;  the  seed  wheat  for  the  two  acres  was  worth  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  ;  cutting  and  binding,  two  dollars  ;  threshing,  at  four 
teen  cents  per  bushel  (the  price  has  receded  one-half  since  then), 
and  boarding  hands,  five  dollars  and  forty-six  ctnts  ;  hauling  an 
average  distance  of  six  miles  to  warehouse,  four  dollars  ;  wear  and 
tear  of  machinery  and  depreciation  of  land,  three  dollars  ;  taxes  on 
land,  seventy -five  cents  ;  interest  on  value  of  land,  four  dollars. 
Total,  twenty-nine  dollars  and  seventy-one  cents.  Under  these, 
meant  to  denote  ordinary  conditions,  the  cost  per  bushel  would  be 
seventy-six  cents.  Wheat  raised  in  this  valley,  in  that  year, 
brought  one  dollar  and  fifty-eight  cents  in  Liverpool,  while  its  cost 
to  the  farmer  and  shipper  in  freights  and  cost  of  production  was 
eight  cents  more  than  the  quoted  price.  In  San  Francisco  the  price 
was  one  dollar,  which  was  nineteen  cents  less  than  the  price  should 
have  been  to  pay  expenses.  The  same  sort  of  wheat  was  selling  in 
Portland  for  eighty  cents  ;  in  Albany  for  sixty  cents.  It  is  usually 
taken  for  granted,  and  is,  indeed,  pretty  well  substantiated,  that 
under  the  ordinary  circumstances  that  rule  in  the  valley,  one  dollar 
per  bushel  for  wheat,  in  the  field,  makes  farming  fairly  profitable. 

When  the  railway  fever  struck  Oregon,  the  prospect  of  cheap 
and  rapid  freights  for  agricultural  products  gave  a  great  impetus 
to  wheat-growing,  which  it  still  feels.  With  railroad  transporta 
tion  to  Portland,  that  culture  assumed  a  very  advanced  stand,  and 
wheat  became  a  very  important  article  of  export.  In  1867  the 
surplus  of  wheat  was  very  large,  and  a  better  market  began  to  be 
demanded.  This  surplus  was  estimated  at  two  millions  of  bushels, 
all  of  which  had  to  be  moved  by  the  Willamette  Kiver  steamers. 
The  price  in  that  year  was  seventy  cents  per  bushel,  as  late  as  the 


554  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

first  of  September,  but  a  sudden  rise  took  place,  and  on  October 
20th,  the  quotation  was  one  dollar  and  ten  cents.  The  amounts  of 
wheat  and  flour  received  in  Portland  in  that  year  were  one  hundred 
and  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty -one  barrels  of  flour, 
and  fifty -five  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty -eight  sacks,  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  each,  of  wheat.  This  was  practically 
all  exported  to  San  Francisco  by  vessel.  In  1866  the  exports  had 
been  twenty-nine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifteen  barrels  of 
flour,  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  wheat.  Walla  Walla  and 
Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  did  not  figure  in  these  statistics. 
Their  day  came  later. 

The  exports  of  1869,  to  the  same  port,  were  forty-one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  fifty -nine  sacks  of  wheat,  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-nine  barrels  of  flour. 
The  wheat  product  of  the  valley  was  roughly  estimated  at  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  bushels,  valued  at  $1,750,000.  In 
1870  the  corresponding  figures  are  forty-five  thousand  and  sixty 
sacks  of  wheat,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  barrels  of  flour.  The  wheat  product  increased  very 
considerably  over  the  preceding  year,  for  the  estimated  crop  was 
one  million  seven  hundred  and  ninety-four  thousand  bushels  spring 
wheat,  and  five  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand  bushels  fall  wheat ; 
making  a  total  of  two  million  three  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
bushels.  Rendered  into  centals,  etc.,  the  accounts  are  thus :  For 
the  fiscal  year  1868-69,  the  amounts  shipped  to  San  Francisco  were, 
wheat,  thirty-four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty  centals  ;  flour, 
eighty-two  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty  one  barrels ;  being 
the  equivalent  of  fourteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
tons  of  wheat.  For  1869-70,  the  year  in  which  direct  shipment  to 
Europe  began  :  To  Europe,  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  centals  wheat ;  to  San  Francisco,  fifty-one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty-two  centals  wheat,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty -four  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy -four  barrels  flour. 
Total,  the  equivalent  of  twenty-seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
forty- one  tons  wheat.  In  1870-71  :  To  Europe,  one  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-four  centals  wheat ;  to 
San  Francisco,  thirty-six  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy-one 
centals  wheat,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  thousand  six 


GRAIN  PRODUCTS.  555 

hundred  and  seventy -eight  barrels  flour  ;  to  Rio,  five  thousand 
four  hundred  and  thirty-six  barrels  flour  ;  to  China  ten  thousand 
barrels  flour.  Total,  the  equivalent  of  thirty-seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seven ty-six  tons  wheat.  In  1871-72  :  To  Europe, 
two  hundred  and  forty-two  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
centals  wheat ;  to  San  Francisco,  two  hundred  and  sixty-two 
thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-three  centals  wheat,  one  hundred  and 
thirty -eight  thousand  and  fifty-five  barrels  flour.  Total,  forty-five 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty-four  tons  wheat.  In  187:2-73  : 
To  Europe,  five  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  and  seventy-three 
centals  wheat ;  to  San  Francisco,  fifty-five  thousand  four  hundred 
and  ninety -four  centals  wheat,  ninety -six  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  barrels  flour  ;  to  China,  ten  thousand  four  hundred  and 
forty -eight  barrels  flour.  Total,  forty -four  thousand  and  thirty 
tons  wheat.  In  1873-74  :  To  Europe,  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-nine  centals  wheat,  sixty 
thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  barrels  flour ;  to  San  Fran 
cisco,  three  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand  three  hundred  and 
sixty-three  centals  wheat,  ninety-two  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-five  barrels  flour.  Total,  the  equivalent  of  eighty-three 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons,  or  about  two 
million  eight  hundred  thousand  bushels.  There  is  no  exact  means 
of  determining  the  corresponding  numbers  for  the  succeeding  years, 
for  the  product  of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  became  a  great 
factor  in  the  total,  and  the  proportions  furnished  by  those  regions 
enter  to  an  undetermined  extent  into  the  figures  of  exports.  The 
tables  included  herewith  will  give  a  sufficient  idea  of  the  produc 
tion  of  the  valley. 

As  to  the  possible  and  probable  expansion  of  wheat-growing,  a 
great  deal  has  been  said.  It  seems,  from  a  study  of  the  surveys  of 
the  valley  counties,  that  the  total  amount  of  land  suitable  for 
wheat  culture  is  two  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
acres ;  or  at  least  these  figures  were  put  forth  in  1875  as  a  fact. 
At  the  average  of  twenty -five  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre,  this 
amount  would  produce  sixty -eight  millions  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  bushels  annually,  which  would,  mostly,  be  exported, 
as  the  quantity  required  for  domestic  use  could  be  bat  a  small 
fraction  of  the  production.  Roughly  speaking,  that  amount  repre 


556  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sents  ten  times  the  present  crop,  whereby  we  discover  that  the 
average  acreage  at  present  must  be  about  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  thousand,  which  is  about  correct.  Probably  the  time  will 
never  come  when  such  an  amount  of  wheat  is  cultivated,  and  there 
are  many  who  do  not  look  for  any  further  expansion  of  the  present 
wheat  fields.  Other  calculations,  giving  each  county  its  possible 
production,  have  been  published.  The  Willamette  Farmer,  in 
December,  1873,  gave  the  following  estimate  of  possible  wheat 
production,  allowing  twenty  bushels  per  acre  as  the  average  crop. 
Marion  County,  whose  total  area  is  one  million  one  hundred  and 
nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which  seven- 
eighths  is  arable  land,  could  produce  ten  million  seven  hundred 
thousand  bushels  ;  Linn  County,  containing  a  total  area  of  one 
million  eight  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  acres,  fifteen 
million  nine  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  bushels  ;  Lane  County, 
three  million  one  hundred  and  seventy-one*  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty  acres  area,  one-half  arable,  ten  million  nine  hundred 
thousand  bushels  ;  Ben  ton,  seven  hundred  and  ten  thousand  acres 
area,  three  million  five  hundred  thousand  bushels  ;  Polk,  three 
hundred  and  ninety -nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
of  which  seven-eighths  are  supposed  to  be  arable,  two  million  seven 
hundred  thousand  bushels.  The  remaining  counties  of  Yamhill, 
Washington  and  Clackamas,  it  was  thought,  could  together,  on 
occasion,  produce  twelve  million  bushels.  Total  possible  produc 
tion,  after  making  the  necessary  deduction  for  territory  required 
for  other  necessary  crops  and  pasturage,  fifty-five  million  seven 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  bushels.  The  average  yield,  per 
bushel,  was  taken  at  twenty  bushels  per  acre,  it  appears,  because 
the  production  throughout  the  valley  was  at  that  rate  during  the 
year  in  which  the  calculation  was  made,  that  is,  in  1873.  In  that 
year  the  acreage,  in  wheat,  was  thought  to  have  been  two  hundred 
thousand,  and  the  total  product  four  million  bushels.  The  exports 
from  Portland  during  the  year  ending  July  1,  1874,  were  eighty- 
three  thousand  tons  of  wheat,  or  its  equivalent,  corresponding  to 
two  million  six  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  bushels.  The 
quantity  required  for  home  consumption  then,  was  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  one  million  three  hundred  and  forty  thousand  bushels. 
That  quantity  has  since  kept  pace  with  the  increase  in  population 
and  bears  a  regular  proportion  thereto,  as  might  be  expected. 


GRAIN  PRODUCTS.  557 

The  following  summary  is  introduced  to  show  the  effect  of  the 
introduction  of  railways  upon  wheat-growing.  The  total  exports 
of  wheat  and  flour  (the  latter  rendered  in  its  equivalent  of  wheat) 
from  the  port  of  Portland  were  :— 

In  1870,    6  cargoes,  aggregating    4,379  tons. 
"   1871,  11       "  9,274     " 

"   1872,  17  15,215     " 

"  1873,  39       "  38,344     " 

The  exportation  of  wheat  has  continued  mainly  in  the  hands  of 
several  influential  firms  in  Portland,  but  occasionally  some  exten 
sive  farmer  or  warehouseman,  impatient  of  the  ordinary  modes  of 
business,  charters  a  ship,  and  loads  her  on  his  own  account,  and 
often  realizes  well  on  the  sale  of  her  cargo  in  Europe.  The  most 
satisfactory  example  of  the  kind  was  that  of  W.  A.  Wells,  of  Cor- 
vallis,  who  sent  a  cargo  of  grain  around  the  Horn,  and  realized, 
from  the  venture,  a  very  handsome  profit,  the  proper  reward  of  so 
much  enterprise  and  commcn  sense. 

Many  varieties  of  wheat  have  been  introduced,  and  it  is  believed 
that  all  have  been  successfully  grown.  Of  the  sorts  in  common 
use,  the  White  Chili  Club  has  been  regarded  as  the  best  spring 
wheat.  It  threshes  easily,  yields  heavily,  and  makes  the  best  of 
flour.  It  succeeds  best  on  high,  dry  ground.  One  bushel  and 
three  pecks,  or  two  bushels,  are  usually  sown  on  an  acre.  The 
Little  Club  is  a  good  variety,  with  shorter  straw,  darker  and 
smaller  grain  than  the  other,  but  making  as  good  flour.  This  also 
is  suited  to  dry  soil,  and  should  be  sown  between  the  middle  of 
February  and  the  middle  of  April.  The  former  variety  should  be 
sown  between  New  Year's  and  March  first.  The  Australian  is  also 
an  excellent  kind.  For  wet  land,  Sonora  wheat  is,  probably,  the 
best  variety.  It  is  more  apt  to  lodge  than  those  named,  and  its 
flour  is  not  so  good.  Its  chaff  is  red,  its  grain  white.  The  kinds 
most  in  repute  for  winter  wheat  are  the  common  white  wheat 
and  White  Velvet  wheat.  Some  farmers  are  of  opinion  that  the 
latter  is  the  best  variety  grown  or  known  in  Oregon.  It  has  the 
largest  grain  and  makes  the  finest  flour,  but  does  not  yield  the  best. 
The  common  white  wheat  yields  very  heavily,  and  makes  good 
flour.  It  is  sown  from  October  loth  to  February  loth. 


558  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  average  yield,  per  acre,  of  the  crop  of  1880,  was  fifteen  and 
three-tenths  bushel.  The  value  per  bushel  in  Portland,  in  that 
year,  varied  from  $1.41  to  $1.92  per  bushel.  The  value  of  the 
crop,  per  acre,  without  taking  into  account  the  cost  of  transportation 
to  Portland,  assuming  <the  average  price  to  be  $1.67,  would  have 
been  $26.  The  total  value  of  the  crop  at  Portland  prices  was 
$8,836,825. 

Concerning  soil  products  of  the  second  rank,  oats  are  found  to 
stand  next  to  wheat.  The  climate  is  exceedingly  well  adapted  to 
their  culture,  and  the  crop  is  certain.  They  are  raised  generally 
throughout  the  valley.  The  crop  of  the  nine  counties  aggregated 
three  million  one  hundred  and  forty-one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  bushels  in  the  year  1880,  according  to  the  census  re 
turns.  Of  this  amount  the  two  counties  of  Marion  and  Linn 
produced  nearly  half,  their  proportions  being  six  hundred  and 
ninety -three  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  bushels,  and  six 
hundred  and  seventeen  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-four 
bushels  respectively.  The  value,  per  bushel,  has,  of  late  years, 
averaged  about  forty -one  cents  throughout  the  State,  and  some 
what  less  in  the  valley.  The  great  value  of  the  crop  consists  in 
its  certainty,  as  well  as  in  the  slight  amount  of  labor  attending  its 
cultivation.  The  yield,  per  acre,  is  supposed  to  average  thirty-four 
bushels  ;  but  three  times  that  quantity  have,  at  times,  been  raised 
on  an  acre.  The  standard  weight,  per  bushel,  is  thirty -six  pounds  ; 
but  they  frequently  weigh  as  high  as  forty  pounds  per  bushel,  and 
even  forty -three.  For  additional  facts  relating  to  this  valuable 
product,  see  the  statistical  tables  annexed. 

Indian  corn  is  found  not  to  succeed  well  in  the  valley.  It  re 
quires  a  comparatively  warm  and  dry  climate,  with  an  exceptionally 
high  temperature  during  its  growing  period,  which  the  climate  of 
Western  Oregon  does  not  perfectly  furnish.  Hence  the  product  is 
very  inconsiderable,  as  shown  in  the  tables.  The  average  price 
ruling  in  Oregon  in  1878  was  ninety -two  cents  per  bushel ;  in 
1879,  ninety-three  cents  ;  in  1880,  eighty-two  cents,  and  in  1881, 
eighty  cents. 

Barley,  from  its  comparatively  limited  demand,  has  not  become 
a  crop  of  much  importance,  but  appears  fairly  well  adapted  to  the 
soil  and  climate.  The  lead  in  the  culture  of  this  cereal  is  taken  by 


GRAIN  PRODUCTS. 


559 


Linn  County,  whose  product  exceeds  that  of  any  other.  In  1880 
her  yield  was  fifty  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventeen  bushels  ; 
the  other  counties  following  in  this  order  :  Lane,  Polk,  Yamhill, 
Marion,  Clackamas,  Benton,  Washington  and  Multnomah.  The 
total  product  of  the  valley,  for  the  year,  amounted  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty -six  thousand  and  sixty -six  bushels. 

PRODUCTION  OF  WHEAT,  OATS,  CORN  AND  BARLEY  IN  1880. 


COUNTY. 

.23 

1 

Oats, 
Bushels. 

o 

1 

^•fl 
fl  i_ 

M 

Indian  Corn, 
Acres. 

*o> 

02 

12 

Benton 

485  561 

30  511 

257  794 

8  853 

779 

21 

5  172 

155 

Clackamas  — 
Lane  

217,508 
507  038 

13,592 
39  662 

215,000 
286  216 

8,339 
11  727 

2,736 
8  249 

127 

260 

5,449 
43  629 

179 
1,830 

Linn          

861  593 

75  109 

629  164 

25  764 

4  911 

148 

50  117 

2,221 

Marion  — 

1  055  886 

62  922 

693  630 

23  901 

4067 

134 

9996 

368 

Multnomah-  _ 
Polk  

11,554 
830  214 

599 
52  342 

23,809 
343  705 

850 
11  882 

1,029 
1  000 

28 
60 

1,189 
25,037 

48 
957 

Washington  - 
Yarnhill  _.. 

375,813 
957  929 

20,103 
52  008 

315,489 
379  033 

9,226 
12  335 

1,956 

2  032 

68 
73 

3,277 
12,195 

121 
571 

TOTALS-— 

5,302,096 

346,848 

3,143,840 

112,877 

26,759 

919 

157,061 

6,450 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS. 

—  Well  Adapted  to  the  Lands  of  the  Willamette  —  Linseed  Oil  — 
Table  of  Flax  Production  —  Quality  —  Hops  a  Certain  and  Valuable 
Crop  —  Table  —  Hay  —  Clover  —  Grasses—  Vegetables  —  Potatoes  —  Mar 
ket  Gardening  a  Profitable  Industry  —  Table  —  Fruit  —  Apples,  Pears 
and  Prunes  the  Principal  Varieties  —  Markets  —  History  of  Apple- 
Raising  —  William  Meek  —  Present  Condition,  of  Orchards—  Yield  of 
Apples  —  Dealings  with  San  Francisco  —  Mode  of  Culture  —  Fruit 
Drying  —  Importance  of  the  Industry  —  Prospective  Growth  —  Prunes 
—  Plums  —  Peaches  —  Future  of  Fruit-  Growing  —  Berries  —  Wild 
Species  —  Table  Showing  the  Production  of  Principal  Varieties  and 
Value  of  Orchard  Products  —  Beet  Sugar  and  Potato  Starch. 


FLAX  has  been  a  promising  crop  in  the  valley,  and  except  for 
the  discouragements  incident  to  the  introduction  of  a  new 
agricultural  product,  doubtless,  would  have  become  a  staple  of  still 
greater  importance.  Something  like  twenty  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  first  attempts  were  made  to  raise  the  plant  ;  and  in  that 
time  a  valuable  fund  of  experience  has  been  acquired,  and,  in  some 
cases,  considerable  success  achieved.  In  the  first  place,  flax  grows 
exceptionally  well  in  Oregon.  Its  fibre  is  strong  and  valuable, 
and  worth  more,  for  manufacturing  purposes,  than  any  grown  in 
the  Eastern  States.  So  say  good  judges.  It  is  generally  known 
that  two  valuable  products  are  realized  from  the  growth  of  flax, 
one  being  the  fibre  itself,  the  other,  and  secondary  one,  the  seed, 
from  which  linseed  oil  is  expressed.  A  bushel  of  seed  yields  two 
and  a  half  gallons  of  oil.  To  obtain  this  oil,  machinery  is  ne 
cessary  ;  and  after  the  flax  culture  came  to  demand  it,  a  mill  was 
built  at  Salem,  since  called  the  Pioneer  Oil  Works.  The 
proprietors  purchased  the  seed  from  the  farmers  of  Marion  and 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS. 


561 


Linn,  where  the  new  industry  had  taken  root,  and  started  work  on 
December  21,  1867,  and  have  continued  with  success  ever  since. 
They  had  ten  thousand  six  hundred  bushels  of  seed  the  first  year, 
and  made  one  hundred  gallons  of  oil  daily  at  first.  Quite  a  num 
ber  of  the  farmers  of  the  east  side  became  interested  in  flax -raising, 
and  in  1875  Walter  Huston  had  eighty  acres  in  flax.  Joseph 
Holman  and  R.  C.  Geer  and  many  others  have  also  been  identified 
with  the  industry.  The  farmers  of  only  three  counties  have  en 
gaged  largely  in  flax -raising. 

TABLE  OF  FLAX  PRODUCTION  IN  1880. 


COUNTY. 

Acres. 

Bushels  Seed. 

Tons  Straw. 

Pounds  Fibre. 

Lane  

837 

7  187 

121 

Linn  _  _    _ 

_     _    1,479  __ 

13  759 

33 

28  176 

Marion  __ 

.     .         17    -     - 

130 

2 

TOTALS-  — 

2,333  

-  _    21,076  

156  

28,176-- 

Quantities  of  flax  exported  to  New  York  and  Great  Britain  have 
been  pronounced  of  excellent  quality  and  a  really  superior  article. 
It  has  brought  from  $300  to  $500  per  ton.  The  yield  per  acre 
varies  from  four  to  eight  hundred  pounds  of  clean  lint.  There  has 
been  talk  of  starting  a  factory  somewhere  in  the  Willamette  Valley 
for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  thread,  twine,  and  linen  goods 
from  the  flax.  As  for  the  esteem  in  which  the  product  is  held 
abroad,  it  may  be  noted  that  samples  of  Oregon  flax  were  exhibited 
at  the  Centennial  Exposition,  and  received  diplomas  and  medals  for 
very  fine  quality,  extraordinary  length,  strength,  good  color,  superior 
gloss  and  silky  softness.  The  oil  made  at  Salem  was  pronounced 
of  superior  quality,  being  clear,  fine  and  free  from  sediment,  of  ex 
cellent  body  and  high  merit. 

Hops  have  proved  a  very  successful  crop,  nothing  lacking  to 
their  vigorous  growth  and  advance  to  full  perfection.  In  several 
seasons,  however,  untimely  rains  have  set  in  and  retarded  the  pick 
ing  of  the  ripened  and  matured  crop.  Some  loss  has  been  felt  from 
this  account,  but  nothing  serious.  The  regions  mainly  devoted  to 


562 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


hop-raising  are  in  Lane,  Marion  and  Linn  counties,  whose  produc 
tions  stand,  as  regards  amount,  in  the  order  named,  whereof  the 
former  produced  in  1880,  the  census  year,  ninety -two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  ninety -eight  pounds  of  hops.  The  statistics  con 
cerning  the  crop  of  that  year  are  annexed.  The  home,  par  ex 
cellence,  of  the  hop  is  on  the  McKenzie  River,  in  Lane  County, 
where  the  largest  and  most  productive  plantations  are  found. 
That  portion  of  the  valley  has  been  celebrated  for  hop-culture  ever 
since  the  pioneer  of  the  industry,  J.  W.  Kunoff,  began  his  experi 
ments.  Speaking  in  general  terms,  hops  grow  luxuriantly  and 
yield  heavily  in  the  valley.  Messrs.  Beckett  and  Hudson,  of  Eola, 
raised  in  1876  one  thousand  seven  hundred  pounds  per  acre,  and 
in  the  same  year  George  E.  May,  of  Lane  County,  .secured  three 
thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety  pounds  from  an  acre.  Other 
instances  show  a  yield  of  from  one  thousand  three  hundred  to  two 
thousand  nine  hundred  pounds,  the  former  number,  doubtless, 
recurring  oftenest. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  production  of  hops  in  1880,  in 
the  whole  valley  :— 


COUNTY. 

Acres. 

Pounds. 

Average  per  Acre. 

Lane  
Tjinn 

131  
32 

92,798  ~ 

25,830    - 

708  
807 

Marion 

41 

.      —  67,080    . 

1,63(5 

~\l  ultnomah 

2 

1  425    ' 

712 

Polk 

35 

17  020 

486 

\Vashin2?ton 

4 

3540 

885  _ 

Yamhill 

14 

6  150 

_     __     439  - 

TOTALS 

259  

.-  213,843  - 

825  

The  hay  crop  of  the  valley  is  not  excessive,  as  the  demand  for 
prepared  stock  feed  is  necessarily  small.  The  natural  grasses  of 
the  State  are  very  abundant  and  nutritious,  and  it  has  not  been 
found  necessary  to  replace  them  by  cultivated  varieties,  as  has 
been  done  in  the  Eastern  States.  In  the  open  spots  in  the  rnoun- 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS.  563 

tains  the  grasses,  green  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  grow 
thickly,  and  are  generally  covered  and  shaded  by  fern.  These 
grasses  form  the  principal  sustenance  of  the  cattle  and  sheep 
which  may  chance  to  be  in  the  neighborhood.  The  wild  peavine 
grows  there  also,  and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  forage  plants. 
In  these  isolated  places,  oases,  as  it  were,  many  thousand  sheep 
and  cattle  pasture,  high  up  in  the  mountains,  and  far  above  the 
settled  localities.  They  are  removed  thence  on  the  failure  of  feed 
or  the  approach  of  cold  weather.  Bunch  grass  is  a  main  depend 
ence  of  the  nomadic  cattle  men,  and  is,  indeed,  of  inestimable 
value.  The  cultivated  grasses  are  numerous.  Timothy,  otherwise 
called  herd's-grass,  is  the  principal  variety,  and  is  the  staple  for  hay 
production.  It  grows  extremely  well.  Red  and  white  clover  are 
esteemed  of  great  worth,  and  their  culture  is  practiced  to  consider 
able  extent.  Three,  and  even  five  tons  of  cured  clover  hay,  the 
product  of  a  single  acre,  in  one  year,  are  not  uncommon  yields. 
This  fact  alone  is  enough  to  prove  the  adaptability  of  Western 
Oregon  to  dairying,  for  clover  hay  and  clover  pasturage  are  well 
known  to  be  extremely  valuable  in  that  pursuit.  A  very  good  sod 
results  from  seeding  with  clover  or  herd's-grass,  and  the  open  hilly 
lands,  it  is  thought,  could,  very  quickly,  be  reduced  to  first-rate 
pasturage  of  this  sort.  There  is  not  the  least  danger,  usually,  that 
the  lack  of  rain  in  summer  will  prove  fatal  to  the  rootlets.  It  will 
be  seen  by  the  tables  of  hay  production  in  1880  that  the  average 
yield  was  one  and  six-tenths  tons,  or  three  thousand  two  hundred 
pounds  per  acre. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  superior  vegetables  of  all  species  com 
mon  in  the  temperate  zone,  grow  to  profusion  in  Western  Oregon. 
Potatoes,  cabbage,  onions,  turnips,  squashes,  beets,  carrots,  par 
snips,  cucumbers,  melons,  lettuce,  celery,  tomatoes  and  other 
varieties,  are  always  abundant  and  good  and  none  of  them  afflicted 
with  disease.  Enormous  crops  are  the  order  of  the  day.  P.  M. 
Rinearson,  of  Clackamas,  raised  four  hundred  and  twelve  bushels 
of  onions  on  one-half  acre,  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  bushels  of  carrots  per  acre,  and  forty -one  tons  two  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds  of  ruta  baga  turnips  per  acre.  These  immense 
crops  were  harvested  in  the  same  year.  The  potato  remains  free 
from  disease  and  insect  parasites,  and  forms  an  important  product. 


564 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Its  average  production,  per  acre,  in -1880,  throughout  the  valley, 
was  one  hundred  and  thirty -three  bushels. 

In  spite  of  the  almost  spontaneous  growth  of  the  best -flavored 
vegetables  and  garden  produce,  there  is  not  a  sufficient  quantity 
raised  by  the  American  farmers  to  supply  the  demand,  and  the 
larger  towns  and  cities  have  to  depend  for  their  supply  mainly  on 
the  Chinese  market  gardens,  or  on  the  produce  of  California  gar 
dens,  brought  by  the  steamship  line  from  San  Francisco.  No 
considerable  class  of  white  market  gardeners  has  yet  made  its  ap 
pearance  in  Oregon,  although  representatives  of  that  class  have 
achieved  notable  success  in  their  pursuit  in  Portland,  Salem  and 
elsewhere,  and  not  one  has  failed  to  make  money.  At  the  prices 
that  are  cheerfully  paid  for  "  garden  truck "  there  is  an  ample 
margin  for  profit,  and  industrious  men  never  fail  to  realize  money 
from  such  pursuits. 

PRODUCTION  OF  POTATOES  AND  HAY  IN  1880. 


COUNTY. 

Potatoes- 
Bushels. 

Potatoes- 
Acres. 

CD 

I* 

£ 

« 

0 

M 
& 
H 

Benton                   -     --     -- 

32932 

214 

10,638 

6,339 

Clackamas-        -    __ 

208  810 

1,525 

9,196 

5,403 

Lane       -        -     --     ___     ___ 

52  795 

412 

15,955 

9,593 

Li  nil 

72235 

709 

19  000 

13  107 

]V4arion 

153  355 

1  131 

13  474 

8322 

Multnomah 

203  730 

1  560 

9  655 

5  655 

Polk      --      

21,724 

177 

14,351 

8,479 

\Vashington 

115  013 

762 

9623 

7623 

Yamhill 

63  406 

460 

12347 

6,706 

TOTAL-  

924,000 

6,950 

114,244 

71,227 

The  subjects  of  fruit  and  fruit-raising,  by  their  relative  impor 
tance,  deserve  the  deepest  consideration,  and  the  profoundest  treat 
ment.  Much  has  been  said  concerning  the  qualities  and  varieties 
of  Oregon -grown  fruits,  but  whoever  would  inform  himself  upon 
what  has  been  said  would  be  astonished  at  the  inconsequential 
character  of  it  all.  The  literature  of  fruit-raising  appears  to  con 
sist  mainly  in  repetitions  of  what  some  ,one  or  other  originally  re 
marked  ;  and  the  utmost  depth  of  men's  investigations  is  the  dis 
covery  that  the  fruit  of  Western  Oregon  is  superior  to  that  of 
every  other  region.  The  best  essay  on  the  subject  of  the  resources 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS.  565 

of  Oregon,  which  has  heretofore  appeared,  is  a  small  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  railroad  people  in  1878,  entitled  "  Oregon,  Facts  Re 
garding  its  Climate,  8oil  and  Agricultural  Resources  ;"  written 
and  published  with  a  design  of  attracting  immigration.  Its  judg 
ment  on  fruit  is  in  the  following  words  :— 

Western  Oregon  excels  as  a  fruit  country.  No  finer  fruit,  of  the  kinds  raised 
there,  is  produced  in  any  quarter  of  the  globe.  Fruit  trees  will  grow  from  six  to 
eight  feet  the  first  year ;  bear  fruit  the  second,  third  and  fourth  years,  according  to 
variety.  They  thrive  in  the  valleys,  as  well  as  on  the  foot-hills,  and  up  to  a  con 
siderable  height  in  the  mountains,  but  especially  in  dry,  sheltered  soil.  Yearling 
prune,  peach  and  plum  trees,  eight  feet  high,  and  yearling  cherry  trees  seven  feet 
high  have  been  exhibited.  Apple  trees  commence  bearing  very  young,  sometimes 
producing  tine  fruit  the  second  year  after  grafting ;  and,  if  properly  cultivated,  are 
always  in  bearing  when  four  or  five  years  old.  The  fruit  is  large,  highly-colored 
and  of  the  most  delicious  flavor.  It  is  free  from  the  apple  worm  and  the  bitter  rot, 
and  keeps  remarkably  well,  many  varieties  lasting  through  the  whole  year.  Pears 
also  grow  in  great  perfection.  The  trees  begin  to  bear  when  remarkably  young, 
and  are  exceedingly  healthy  and  vigorous,  and  being  entirely  free  from  diseases, 
will  live  to  a  great  age.  The  trees  are  very  productive  and  the  fruit  highly-flavored, 
Pears  have  been  grown,  weighing  over  three  pounds.  Oregon  is  the  very  Eden  for 
cherries,  plums  and  prunes.  The  trees  are  perfectly  healthy,  grow  vigorously  and 
bear  much  earlier  than  in  the  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  for  size, 
beauty  and  excellence  of  flavor,  the  fruit  is  unsurpassed  in  any  part  of  the  globe. 
The  plum  and  prune  are  entirely  free  from  the  attack  of  the  curculio.  Plums  and 
prunes,  especially  the  latter,  are  found  to  be  so  profitable  for  drying,  that  orchards 
are  being  planted  for  that  purpose.  Not  less  than  two  hundred  thousand  trees 
have  been  planted  within  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  Portland  in  the  last  three  or 
four  y ears.  Trees  of  all  varieties  of  apple,  pear,  plum,  prune,  cherry,  etc.,  known 
in  the  best  catalogues  can  be  obtained  in  the  nurseries  near  Portland,  at  reasonable 
prices.  Strawberries,  currants,  raspberries  and  gooseberries,  of  a  fine  quality,  are 
raised  in  abundance.  Several  of  the  hardier  varieties  of  grapes  are  successfully 
cultivated.  The  summer  nights  are  too  cool  for  the  successful  cultivation  of 
peaches.  Fruit-raising  in  Western  Oregon  already  constitutes  a  considerable  busi 
ness,  and  promises  excellent  returns.  In  J875  establishments  were  erected  at 
various  points  for  drying  fruits,  which  are  of  the  best  quality,  and  find  a  ready 
market  in  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  in  New  York,  China,  Japan,  South  America, 
Australia,  and  other  localities.  Much  of  the  fresh  fruit  is  exported  to  California 
and  the  adjacent  territories.  The  Oregon  apples,  in  particular,  find  a  ready  market 
in  California,  where  only  a  much  inferior  article  is  raised. 

This  is  a  very  fair  review  of  an  important  industry,  which  is 
apparently  destined  to  become  of  prime  consequence  to  the  people 
of  Western  Oregon.  The  aspect  of  the  question  has  not  materially 
changed  since  1878,  the  date  of  publication  of  the  words  above 
quoted,  and  they  still  remain  applicable  to  the  condition  of  affairs. 
There  are,  however,  certain  statements  that  require  explanation 
and  enlargement. 


566  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

The  first  apple  orchard  in  the  Willamette  Valley  was  grown  from 
trees  brought  across  the  plains  by  William  Meek  and  H.  Lewelling 
(see  page  301).  They  were  planted  at  Milwaukie,  six  miles  south 
of  Portland.  The  firm  of  Lewelling  &  Meek  came  in  time  to 
possess,  at  that  place,  the  largest  orchard  and  nursery  in  Oregon. 
They  sent  apples  in  1852,  and  subsequent  years,  to  California, 
where  they  were  sold,  at  enormous  prices,  to  miners  and  others. 
The  sales  of  fruit  and  grafts  and  young  trees  brought  wealth  to 
the  enterprising  proprietors.  In  1860  Mr.  Meek  removed  to  Cali 
fornia,  settled  at  San  Lorenzo,  near  Oakland,  and,  in  the  pursuits 
of  horticulture,  acquired  celebrity  and  great  wealth.  He  died 
several  years  since.  Many  orchards  were  set  out  by  the  pioneer 
immigrants,  and  some  of  the  trees  planted  at  that  early  period  are 
still  in  vigorous  bearing.  Fruit- culture,  especially  of  the  apple, 
proved  very  profi table  ;  the  limited  product  of  thirty  years  ago 
selling  at  fancy  prices.  Several  people  attained  considerable  wealth, 
though  few*  adopted  fruit-raising  as  an  exclusive  pursuit.  The 
high  prices  of  the  early  years  gave  a  great  impetus  to  orchard 
planting,  and  when  those  came  into  full  bearing,  the  increase  of 
the  supply  brought  prices  down  rapidly.  The  demand  has  not 
been  great,  nor  has  k  materially  increased  of  late  ;  but  the  supply 
is  immense.  Nearly  every  farm  in  the  valley  has  its  orchard  of 
fruit  trees,  mainly  apples,  and  not  one -tenth  of  the  crop  is  or  could 
be  sold.  The  waste  of  good  fruit  is  invariably  great.  The  prices, 
of  late  years,  have  been  extremely  low  ;  good  apples  are  to  be  had 
in  any  quantity  at  twenty  cents  per  bushel,  and  cider  apples,  of  a 
poorer  quality,  and  taken  without  sorting,  can  be  bought  for 
slightly  less.  The  inevitable  result  of  such  prices  is  seen  in  the 
ill-kept  condition  of  the  orchards,  which,  in  most  cases,  are  un- 
pruned,  unploughed  and  uncared  for  generally,  with  moss  on  every 
trunk,  and  brush  and  weeds  upon  the  ground  and  in  the  fence 
corners.  A  great  falling  off  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  fruit 
results  from  such  carelessness. 

The  yield,  throughout  the  valley,  has  been  judged  to  average 
one  million  three  hundred  thousand  bushels,  besides  which  a  large 
amount  has  annually  rotted  upon  the  ground,  or  been  eaten  by 
hogs.  There  are  enough  trees  already  planted  to  supply  any 
probable  extension  of  the  present  demand,  although  that  demand 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS.  567 

has  been  increased  within  a  season  or  two,  by  the  completion  of  the 
overland  railways,  and,  doubtless,  will  keep  pace  with  the  increase 
of  population  in  the  territories  to  the  eastward. 

As  long  ago  as  1865,  the  value  of  Oregon  apples  shipped  to 
San  Francisco,  amounted,  in  one  twelve-month,  to  about  $100,000. 
The  following  year  the  sales  declined  to  half  that.  They  sold 
sometimes  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents  per  box, 
or  nearly  four  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  and  were  said  by  the 
Calif ornians  to  be  "  better  apples,  of  a  better  color,  and  of  better 
keeping  qualities  than  California  fruit."  The  average  price 
received  in  San  Francisco  has  been  about  one  dollar  per  box,  or 
two  and  a  half  cents  per  pound.  We  notice  a  gradual  decline  in 
the  price  from  the  earliest  times,  when  the  price  reached,  in  isolated 
examples,  its  maximum  of  a  dollar  per  apple,  which  was  sometimes 
paid.  On  the  export  California -wards  depends  the  greater  part  of 
the  prosperity  of  the  fruit- raisers.  There  has  always  been  a 
sufficient  amount  of  green  fruit  shipped  there  to  form  a  very  con 
siderable  item  in  the  State's  exports,  and  it  appears  that  that  de 
mand  is  not  likely  to  be  much  increased,  or,  at  least,  not  immedi 
ately. 

Fruit  trees,  in  "Western  Oregon,  may  be  planted  either  in  spring 
or  fall,  whenever  the  ground  is  in  proper  condition,  and  apple  trees 
are  set  from  eighteen  to  twenty -four  feet  apart,  or  with  seventy -eight 
to  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  trees  to  the  acre.  Sometimes  they 
are  properly  attended  to,  cultivated,  freed  from  insects  and  en 
croaching  weeds  ;  but  more  often  are  left  un tended  and  subject  to 
the  attacks  of  parasites,  animal  and  vegetable,  the  moss  accumulated 
upon  their  stems,  and  before  its  full  growth,  or  while  it  is  in  a  scarcely 
mature  age,  the  tree  presents  an  aspect  of  decrepitude  and  decay. 
Frequent]}'  the  ground  included  in  the  orchard  is  seeded  to  wheat 
or  other  grain  crop  ;  and  the  soil,  which  should  have  been  left  for 
the  exclusive  sustenance  of  the  trees,  becomes  sapped  of  its  fertility, 
its  strength  going  to  increase  the  contents  of  the  farmer's  grain  bins. 

The  industry  of  drying  fruit  for  home  consumption,  and  sale  to 
distant  markets,  has  engaged  some  few  Oregonians  for  a  lengthened 
period  of  years.  It  seems  to  present  assurances  of  positive  present 
gain,  with  every  chance  of  increased  usefulness.  Since  the  intro 
duction  of  improved  apparatus  and  processes  of  curing,  very  much 


568  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

increased  attention  has  been  called  to  the  subject.  By  the  aid  of 
the  Alden,  or  any  one  of  the  several  patent  dryers,  apples,  pears, 
prunes,  and  other  fruits,  are  cured  and  prepared  for  shipment  to 
market  at  very  cheap  rates.  The  art  of  curing  fruit,  little  under 
stood  until  within  the  last  two  decades,  has  advanced  with  giant 
strides,  and  promises  a  competence  to  everybody  who  can  command 
sufficient  means  to  buy  a  dryer  and  a  quantity  of  fruit.  Previously 
it  has  often  been  remarked  that  the  sun-dried  Oregon  fruit  was 
badly  prepared,  oftentimes  being  infested  with  insects  and  present 
ing  an  uninviting  appearance  generally,  owing  to  its  dark  color, 
etc.  The  objections  which  once  gave  Oregon  dried  fruit  a  bad 
reputation  and  materially  injured  its  sale,  have  now  been  removed, 
and  the  machine-cured  apples,  prunes,  etc.,  find  ready  sale,  at 
prices  which  are  usually  very  remunerative.  Many  people  have 
embarked  in  the  business,  some  of  them  with  success.  The  ex 
pected  pecuniary  results  have  not,  in  all  cases,  been  realized,  partly 
because  of  a  decline  in  prices  ;  but  sufficient  experience  has  been 
had  to  place  the  business  in  a  condition  of  permanency,  and  to 
guarantee  it  as  one  of  the  occupations  upon  which  the  State  will, 
in  future,  depend  for  her  prosperity. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  Western  Oregon  can,  and  does  pro 
duce  more  and  better  prunes  than  any  other  section  of  the  United 
States.  It  would  seem  that  this  valley  is  exactly  suited  for  their 
culture,  by  reason  of  its  soil,  temperature  and  circumstances 
generally.  The  varieties  mostly  cultivated  are  the  Fellenberg, 
Gros  Prune  d'Agen,  Petit  Prune  d'Agen,  and  some  others.  They 
produce,  at  six  years  old,  one  hundred,  or  more  pounds  of  fruit,  if 
cultivated  carefully,  and  at  twelve  years  they  reach  three  hundred 
or  five  hundred  pounds.  The  fruit  begins  to  ripen  in  the  last  of 
August,  and  will  remain  sound  while  yet  hanging  upon  the  trees 
for  two  months  or  more.  The  division  of  prunes  into  German  and 
Italian  is  of  some  importance  to  fruit-growers,  who  discriminate 
between  them  to  the  prejudice  of  the  one  or  the  other.  One 
hundred  pounds  of  the  green  fruit  will  make  thirty  pounds  when 
dried,  without  considering  the  weight  of  the  pits,  and  the  dried 
fruit  sells,  usually,  at  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  cents  per  pound, 
without  pits,  and  about  thirteen  cents  with.  The  green  fruit  costs, 
at  the  dryers,  about  two  or  two  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  and 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS.  569 

the  buyers,  usually,  have  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  procuring 
all  they  want. 

Plums  are  of  equally  luxuriant  growth  and  excellent  flavor, 
with  the  prunes,  and  are  found  in  greater  variety.  It  has  been  the 
custom  for  the  orchard  owners  to  set  out  in  each  a  few  plum  trees, 
sufficient  for  the  home  demands.  The  sorts  mostly  planted  are  the 
Washington,  Columbia,  Reine  Claude  de  Bavay,  General  Hand, 
Ickworth  Imperatrice,  Green  Gage,  Jefferson,  Coe's  late  Red  (will 
hang  on  the  tree  until  January),  Coe's  Golden  Drop  (a  mammoth 
plum),  Egg  Plums,  and  other  sorts  numerous  beyond  mention. 
The  Royal  Hattine  is  a  great  bearer,  ripening  in  July.  The 
Quackenboss  is  large,  suited  for  table  use. 

Plums  are  in  comparatively  small  demand  in  the  markets,  and, 
consequently,  are  very  cheap.  The  most  excellent  fruit  can  often 
be  purchased  for  twenty -five  cents  per  bushel,  at  which  rate  their 
culture  is  not  profitable.  They  are  considered  of  less  value  than 
prunes  for  drying. 

Of  other  fruits,  etc.,  there  is  less  to  say.  The  peach  is  not  very 
successfully  cultivated,  by  reason  of  the  peculiarities  of  climate. 
The  few  that  are  raised  are  of  fair  size  and  good  flavor.  Exhaustive 
experiments  have  been  made  with  good  prospect  of  finding  a 
variety  suited  to  the  climate.  A  few  were  raised,  in  early 
years,  which  were  sold  in  1855,  in  Portland,  for  five  dollars  per 
bushel.  Pears  lack  nothing  of  full  perfection,  when  grown  in  the 
valley,  taking  a  place  second  only  to  the  apple  and  the  prune. 
All  the  commoner  and  more  esteemed  varieties  are  cultivated  with 
entire  success,  among  others,  the  well  known  Bartlett  and  Duchess 
pears,  etc.  Their  fruit  is  dealt  in  at  the  Portland  and  other 
markets,  where  it  attains  a  price  corresponding  to  that  of  apples 
and  prunes. 

Under  the  circumstances  in  which  the  people  of  Oregon  are 
placed,  as  to  transportation,  climate,  soil,  etc.,  it  seems  that  no  de 
mand  for  fresh  or  dried  fruits,  such  as  grow  in  this  latitude,  could 
arise  beyond  the  power  of  the  Willamette  valley  to  supply.  The 
existing  demand  is  of  a  constant  nature,  and  is  subject  to  a  slight 
but  certain  increase.  The  home  demand  is,  of  course,  fixed  and 
unwavering,  but  does  not  enter  into  commercial  calculations.  It  is 
probable  that  a  considerable  movement  of  green  fruit  toward  the 


570  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

East  will  take  place,  because  the  apples,  pears,  and  fruits  of  that 
sort,  are  not  grown  in  plenty,  or  of  sufficiently  good  quality,  in  the 
districts  with  which  the  railways  connect  us.  It  is  much  the  same 
with  dried  fruit,  and  men  of  judgment  are  confidently  expecting 
an  immense  increase  to  the  present  considerable  production.  The 
exportation  of  dried  fruit,  from  Portland,  in  the  twelve  months 
ending  July  31,  1883,  amounted  to  $53,707. 

The  testimony  of  travelers  and  botanists  shows,  beyond  cavil, 
that  there  is  no  country  in  the  known  world  where  wild  berries 
are  so  common  as  in  Oregon.  In  the  woods  and  prairies  of  this 
part  of  the  State,  no  less  than  eighteen  varieties  of  edible  berries, 
some  of  them  equal  in  flavor  to  cultivated  sorts,  exist,  abundant, 
large  and  delicious,  mostly  unknown  or  little  appreciated  by  man, 
but  furnishing  a  large  part  of  the  diet  of  the  numerous  wild  birds 
and  beasts  of  the  forest  and  field.  The  kinds  best  known  are  the 
blackberry,  strawberry,  huckleberry,  salmon -berry,  sallal,  Oregon 
grape,  squawberry,  and  others.  The  Indians  of  the  valley  once 
derived  a  large  part  of  their  subsistence  from  various  berries, 
gathered  and  dried,  and  eaten  with  dried  salmon.  The  enormous 
quantities  of  wild  blackberries,  growing  in  the  woods,  are  of  im 
portance  to  the  cuisirte  of  many  white  families  who  repair  in  July, 
to  favorite  localities,  where  they  engage  in  picking  them  for  future 
consumption.  They  grow  in  almost  unlimited  quantities,  only 
approached  in  that  respect  by  the  huckleberries,  which  have  a 
more  contracted  habitat,  being  confined  to  the  mountain  regions, 
where  whole  townships  are  covered  by  their  bushes.  Their  fruit 
is  of  some  use,  as  food  for  human  beings,  and  plays  a  very  im 
portant  part  in  the  dietary  of  many  wild  animals,  particularly 
bears,  which  grow  fat  on  them.  The  sallal  is  a  delicious  berry, 
which  is  peculiar  to  Oregon,  and  is,  by  some,  ignorantly  supposed 
to  be  poisonous.  It  is  found  widely  extended  over  the  Coast  and 
Cascade  Ranges,  but  each  plant  (two  to  three  feet  high)  bears 
but  a  few  berries,  the  size  of  small  pistol  balls.  The  salmon -berry 
grows  upon  usually  high  bushes  beside  running  streams  ;  its  berry 
is  red  or  yellow,  and,  in  structure,  like  a  raspberry,  but  more 
insipid.  It  is  not  highly  regarded  as  food,  and  possesses  a  com 
paratively  short  season,  whereas  the  blackberry,  huckleberry  and 
sallal  remain  upon  the  bushes,  in  a  state  of  ripeness,  for  weeks,  and 
even  months. 


OTHER  FIELD  PRODUCTS. 


571 


FRUIT  PRODUCTION  IN  1880. 


COUNTY. 

0£ 

! 

ED 

i! 

r 

*** 

& 

Peaches- 
Bushels. 

Value  of 
Orchard 
Products. 

Benton 

4,154 

58,976 

254 

101 

$14,167 

Clackamas            -  -- 

165,428 

130,136 

2,185 

832 

32,995 

Lane 

85,304 

121,712 

599 

490 

37,144 

Linn        _  - 

155,777 

199,185 

473 

787 

65,768 

Marion 

191,221 

213,416 

436 

22 

54,448 

IVIultnomah 

58,219 

34,893 

1.141 

51 

26,268 

Polk 

117  685 

164  286 

'  36 

28,814 

\Vashington 

64,744 

73,540 

15 

36 

19,472 

Yamhill 

118,557 

216,147 

290 

40 

52,054 

TOTAL           -  - 

961,095 

1,212,288 

5,429 

2,359 

$331,130 

This  chapter  would  be  incomplete  without  a  reference  to  the 
introduction  of  the  sugar  beet,  which  has  been  advocated  with  such 
a  setting  forth  of  the  merits  and  profits  of  this  culture,  that  its 
value  to  the  State  would  seem  enormous.  It  is  well  known  that 
this  plant  is  the  source  of  the  greater  part  of  the  sugar  consumed 
on  the  continent  of  Europe,  and,  that  it  has  been  successfully 
applied  to  sugar -making  in  the  United  States.  The  soil  of  the 
Willamette  Valley  has  been  found  to  be  very  well  adapted  to  its 
growth,  and  the  seasons  are  sufficiently  long  to  admit  of  the  fullest 
development  of  the  contained  sugar.  The  extraction  of  the 
sweetening  product  is  a  simple  art,  but  sufficiently  detailed  and 
complicated  to  give  employment  to  many  men  for  quite  a  prolonged 
period.  Beet  sugar  works  then  would  have  a  double  advantage  to 
this  country,  m  being  the  means  of  furnishing  a  very  important 
article  of  consumption,  which,  at  present,  has  to  be  imported  from 
foreign  lands,  and  second,  in  furnishing  work  to  a  class  of  desirable 
citizens.  No  great  degree  of  skill  is  necessary  in  this  art,  or,  at 
least,  the  greater  number  of  the  operatives  in  beet  sugar  refineries 
are  unskilled.  It  is  worth  while  for  intelligent  experimenters  to 
examine  further  into  the  availability  of  this  region  for  beet  culture. 
The  line  of  experiments  would  embrace  a  determination  of  the 
sugar  riches  of  various  approved  varieties  of  beets,  the  proportion 
of  uncrystallizable  syrup,  the  percentage  of  alkaline  ingredients  in 
the  ash  of  the  beet,  the  area  of  land  suitable  for  the  crop,  and  the 
relative  profit  of  the  culture,  as  compared  with  other  products. 


572  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Potatoes  having  been  found  to  grow  so  successfully,  it  is  highly 
possible  that  the  manufacture  of  starch  from  that  source  will,  one 
day,  be  an  industry  of  consequence.  In  certain  districts  in  the 
East,  particularly  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  potato  starch  - 
making  has  become  the  chief  manufacture,  and  contributes  largely 
to  the  resources  of  those  States.  Starch  is  there  made  at  a  profit, 
when  potatoes  bring  twenty -five  or  thirty  cents  a  bushel — a  price 
that  enables  them  to  be  raised,  but  not  very  profitably.  What 
conditions  would  surround  the  culture  of  potatoes  for  starch - 
making  in  Oregon  can  only  be  surmised.  It  is  probable  that  it 
would  prove  a  great  benefit  to  the  more  retired  districts,  but  would 
hardly  assume  a  leading  position  among  the  occupations  of  a  com 
mon  character.  Like  beet  sugar -making,  it  would  afford  lucrative 
employment  for  a  considerable  number  of  persons,  who,  by  the 
way,  need  not  be  of  exceptional  skill  as  operatives. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


LIVE  STOCK. 

The  Earliest  Introduction  of  Cattle — Cattle  brought  from  California— 
Herds  brought  by  Immigrants — Improved  Stock — Dairying — Non- 
prvgressive  Practices  of  the  Farmers — Beef  Animals — Table  of 
Cattle  and  Dairy,  Products — Statistics  of  Horses,  Etc. — Sheep 
Introduction  of —Brought  from  California  and  the  East — Improved 
Breeds — The  Merino — Domestic  Animals  Oncared  For — Woolen 
Mills — Watts  Leads  the  Way — Mill  at  Oregon  City — Willamette 
Mill  at  Salem — Mill  at  Brownsville — Excellent  Quality  of  Cloths 
Manufactured — Table  of  Sheep,  and  Wool  Production — Swine — 
Peculiar  Advantages  in  Pork-raising — Animals  Neglected — Table 
Showing  Number  of  Hogs  and  Their  Value— Goats. 

THE  earliest  introduction  of  cattle  into  Oregon  was  accom 
plished  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who,  as  a  measure  of 
expediency,  brought  a  few  horned  animals  to  Vancouver,  sometime 
in  1835.  These  animals,  probably,  came  from  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  Their  practice  was  to  retain  exclusive  ownership  of 
every  animal,  with  the  offspring  of  the  cows,  although  they,  at 
times,  leased  the  cows  to  American  and  other  settlers,  exacting  the 
return  of  the  beasts,  with  their  calves,  if  any  were  born  during  the 
term  of  hire.  Consequent  upon  this  severe  condition,  no  progress 
could  be  made  in  stock-raising,  until,  in  1837,  the  first  Spanish 
cattle  were  imported  from  California,  being  brought  overland  by 
individuals  who  went  to  that  country  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
stock  for  the  use  of  American  settlers  in  the  Willamette  Valley. 
Ewing  Young  and  Rev.  Jason  Lee  organized  the  plan,  and  six 
hundred  head  were  successfully  brought  overland,  through  the 
valleys  of  the  Sacramento,  Rogue  and  Urnpqua,  to  the  fertile  and 
grass-covered  plains  of  the  Willamette.  (See  page  230).  These 


574  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cattle  cost  three  dollars  per  head,  in  California,  and  were  of  the 
genuine  long-horned  Mexican  breed,  and  of  no  great  value  for 
stock  purposes,  except  as  being  the  only  animals  to  be  had.  The 
cattle  monopoly  was  now  broken,  and  the  few  settlers  were  each 
enabled  to  go  into  cattle -raising  at  their  option.  The  extensive 
plains  of  the  Willamette,  covered  with  the  most  nutritious  of  native 
grasses,  afforded  abundant  pasturage  throughout  the  year.  The 
cattle  increased  satisfactorily,  and  their  numbers  were  further 
added  to  by  the  arrival  of  herds  driven  across  the  plains.  These 
were  of  better  blood  than  the  raw-boned  and  ferocious  Mexican 
breed,  and  from  them  the  herds  of  to-day  are,  in  part,  descended. 
The  number  of  head  brought  across  the  plains  can  hardly  be  told, 
but  for  the  year  1853  it  is  known  to  have  approached  fifteen 
thousand  five  hundred,  of  which  number  nine  thousand  were  oxen  and 
six  thousand  five  hundred  cows  and  calves.  The  large  number  of 
importations  speedily  stocked  the  country  with  animals  of  tolerable 
breeds  and  of  value  and  usefulness.  By  1850  the  number  of  cattle 
in  the  valley  was  so  great  that  a  considerable  number  were  returned 
to  California  to  furnish  beef  for  the  northern  mines,  and  the 
miners  of  Southern  Oregon  were  indebted  to  the  same  source  in 
1852,  and  subsequent  years,  for  their  own  supply  of  beef.  Ac 
cording  to  Hon.  John  Minto,  the  ordinary  route  of  travel  for  those 
driving  cattle  across  the  plains,  was  via  Fort  Hall  to  The  Dalles, 
thence  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia  to  a  point  about 
four  miles  from  Hood  River,  where  the  cattle  were  made  to  swim 
across  to  the  north  side  of  the  great  river,  thence  following  down 
to  a  point  below  the  mouth  of  Sandy  River,  where  they  were  swum 
back  to  the  south  side,  being  then  near  their  destination.  There 
was,  at  that  time,  an  Indian  trail  across  the  Cascades,  by  way  of 
the  north  side  of  Mount  Hood,  but  the  gentleman  mentioned  as 
authority,  is  of  the  opinion  that  it,  probably,  never  was  used  to 
bring  cattle  over.  This  refers  to  the  earlier  years ;  in  1846  the 
Barlow  Road,  the  first  wagon  road  across  the  Cascades,  was 
opened,  and  was  made  generally  useful.  In  the  same  year  the 
Applegates  and  others  opened  the  Southern  Route. 

Fine  imported  stock  and  graded  animals  have  been  introduced, 
until  they  are  no  rarity  in  Oregon.  The  effect  of  the  introduction 
has  been  to  raise  the  average  value  of  neat  stock  for  breeding  and 


LIVE  STOCK.  575 

for  milking  purposes  very  materially.  None  of  the  original  traits 
of  the  Mexican  pioneer  cattle  exist  in  Oregon,  but  on  the  other 
hand  the  fine  points  of  Jersey,  Alderney,  Ayrshire,  Shorthorn,  or 
other  valuable  breeds,  are  to  be  noted  in  almost  every  herd.  The 
Willamette  Valley,  doubtless,  possesses  as  good  stock  as  any  portion 
of  the  Union.  S.  G.  Reed's  exertions  were  directed  to  the  im 
provement  of  Oregon  stock,  and,  at  the  Reedville  farm  of  S.  G. 
Reed  and  W.  S.  Ladd,  in  Washington  County,  not  far  from  Port 
land,  a  large  number  of  costly  imported  animals  are  kept.  Among 
them  are,  or  have  been,  the  Shorthorn  Durhanis,  Ayrshires,  and 
other  horned  animals,  and  horses,  sheep  and  hogs  of  the  most  ap 
proved  breeds.  Mr.  Reed's  example  has  been  of  priceless  value  to 
the  State.  Recently,  Mr.  J.  L.  Hallett,  a  celebrated  railway  con 
tractor,  has  embarked  in  stock-farming  in  a  very  extensive  way,  at 
his  estate,  near  Dilley,  Washington  County,  and  the  outcome  of 
his  projects  is  awaited  with  a  great  deal  of  interest.  He  proposes 
to  introduce  select  breeds  of  farm  animals,  and  racing  stock  and 
valuable  varieties  of  farm  productions.  Such  projects  are  always 
the  best  means  of  educating  the  farming  population,  as  they  lead  the 
way  to  higher  and  more  useful  results  than  are  ever  attained  by 
ordinary  farming,  even  were  that  followed  for  centuries. 

Butter  and  cheese-making  are  followed  to  an  extent  sufficient  to 
supply  the  home  demand,  but  the  processes  are,  even  for  such 
simple  and  unprogressive  arts,  often  exceedingly  crude,  and  the 
product  usually  unsatisfactory.  The  stranger,  in  his  first  view  of 
the  valley  counties,  is  apt  to  conclude  that  the  facilities  for  dairying 
must  be  excellent,  even  unsurpassed,  by  reason  of  the  almost  per 
petually  green  grass,  the  pure  water,  the  abundant  shelter  ;  and,  to 
a  close  observer,  it  seems  extraordinary  that  the  ample  opportuni 
ties  for  that  industry  are  not  taken  advantage  of.  The  dairying 
interests,  like  that  of  fruit-growing,  are  capable  of  indefinite  exten 
sion  ;  and  the  supply  of  butter  and  cheese  might  be  made  equal 
to  any  demand.  Cows  can  be  kept  alive  all  the  winter,  sustained 
solely  by  the  natural  grasses,  and  a  slight  addition  to  their  food 
will  keep  them  in  excellent  condition.  In  no  case  is  it  necessary 
to  resort  to  the  expensive  stall-feeding,  practiced  with  dairy  cows 
in  the  East,  for,  with  far  less  care  and  attention,  the  Oregon  cow 
equals  the  Eastern  animal  in  quality  and  flow  of  milk.  Hence,  the 


576  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

dairyman,  as  regards  the  expense  of  keeping  cows,  stands  at  an  ad 
vantage  in  Oregon. 

Dairying  has  been  the  subject  of  several  experiments  on  a  very 
large  scale.  The  Ankeny  farm,  on  the  Santiam,  some  ten  miles 
southeast  of  Salem,  has  been  the  scene  of  the  most  important,  and, 
withal,  the  most  successful  attempt  yet  made.  Some  two  hundred 
cows  have  been  kept  there,  and  butter  and  cheese  manufactured 
with  patent  appliances  of  the  most  approved  style.  The  results 
are  such  as  to  justify  the  erection  of  "  creameries,"  like  those  of 
New  York.  There,  we  are  told,  the  farmers  of  a  neighborhood, 
each  a  possessor  of  a  few  cows,  carry  their  milk  to  an  establishment 
called  a  creamery,  fitted  up  for  butter,  or,  more  frequently,  for 
cheese-making,  and  the  milk  being  measured,  is  paid  for  at  the 
average  rate  of  twelve  cents  per  gallon,  and  converted  into  butter 
or  cheese,  which  is  invariably  of  a  high  class,  and  brings  a  cor 
responding  price.  New  York  creamery  cheese  has  achieved  a  great 
reputation,  international  in  its  extent,  and  has  become  a  large 
article  of  export  to  England.  The  annual  yield  of  a  New  York 
cow  is  averaged  at  four  hundred  and  fifty  gallons,  which,  at  the 
price  mentioned,  is  equal  to  a  yearly  sum  of  fifty -four  dollars. 
Ten  pounds  of  milk  make  one  pound  of  cheese,  and  twenty-seven 
pounds  make  one  of  butter.  Considering  the  natural  advantages 
that  Western  Oregon  possesses,  dairying  should  be  one  of  the 
most  prominent  occupations,  as  it  would  certainly  be  one  of  the 
most  remunerative  of  all  agricultural  arts. 

Raising  horned  cattle  for  beef  has  long  been  an  important 
occupation  in  Western  Oregon.  At  first  it  was  the  exclusive 
'occupation  of  the  greater  number  of  settlers,  and  has  only  yielded 
the  first  place  to  wheat-raising  since  the  level  lands  became  too 
valuable  for  pasturage.  The  soil,  climate,  grasses  and  natural  ad 
vantages  generally  favored  cattle -raising  beyond  most  other  pursuits, 
and  the  business  is  still  a  favorite  one.  The  sphere  of  operations 
of  the  stock  man  has  now  been  removed  from  the  Willamette 
region,  and  has  passed  beyond  the  Cascades.  The  almost  limitless 
pastures  of  Eastern  Oregon,  and  the  fields,  once  occupied  by  his 
herds,  are  now  given  over  to  grain  crops.  The  great  herds  have 
been  subdivided,  their  pasture  grounds  contracted,  and,  although 
the  number  of  cattle  in  the  valley  counties  has  much  increased, 


I4VE  STOCK, 


577 


cattle -raising,    as    an    exclusive    pursuit,    has    dropped   from   the 
prominence  it  once  had. 

TABLE  SHOWING  THE  NUMBER  OF  HORNED  CATTLE  IN   1880  AND 
1883,  AND  THE  PRODUCT  OF  BUTTER  AND  CHEESE  IN  1880. 


COUNTY. 

1880. 

1883. 

1880. 

J 

1 

<D 

d 

%V 

6 
0 

Total 
Number. 

Number 
of  Cattle. 

Q> 

•gS 

®Q 

1 

Butter- 
Pounds. 

Cheese  — 
Pounds. 

Benton 

2,197 
3,252 
5,300 
5,000 
4,348 
2,735 
2,340 
2,614 
2,756 

3,796 
6,884 
7,873 
7,542 
6,168 
1,512 
4,244 
3,428 
5,204 

5,993 
10,136 
13,173 
12,542 
10,516 
4,247 
6,584 
6,042 
7,760 

6,657 
6,206 

13,088 

$115,188 
42,196 
228,749 
160,444 
154,237 
47,965 
73,990 
88,4-50 
86,945 

85,547 
148,490 
185,323 
292,434 
224,019 
226,673 
92,844 
151,982 
136,749 

8,625 
450 
24,900 
3,453 
15,784 
42,160 
60 
2,930 
360 

Clackamas 

Lane 

Linn 

Marion  - 

8,072 
3,643 
4,616 
5,950 

6,892 

Multnomah 

Polk 

"Washington 

Yarn  hill 

TOTAL  

30,542 

46,651 

76,993 

55,124 

$998,164 

1,544,061 

98,722 

STATISTICS  SHOWING  THE  NUMBER  OF  HORSES,  ETC. 


COUNTY. 

1880. 

1883. 

I 

rC?  Q) 

§  Jj 

OQ  ^3 

£ 

1 

-0 

!« 

<D   £3 

lg 

§ 

£ 

Benton     

3,326 
2,561 
5,988 
7,827 
5,734 
1,253 
4,774 
2,720 
4,464 

83 
136 
118 
129 
222 
35 
52 
81 
173 

2,940 
2,165 
6,040 

$165,438 
119,581 
318,404 
375,595 
374,178 
120,900 
205,755 
169,365 
229,872 

Clackamas                 _  _    _ 

Lane 

Linn 

Marion 

6,013 
2,178 
3,782 
3,240 
4,791 

Multnomah 

Polk  -     _     - 

Washington 

Yamhill     .  . 

TOTAL  - 

38.647 

1.029 

31.149 

$2.077.088 

The  Hon.  John  Minto,  of  Marion  County,  an  early  pioneer, 
and  an  authority  in  matters  of  fact,  writes  that  the  first  sheep  ever 
seen  in  Oregon  were  brought  from  California  by  a  man  named 
Lease,  an  American,  who  had  nine  hundred  head  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley  in  1837.  Ewing  Young  and  Hubbard,  while  importing 


578  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cattle,  as  already  mentioned,  met  Lease  and  advised  him  to  take 
his  flock  to  the  Willamette  country.  He,  accordingly,  drove  one- 
half  his  flock  through  in  the  year  in  which  cattle  were  first  driven 
from  California.  These  sheep  were  sold,  mostly,  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  retired  trappers,  and  to  the  Puget  Sound  Agricul 
tural  Company,  at  Nisqually.  Lease  is  thought  to  have  brought  a 
second  drove  through  in  1 842,  for  some  four  or  live  hundred  sheep 
came  in  that  year  from  California.  In  1844,  the  first  sheep  that 
ever  came  to  Oregon  from  the  Eastern  States,  were  brought  by 
Joshua  Shaw  and  his  son,  A.  C.  R.  Shaw.  In  1847,  a  fine  flock— 
the  property  of  one  Fields — was  driven  across  the  plains  by  H. 
Vaughan.  Fields  settled  in  Marion  County,  but  died  soon  after, 
and  his  sheep  were  scattered  among  various  owners,  and  became 
the  foundation  of  many  excellent  flocks.  In  1848  Joseph  Watt 
brought  three  hundred  head  across  the  plains,  and  during  subse 
quent  years  a  great  many  were  brought,  so  that  by  1851,  sheep 
were  so  numerous  that,  like  cattle,  they  were  driven  to  the  Cali 
fornia  mines  for  food. 

Improved  breeds  began  to  be  introduced  about  the  time  of  the 
civil  war,  and  every  sheep-raiser  paid  attention  to  the  condition  of 
his  flock,  and,  in  due  time,  the  native  sheep,  of  ordinary  aspect, 
were  replaced  by  graded  and  mixed  breeds  of  very  high  quality, 
so  that  now  the  sheep  of  Oregon,  like  the  cattle,  are  equal  to  any 
in  the  world.  Those  breeds  have  been  introduced  which  seemed 
most  adapted  to  the  conditions  existing  in  this  State.  The  merino 
has  been  the  favorite,  and  more  flocks  of  this  race  are  found  than 
of  any  or  perhaps  all  others.  Extraordinary  pains  have  been 
taken  in  the  matter,  and  the  most  useful  results  achieved.  The 
consequence  is,  that  the  Willamette  Valley  wool  is  esteemed  the 
very  best  grown  in  America,  and  commands  a  price  higher  by 
from  four  to  six  cents  a  pound  than  the  product  of  California  and 
other  States.  It  is  strong,  even,  free  from  burrs,  of  a  fine  texture 
and  much  sought  after  by  manufacturers.  It  is  a  noticeable  ad 
vantage,  or  is  so  esteemed,  that  the  sheep  do  not,  or  are  supposed 
to  not,  require  any  protection  through  the  winter  ;  nor  are  they 
habitually  fed  during  that  time,  their  only  subsistence  being  what 
they  can  pick  up.  Although  it  is  a  fact  that  the  cattle  and  other 
domestic  animals  of  this  part  of  Oregon  do  not,  in  general,  receive 


LIVE  STOCK.  579 

the  least  care  during  winter ;  and  although  the  season  is  not 
sufficiently  severe  and  long -continued  to  make  feeding  and  pro 
tection  absolutely  essential,  yet  it  would  seem  that  self-interest — 
to  say  nothing  of  humanity — would  sometime  suggest  a  different 
treatment  of  these  faithful  and  enduring  domestic  animals,  which 
are  man's  best  and  most  indispensable  friends.  There  are  many 
farmers  who  think  that  feed  and  shelter  would  result  in  improving 
the  condition  of  stock  animals,  and  the  implanting  of  stronger  consti 
tutions  ;  and  it  is  certain  that  increased  production  would  result 
from  better  treatment  of  dairy  animals. 

The  rapid  multiplication  of  sheep  in  Oregon,  and  the  costliness 
and  scarcity  of  woolen  fabrics,  was  the  cause  of  the  construction  of 
the  first  woolen  mill.  This  was  built  in  Saleni  in  1857,  and  was 
the  first  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Watt,  the  originator  of  the  idea,  had 
evolved  it  as  early  as  1853,  and  by  persistent  agitation  brought  it  to 
a  realization  at  the  time  mentioned.  The  mill  was  called  the 
Willamette  Woolen  Mill,  and  its  machinery  was  run  by  the  power 
of  water  brought  in  a  ditch  from  the  Santiam  River.  The  concern 
was  quite  extensive,  and  used  four  hundred  thousand  pounds  of 
wool  annually,  and  paid  out  $100,000  per  annum  for  the  wages  of 
operatives.  It  prospered  for  many  years,  but  was  most  un 
fortunately  burned,  on  the  third  of  May,  1876.  The  large  woolen 
mill  at  Oregon  City  was  built  in  1865,  the  company  having  been 
organized  in  February,  1864,  with  a  capital  of  $60,000,  increased 
soon  to  $100,000.  It  was  begun  as  a  three-set  mill,  but  by  1873 
had  increased  its  size  to  seven  sets,  with  two  thousand  three  hundred 
spindles  and  twenty-four  broad  looms.  Its  yearly  consumption  of 
wool  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  half  a  million  pounds,  and  its 
output  averages  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  yards  of  cassi- 
meres  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  yards  of  flannels  and 
blankets,  valued  at  perhaps  $300,000.  It  has  employed  about  one 
hundred  hands  usually,  who  earn  about  $60,000  per  annum. 
These  figures  refer  to  its  work  in  1873.  The  mill  was  destroyed 
by  fire  November  23,  1872,  with  a  loss  of  $250,000,  but  immedi 
ately  rebuilt. 

The  third  mill  in  importance,  and  also  in  the  order  of  its 
establishment,  was  the  Eagle  mill,  at  Brownsville,  Linn  County, 
called  now  the  Brownsville  Woolen  Mill.  It  was  built  in  1866, 


580 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


at  a  time  when  the  wool  crop  of  the  whole  State  of  Oregon  was 
only  about  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds,  of  which  more  than 
half  was  used  at  the  local  mills  at  Saleni  and  Oregon  City.  It 
was  a  one-set  mill.  It  has  been  run  with  various  degrees  of  success, 
by  several  individuals  and  companies,  and  is  still  active.  Its  goods 
have  an  excellent  reputation.  Another  mill  was  in  action  at 
Dallas,  in  Polk  County,  for-  a  time. 

At  present  (1885)  two  mills,  those  of  Oregon  City  and  Browns 
ville,  are  manufacturing.  Their  products  are  highly  esteemed,  and, 
in  some  respects,  are  unequaled  elsewhere  in  the  world.  The 
former  mill  uses  in  preference,  wool  from  mixed  Southdown  and 
Merino  sheep,  which  is  most  useful  for  average  wants.  With  this 
it  makes  a  class  of  goods  superior  to  any  others  known. 

There  was  a  notable  increase  in  wool  production  in  the  decade 
commencing  with  1865,  and  toward  the  end  of  that  term  the  in 
crease  was  nearly  thirty  per  cent,  per  year.  The  total  crop  for 
the  whole  State  in  187 ft  was  three  million  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  pounds. 

STATISTICS  OF  SHEEP  IN  1880  AND  1883. 


t 
COUNTY. 

Number  of  Sheep. 

Value  of  Sheep 
in  1883. 

1880. 

1883. 

Kenton 

28,812 
14,180 
40,561 
55,820 
35,280 
2,771 
24,177 
11,537 
23,447 

17,167 
9,424 
44,520 

$32,044 
13,267 
74,638 
76,51  1 
69,301 
1,715 
37,451 
8,295 
20,171 

Clackamas 

Lane 

Linn 

Marion 

43,060 
1,642 
19,100 
7,823 
15,064 

jVlultnomah 

Polk 

AVashington.        

Yamhill-        

TOTAL  - 

236.535 

157.800 

J&J33.393 

The  rearing  of  hogs  for  food  purposes  has  never  become  more 
than  a  subordinate,  incidental  matter,  a  part  of  the  business  of 
nearly  every  farmer,  whose  exertions  only  led  to  the  production  of 
enough  pork  for  the  wants  of  his  family,  leaving  but  a  small 
(quantity  for  exportation.  The  pork  of  the  Willamette  Valley  has 
long  been  commended  for  its  good  quality,  its  firmness  and  solidity, 
and  flavor.  Although  Indian  corn  can  not  be  successfully  grown, 


LIVK  STOCK. 


581 


and  the  swine  lack  this  important  fattening  food,  its  place  is  partly, 
or  perhaps  fully  supplied  by  the  abundant  waste  fruit,  with  roots, 
peas,  and  in  some  seasons,  wheat  and  oats.  Generally  speaking, 
wheat  is  held  as  too  valuable  for  feeding  to  hogs,  more  especially 
since  the  railroads  were  built.  Oregon  hams  have  a  very  high 
reputation,  and  in  point  of  fact  are  unsurpassed.  There  are 
evidently  very  substantial  profits  in  hog- raising  for  those  whose 
judgment  and  experience  are  sufficient  for  that  pursuit,  for  the 
prices  of  pork,  on  foot  or  cured,  are  always  high,  and  the  outside 
demand  is  always  great  and  steady,  although  the  local  markets  are 
unreliable,  weak  and  easily  glutted.  At  times  the  demand  is  ex 
ceedingly  active,  and  the  possessors  of  fat  or  stock  hogs  realize 
handsomely.  So  frequently  do  the  extreme  high  prices  prevail 
that  the  judicious  pork-raiser  ought  to  make  as  much  money  as 
anybody,  and  far  more  than  grain -raisers.  Wheat  has  been  fed  to 
hogs  with  such  good  results  as  to  pay  back  one  dollar  per  bushel. 
This  was  the  experience  of  I.  T.  Day,  of  Turner.  But  as  the 
general  rule  of  hog-raising  in  Oregon  provides  only  uncooked  food, 
and  not  enough  of  it,  no  shelter  even  in  the  roughest  weather,  and 
no  attention  to  the  comfort  or  condition  of  domestic  animals,  such 
successes  as  Mr.  Day's  are  few  and  far  between. 

NUMBER  AND  VALUE  OF  SWINE. 


1880. 

1883. 

COUNT'S  . 

No.  Hogs. 

I 
No.  Hogs. 

Value. 

Beiiton  _ 

5,467 

5  212 

$11  951 

Clackanias 

9,222 

5  654 

11  863 

Lane 

10  978 

11  444 

24  540 

Linn 

12  690 

15?997 

Marion 

13  808 

9  481 

22  858 

Multnoniah 

3  34o 

1  785  ' 

4  645 

Polk  

10  433 

7  098 

15  312 

Washington  

8,597 

6  6% 

16  005 

Yamhill-:.    

10  733 

9  407 

18  468 

TOTAL  

85,273 

56,701 

$141,639 

The  quantity  of  wild  grasses  and  herbage  generally,  which  are 
found  in  the  hills  and  mountains  surrounding  the  valley,  is  such 
that  thousands  of  goats  might  on  occasion  find  ample  sustenance. 
That  animal,  as  is  well  known,  thrives  best  on  a  coarse  diet  of 


582  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

leaves,  grass  and  the  tender  shoots  of  young  plants.  A  vast 
amount  of  rough  land  is  capitally  adapted  to  such  uses,  and  goat- 
keeping  could,  and  probably  will,  become  an  important  industry. 
The  few  experiments  thus  far  made  have  been  very  successful.  The 
stock  has  usually  been  the  Angora  breed,  which  are  usually 
regarded  as  the  most  valuable.  The  income  from  them  is  said  to 
average  three  times  that  of  the  same  number  of  sheep.  The 
fleeces  have  commanded  as  high  as  one  dollar  per  pound,  the  flesh 
is  said  to  be  as  good  as  mutton,  and  the  animal  is  much  hardier 
than  the  sheep  and  less  subject  to  disease.  Dr.  Carpenter  owned  a 
herd  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  Angoras,  and  by  his  experience 
substantiated  the  above  statements.  Still,  people's  experience  can 
not,  in  average  instances,  equal  his,  for  if  it  did,  the  business  of 
raising  goats  would  long  since  have  attained  greater  proportions. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


STATISTICS. 

Scarcity  of  Reliable  Statistical  Information — Duty  of  the  State  Govern 
ment—Hoys  Performed — Tables  oj  Production  of  Wheat,  Indian 
Corn,  and  Oats — Amount  in  Gross — Amount  per  Acre — Gross 
Value,  and  Value  per  Bushel — Number  and  Size  of  Farms  at 
Different  Dates — Statistics  Gathered  from  the  Census  Report  of  1880 
—Number  of  Farms — Of  Owners —  Vacations— Industrial  Estab 
lishments — County  Valuation  and  Assessments. 

RELIABLE  statistical  information  is  extremely  rare  in  Oregon. 
The  State  has  made  no  effective  provision  for  gathering  in 
formation  of  the  sort,  and  private  individuals,  corporations  and 
associations  find  themselves  unable  to  collect  it,  owing  to  inherent 
difficulties.  Probably  there  is  no  State  in  the  Union,  and  scarcely 
a  Territory,  where  there  is  so  little  active  interest  taken  and  so 
little  done  in  these  matters.  Oregon  is  half  a  century  behind  the  age 
—not  in  the  one  respect  of  gathering  statistics,  but  in  all  related 
subjects.  The  only  official  statistics  gathered  are  those  published 
by  Hon.  R.  P.  Earhart,  Secretary  of  State,  who,  as  a  task  outside 
of  the  specified  duties  of  his  office,  and  at  much  trouble  and  private 
expense,  prints  biennially,  in  tabular  form,  figures  showing  the 
most  important  facts  relating  to  the  counties  of  this  State,  such 
facts  being  ascertained  by  the  assessors  of  the  several  counties  and 
forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  as  a  part  of  the  duties  of  the 
assessor's  office.  And  the  summary,  printed  on  one  side  of  a  sheet 
of  paper,  ten  by  eighteen  inches  in  size,  at  private  expense,  is  all 
that  the  great  State  of  Oregon  has  to  show  the  world  concerning 
her  boundless  resources,  her  present  prosperity,  or  her  prospective 
wealth.  No  State  in  America  has  done  so  little  to  attract  inimi- 


584  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

gration,  or  to  inform  her  own  citizens  of  the  condition  of  their  own 
commonwealth.  Were  it  only  out  of  curiosity  to  know  these  things, 
far  better  provision  should  have  been  made.  Many  little  com 
munities — counties,  towns,  cities — struggling  to  build  themselves 
up,  have,  in  this  matter  of  collecting  and  publishing  statistics  and 
descriptions,  made  exertion  besides  which  the  indolent  apathy 
of  the  Oregon  Legislature  and  people  seem  lamentably  short 
sighted. 

Statistical  matter  is  usually  gathered  for  the  purpose  of  inform 
ing  the  public  of  the  condition  of  the  State,  city,  county  or  what 
ever  civil  division  they  may  reside  in  ;  or  of  informing  strangers  of 
matters  which  may  induce  them  to  become  settlers.  Statistics  have 
also  a  higher  value,  separate  from  these  functions.  Without  their 
industrious  collection  the  most  reliable  and  important  part  of 
history  itself  would  be  impossible.  Says  Buckle:  "The  study  of 
statistics  has  thrown  more  light  upon  the  laws  of  human  nature 
and  human  progress  than  all  the  sciences  put  together."  Every 
cultured — yes,  every  civilized — community,  owes  much  to  the  culti 
vation  of  statistics,  and  for  a  State  to  neglect  such  evidences  of 
civilization  is  itself  an  evidence  of  non-progression,  perhaps  even  of 
retrogression, 

The  statistics  which  find  a  place  in  this  chapter  relate  to  the 
material  possessions  of  the  people  of  the  valley.  They  should  be 
studied  in  conjunction  with  those  already  given  concerning  special 
crops,  live-stock,  etc.  These  tables  were  mainly  compiled  from  the 
United  States  Agricultural  Reports,  the  Tenth  Census,  and 
Secretary  Earhart's  excellent  and  meritorious,  though  brief,  com 
pendium,  dated  January,  1884.  The  latter  publication  refers  to 
the  assessment  of  the  preceding  year,  1883. 

The  following  table  shows  the  aggregate  production  of  wheat, 
Indian  corn,  and  oats,  for  the  State  of  Oregon,  together  with  the 
yield,  per  acre,  the  price  per  bushel  in  Oregon,  and  the  total  value 
of  the  crop:— 


STATISTICS. 


585 


|pq 

I|| 

^ 
|| 

> 

i 

~* 

1878—  Wheat  _        . 

7,665,000 

21 
33* 
31 

$  .92 
.92 
.50 

$7,051,800 
152,720 
1,395,000 

Indian  Corn  _ 

166,000 

Oats        -  -     

2,790,000 

1879—  Wheat 

8,188,000 
142,000 

16 
32 
36 

.98 
.93 
.44 

8,024,240 
132,060 
1,283,040 

Indian  Corn  _ 

Oats  - 

2,916,000 

1880  —  Wheat 

11  734  000 

17 

23.3 

qi  o 
dl.Z 

.78 
.82 
.40 

9,152,520 
92,660 
1,901,600 

Indian  Corn 

113000 

Oats  _  _  — 

4,754,000 

1881—  Wheat 

12  673  000 

17.2 
20.2 
34.6 

.88 
.75 
.43 

11,152,240 
75,075 
2,269,540 

Indian  Corn 

101  000 

Oats-- 

5,278,000 

NUMBER  AND  SIZE 

OF  FARMS  AT  VARIOUS  DATES,  THROUGHOUT 
THE  STATE. 

Date-          ..__    _ 

1850 

1860. 

1870. 

1880. 

Number  Farms 

1  164 

5,806 
2,060,000 
896,000 
355 
199 

7,587 
2,389,000 
1,116,000 
315 
153 

16,209 
4,214,000 
2,198,000 
265 
134 

Extent  in  Acres 

432  000 

Improved  Land—  Acres- 
Average  Size—  Acres 

132,000 
372 

Average  Size  in  U.  S. 

203 

CENSUS  OF 

1880. 

COUNTY.               £ 

s 
1 

CO                          CO 

a      *s 

A                   $    fl 

5        -2* 
cc 

K 

|H 

0 

^H 

Value  lands 
fences,  and 
buildings. 

si!  8 

Benton 

606           502 
374        1,197 
067        1,050 
532        1,123     1 
452        1,210     ] 
507           434 
789           582     1 
935           808 
008           780     1 

66,070 
35,687 
93,580 
L74,119 
159,264 
10,584 
101,104 
46,540 
L00,857 

$3,171,495  1       $149,095          $415,871 
2,817,544  !         126,576  i         365,177 
4,789,330  |         253,161  i         616,609 
4,052,022            371,143  i         896,161 
7,867,303  ;         322,898            740,870 
2,279,280              65,549  !         186,445 
2,534,719  ;         194,685            546,049 
3,231,703            143,695  :         382,519 
5,181,735           241,563  ,         551,754 

Clackamas                       1 

Lane           -                       1 

Linn          _                      1 

Marion                -       -      1, 

Multnomah 

Polk  i 

Washington 

Yamhill                           1 

TOTAL  .                   9. 

270        7.686     ' 

'87.805 

$35.925.13 

1       $1.878.36; 

i       $4.701.455 

586 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


INDUSTRIAL  ESTABLISHMENTS 


COUNTY. 

Number. 

i 

1 
11 

¥ 

Workmen 
Employed. 

•d 
"S 

$* 

SP 

•f 

Value  of 
Products. 

Benton  _..___ 

56 

$  158,985 

200 

$  35,622 

$    207,530 

Clackamas  _ 

62 

692,600 

853 

114,473 

1,159,540 

Lane-      

54 

250,669 

246 

60,200 

297,410 

Linn 

110 

456,900 

306 

99,648 

854,060 

Marion 

85 

527,250 

378 

126,952 

1,265,991 

Multnoinah 

152 

1,345,325 

1,732 

•593,469 

2,602,544 

Polk  _     . 

46 

122,810 

161 

39,848 

233,931 

Washington  - 

33 

112,200 

170 

26,871 

434,940 

Yamhill 

95 

268,123 

301 

42815 

494,720 

TOTAL  ... 

693 

$1,934,862 

4,347 

$1,139,898 

$7,550,666 

FROM  STATE  RECORDS  OF  1883. 


'O 

ll 

COUNTY.                        g  ^ 

^  § 
A 

T3 

•sS 

0>H3 

1 

£ 

*% 

3* 
|* 

si; 

*2 

>£ 

Pit 

go  S 

Benton        —                      —        281,280 

$  2,130,829 

#    395  293 

$  4,284,151 

Clackamas    -  -                               326,549 

2,118,365 

317,540 

3,844,146 

Lane                                               425  929 

2  484  030 

433  755 

5  827  814 

Linn 

5  131  520 

738  297 

8  646  793 

Marion            .—                ...        338,847 

4,289,823 

1,191,793 

9,800,294 

Multnomah  ~              150,624 

2,307,845 

7,274,915 

24,545,850 

Polk                                                  229  350 

2,140427 

66  139 

4  412  214 

Washington                                  261,805 

2,307,255 

191  275 

4  205,905 

Yamhill                                           385,142 

2,635,295 

57  303 

5  768  781 

TOTAL  2,399,526 

$25,545,389 

$10,666,310 

$71,335,948 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

REVIEW  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Essay  Necessarily  Imperfect — Policy  of  the  Farmers — Injurious  Effect 
of  Exclusive  Devotion  to  one  Crop — Farmers  not  Instructed  in 
Great  Business  Affair* — Theory  versus  Practice — Prodiictions  of 
Small  Farms — Size  of  Farms — Twenty  Acres  Enough — Mixed 
Farming — Chances  for  Improvement — Conclusion. 

THE  preceding  chapters  contain  facts  which  are  intended  to 
show  the  material  progress  which  has  been  made  in  this  part 
of  Oregon  since  the  coming  of  white  men,  and  especially  American 
farmers.  The  facts  are  not  as  numerous  and  complete  as  could  be 
wished,  but  for  reasons  which  have  been  alluded  to  they  can  not  at 
present  be  bettered.  Several  industries  of  minor  importance  are 
disregarded,  not  from  a  conviction  of  their  slight  consequence,  but 
because  no  connected  or  intelligible  data  could  be  procured  con 
cerning  them. 

As  regards  the  position  which  agriculture  has  already  attained 
in  this  State,  it  may  be  said  that  while  it  is  not  so  exalted  as 
might  with  the  almost  matchless  opportunities  have  been  achieved, 
yet  it  presents  no  reason  for  repining.  Progress  has  been  slow  ; 
but  the  community  have  attained  the  position  of  a  self-supporting- 
people,  relying  on  themselves  only  for  the  great  bulk  of  the 
necessities  of  life  and  some  of  its  luxuries.  The  exportations  are 
the  leading  necessities  of  life,  and  hence  indispensable  to  the 
recipients. 

It  is  customary  for  writers,  in  speaking  of  the  favorite  products 
of  the  valley,  to  express  surprise  that  their  culture  is  not  much 
more  widely  extended.  Wheat,  they  say,  might  be  raised  in  ten 
fold  its  present  quantity,  and  as  for  fruit  the  world  itself  might  be 
supplied  with  apples,  pears  and  prunes,  were  the  vast  tracts  of 


588  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

hillside  and  other  available  lands  planted  as  orchards.  All  this  is 
possible,  and  is  perhaps  demonstrable.  But  it  is  impracticable  to 
enter  so  largely  upon  any  special  branches  of  culture  while  the 
present  condition  of  labor  and  the  markets  continues.  Farmers  do 
not  plant  vvhole  sections  and  square  miles  with  fruit  trees  because 
labor  can  not  be  hired  advantageously  to  harvest  and  dry  such 
amounts  of  fruit.  The  management  and  direction  of  a  hundred  or 
half  hundred  men  is  beyond  the  capacity  of  most  individuals,  and 
inexperienced  farmers  would  find  the  care  of  large  numbers  of 
employees  with  attendant  complications  arising  from  their  pay, 
provision,  etc.,  entirely  beyond  their  skill,  and  entailing  vastly 
more  annoyance  and  trouble  than  most  of  them,  easy-going  to  a 
degree,  would  submit  to.  These  remarks  are  called  forth  because 
every  one,  newspaper  writers  and  all,  have  adopted  a  tone  of 
querulousness  and  fault-finding  because  the  farmers  of  the  Wil 
lamette  Valley  have  not  seen  fit  to  convert  their  extensive  pastures 
into  immense  orchards  or  wheat  fields,  and  thereby  enrich  them 
selves  beyond  the  wildest  dreams  of  avarice.  To  follow  such  ad 
vice,  were  it  practicable,  which  it  is  not,  would  be  to  place  the 
State  on  the  high  road  to  impoverishment.  The  opposite  course, 
namely,  the  cultivation  of  a  variety  of  crops,  or  as  it  is  called, 
diversified  farming  is,  in  the  opinion  of  practical  men,  the  surest 
road  to  independence,  and  this  has  already  been  carried  out  in  a 
notable  scale  in  the  valley,  although  the  future  gives  promise  of 
far  better  results.  The  farmers,  aided  by  the  various  manufactur 
ing  crafts,  were  enabled,  in  a  single  month,  to  supply  Portland 
with  consignments  of  the  following  articles  :— 

Flour,  wheat,  oats,  dried  apples,  potatoes,  lard,  horse-feed,  mid 
dlings,  woolen  cloths,  hides,  furs,  linseed  oil  and  oil  cake,  pig  iron, 
buckwheat,  fowls,  skins,  earthenware,  apples,  bacon,  pork,  beef, 
butter,  eggs,  salmon,  hams,  cider,  pears,  beans,  barley,  hogs, 
tobacco,  peas,  woolen  sacks,  hoop-po]es,  staves,  lumber,  dried 
peaches  and  prunes,  bran,  cheese,  fire- wood,  hay,  leather,  straw, 
flax,  flax  seed,  onions,  sheep,  and  dressed  mutton. 

If  the  reader  asks,  Whence  came  the  greater  number  of  these 
various  field  products,  he  is  answered,  From  the  smaller  farms,  and 
from  the  gardens  and  orchards  of  the  small  landholders,  the 
proprietors  of  a  few  acres,  whose  land  is  tilled  as  if  he  expected  to 


REVIEW  OF  AGRICULTURE.  589 

live  upon  its  proceeds  for  his  life-time,  and  leave  it  to  his  children 
with  its  fertility  unimpaired.  The  real  farmers  of  the  valley  are 
few  ;  but  they  are  numerous  enough  to  have  pointed  out  the  way 
to  prosperity  and  wealth.  The  reader  will  find  included  herein  a 
table  showing  the  average  size  of  Oregon  farms  in  the  census  years 
1850,  1860,  1870  and  1880.  He  will  notice  their  gradual  diminu 
tion,  from  three  hundred  and  seventy -two  acres  in  the  former  year, 
to  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  in  the  latter,  whence,  it  appears, 
that  if  the  latest  rate  of  decrease  holds  out  until  1890,  they  will 
then  average  but  little  more  than  two  hundred  acres,  and  in  A.  D. 
1 900,  rather  less  than  one  hundred  and  seventy.  This  is  satisfac 
tory  improvement,  but  even  at  the  latter  date  the  farms  will  be 
still  three  times  too  large.  That  is,  taking  it  for  granted,  as  it  is 
presumed  most  readers  will,  that  the  holding  of  land  in  large  tracts 
is  an  evil.  It  has  also  been  taken  for  granted  by  some  that  in 
times  past,  and  even  at  the  present,  a  small  holding,  say  of  twenty 
acres,  did  not  furnish  means  for  the  subsistence  of  a  family.  That 
country  must  be  very  singularly  circumstanced  as  to  its  wants,  where 
in  the  produce  of  twenty  acres,  in  one  form  or  another,  could  not  be 
sold  for  enough  to  maintain  even  the  largest  of  families,  providing 
that  its  product  was  properly  and  sensibly  selected,  raised  and  sold. 
Of  this  there  are  few  instances,  but  enough  to  prove  the  assertion  that 
twenty  well  chosen  acres  will  support  a  family  if  carefully  tilled. 
If  sowed  in  wheat,  for  which  a  moderately  good  price  be  had, 
that  amount  of  land  may  yield  a  crop  worth  from  four  hundred  to 
eight  hundred  dollars.  If  planted  with  fruit  trees,  berry  bushes, 
etc.,  it  may,  in  exceptional  cases,  yield  ten  times  that  amount,  and 
furnish,  besides,  interesting,  useful  and  lucrative  employment  for 
several  people  of  either  sex  or  any  age.  The  stimulation  of  the 
intellect  by  the  pursuit  of  mixed  or  small  farming  is  not  the  least 
of  its  advantages  over  wheat-farming  and  stock-raising. 

Small  and  mixed  farming — interchangeable  terms — are  the 
tendency  of  the  day,  and  in  their  progress  point  to  the  decline  of 
wheat-raising,  because  by  their  pursuit  the  land  becomes  gradually 
too  valuable  to  devote  to  a  crop  which  is  liable  to  return  its  raiser 
only  ten  or  twelve  dollars  per  acre.  More  lucrative  pursuits  will 
take  its  place,  and  these  will  be  equally  well  adapted  to  the 
climate  and  soil,  but  will  require  much  labor  for  their  proper 


590  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

production,  and  with  the  expected  ordinary  reduction  of  the  size 
of  donation  and  other  claims  by  forced  sales,  etc.,  will,  in  due  time, 
have  changed  the  character  of  the  Willamette  Valley  from  a 
wheat-growing  and  grazing  country  to  a  purely  agricultural  region 
of  a  high  grade — or  rather  will  have  completed  a  change  which  is 
already  auspiciously  begun  and  well  under  way.  It  is  now  about 
forty  years  since  agriculture  existed  in  Oregon  as  the  crudest 
beginnings  of  that  noble  art — merely  the  raising  of  inferior  horses 
and  cattle,  and  enough  of  vegetables  to  vary  the  settler's  otherwise 
exclusively  meat  diet.  At  this  fortieth  milestone  we  can  halt  and 
consider  what  may  be  in  store  for  the  farmer  of  forty  years  hence. 

The  good  result  of  a  state  of  affairs  wherein  the  present  large 
and  unmanageable  tracts  of  land  have  been  subdivided  into  small 
holdings,  will  probably  be  most  noticeable.  The  present  country 
roads,  which  are  only  called  roads  through  a  mistaken  sense  of 
courtesy,  will  be  improved  by  an  application  of  the  abundant 
means  which  nature  has  so  lavishly  provided.  Schools,  now 
mostly  inefficient  and  wretchedly  managed,  because  of  inadequate 
State  provision,  will  attain  a  character  equal  to  those  of  other  en 
lightened  regions.  Social  life  then  will  take  on  a  new  aspect,  in 
accordance  with  the  new  advantages,  and  the  blessings  of  educa 
tion,  taste  and  refinement  will  follow  closely  upon  -material 
prosperity. 

The  splendid  examples  of  the  settlers  of  the  Mohawk,  the 
Genessee  and  the  Connecticut  valleys  should  not  be  in  vain.  With 
her  invigorating  climate,  her  ample  rainfall,  her  freedom  from 
whirlwinds,  cyclones,  hurricanes,  earthquakes  ;  the  absence  of  in 
fectious  diseases,  her  ample  expanse  of  the  richest  soils,  her 
navigable  rivers,  abundant  water-power  ;  her  profusion  of  natural 
products  ;  her  advantageous  commercial  location  ;  and  innumerable 
other  advantages  difficult  to  enumerate,  Oregon,  and  particularly 
the  Willamette  Valley,  should,  and  doubtless  will,  in  the  natural 
sequence  of  things,  become  the  chosen  abode  of  a  numerous, 
prosperous  and  intelligent  people. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION. 


Table  of  Population  of  Each  County  in  I860,  1860.  1870  and  1880— 
Comparison  of  Aggregates — Proportion  of  Population  Between  the 
State  and  the  Willamette  Valley — ^Personal  History  of  Pioneers  and 
Representative  Individuals. 


THE  annexed  table  is  derived  from  the   United  States  Census 
Report  of  1880.     It  gives   the  population   of  each  county  of 
the  Willamette  Valley  in  1850,  1860,  1870  and  1880,  together  with 
the  total  population  of  the  Valley  and  of  the  State  at  those  dates. 

POPULATION  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


COUNTY. 

1850. 

1860. 

1870. 

1880. 

Ben  ton 

814 

3  074 

4584 

6  354 

0  lac  k  amas 

1  850 

3466 

5  993 

9287 

Laiie 

4  789 

6426 

9  376 

Linn                                - 

994 

6  772 

8  717 

12,711 

jVIarion 

2  749 

7,088 

9  965 

14,811 

Multnoniah 

4,150 

11,510 

29,092 

Polk 

1  051 

3,623 

4,710 

6,513 

Washington 

2,652 

2,801 

4,261 

7,091 

Yamhill 

1  512 

3  245 

5  012 

7  950 

The  Willamette  Valley  _. 

11,622 

39,008 

61,178 

103,385 

The  State-  - 

13,294 

52,465 

90,923 

174,768 

Comparing  the  population  of  the  valley  with  that  of  the  State, 
we  find  the  former  to  have  been  in  1850,  eighty-seven  per  cent,  of 
that  of  the  whole  State  ;  in  1860  it  had  fallen  to  seventy-five  per 
cent.;  in  1870  to  sixty-seven,  and  to  fifty-nine  in  1880.  This  rate 
of  decrease  in  the  relative  population  of  the  valley  has  continued 
since  the  last  census,  if  the  current  estimates  of  population  be 
reliable.  The  Oregonian  newspaper,,  basing  its  conclusions  upon 


592  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  vote  in  the  presidential  election  of  November,  1884,  estimated 
the  population  of  Oregon  at  two  hundred  and  twenty -five  thousand. 
The  proportion  residing  in  the  Willamette  Valley  would  have  been 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand,  or  about  fifty-seven  per 
cent.  If  this  rate  be  continued  until  the  year  1895,  it  is  possible 
that  the  people  residing  in  the  valley  will  amount  to  about  one- 
half  of  the  State's  total  population.  But  inasmuch  as  the  valley  is 
capable  of  supporting  a  permanent  population  as  large  or  larger 
than  all  the  remainder  of  the  State,  it  is  probable  that  its  popula 
tion  will  never  be  much  less  than  half  that  of  the  State.  There  is 
also  the  consideration  that  it  is  likely  to  contain  the  largest  cities 
of  Oregon,  which  will  further  increase  its  proportionate  population. 
The  following  series  of  brief  sketches  relate  principally  to  the 
pioneers  of  this  State,  in  the  meaning  of  the  term  pioneer,  which 
has  of  late  been  restricted  more  or  less  clcsely  to  the  people  who 
arrived  before  1855.  The  information  upon  which  these  sketches 
has  been  based  is  reliable  and  is  believed  to  be  perfectly  accurate. 
It  is  in  all  respects  worthy  of  preservation,  both  on  account  of  the 
past  or  present  importance  of  the  individuals  treated  of,  but  also 
for  the  future  importance  of  them  or  their  descendants.  The  in 
troduction  of  this  species  of  matter  needs  no  apology  ;  it  has  long 
been  deemed  valuable  and  suitable  for  publication  in  local  histories, 
and  becomes  more  so  with  each  succeeding  social  advance.  The 
individuals  herein  mentioned  have,  almost  without  exception,  con 
tributed  their  life  energies  to  the  up -building  of  civilization  upon 
this  coast,  and  the  names  of  many  have  become  household  words. 
To  select  the  most  notable  from  among  the  meritorious  many 
would  be  an  invidious  task  ;  and  all  procurable  sketches  are  in 
serted,  having  in  view  no  qualification  save  that  of  useful  citizen 
ship.  They  will  be  found  to  be  arranged  according  to  the  year  of 
the  subject's  arrival,  and  to  include  a  large  proportion  of  the  early 
permanent  settlers  of  the  Willamette  Valley. 

1817. 

LACHAPELLE,  ANDRE. 

Born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  Aug.  14,  1781  ;  left  home  in  1817, 
having  hired  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  for  three  years  ;  came 
to  Oregon  in  the  same  year,  arriving  at  Fort  George  (Astoria). 
Worked  for  two  years  as  blacksmith.  Spent  several  succeeding 


HISTOEY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  593 

years  at  the  same  place,  until  in  1824  Dr.  McLoughlin  arrived  and 
ordered  the  removal  of  the  station  to  Vancouver.  There  Lacha- 
pelle  remained  until  1833.  In  that  year  he  traveled  eastward  with 
the  design  of  going  home  ;  but  arriving  on  the  Saskatchewan  he 
gave  up  his  intention  and  hired  again  to  the  powerful  fur  com 
pany,  and  came  again  to  Vancouver.  He  staid  until  1836,  when 
being  again  taken  with  the  idea  of  going  home,  he  made  a  second 
trip  to  the  "  Great  Lone  Land,"  and  again  returned  at  Dr.  Me- 
Loughlin's  solicitation.  In  1841,  being  superannuated,  he  was 
allowed  or  encouraged  to  go,  with  sundry  other  Canadians,  to  the 
Willamette,  where  they  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  French  Prairie,  and  remained  there  for  forty 
years.  He  died  on  June  11,  1881,  at  St.  Vincent's  Hospital, 
Portland.  He  was  undoubtedly  the  oldest  pioneer  of  Oregon. 

1824. 

HARVEY,  ELOISA,  (McLOUGHLIN). 

Born  in  Fort  William,  on  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 
Feb.  13,  1817.  Her  father  was  Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  then 
physician  at  her  birthplace,  which  was  a  post  of  the  Northwest 
Fur  Company.  Her  mother  was  the  widow  of  Alexander  McKay, 
John  Jacob  Astor's  partner  in  the  Pacific  Fur  Company.  Father 
and  daughter  came  overland  to  Oregon  in  1824,  the  latter  having 
been,  undoubtedly,  the  first  female  to  cross  the  continent.  In  1838 
Miss  McLoughlin  married  at  Vancouver,  William  Glen  Kae,  an 
employee  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  lived  with  him  at 
various  trading  posts  until  1845,  when  he  died  at  San  Francisco. 
Their  children  were  three,  of  whom  Mrs.  Theodore  Wygant  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Myrick,  of  Portland,  survive.  She  returned  to  Oregon 
and  lived  with  her  father  until  1850,  when  she  married  Daniel 
Harvey,  by  whom  she  had  three  children — Daniel  Harvey,  James 
W.  McLoughlin  Harvey,  and  Mrs.  D.  F.  Leahy,  all  residents  of 
Portland.  Daniel  Harvey,  Sr.,  died  in  1868,  and  his  widow 'died 
in  the  fall  of  1884,  at  her  residence  in  Portland. 

McLOUGHLIN,  JOHN,  M.D. 

Scotch  by  birth,  and  was  employed  as  a  physician  by  the 
Northwest  Fur  Company  in  the  first  quarter  of  this  century,  and 


594  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

was  stationed  for  a  time  at  their  posts  in  Canada.  On  the  con 
solidation  of  the  two  rival  companies,  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  ap 
pointed,  in  1823,  chief  factor  on  the  west  side  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  with  headquarters  at  Vancouver,  and  came  overland  in 
1824,  bringing  his  family  and  a  retinue  of  the  Company's  servants. 
He  served  his  employers  with  marked  fidelity  and  an  accurate  and 
broad  appreciation  of  his  duties  as  a  Christian.  His  conduct  to 
the  early  American  settlers  was  admirably  humane,  and  showed 
that  the  claims  of  humanity  outweighed  mere  business  considera 
tions  of  every  degree.  Americans  of  every  stripe  came  to  think 
well  of  him  and  to  discriminate  between  his  course  of  frankness 
and  generosity,  and  the  mercenary  and  heartless  policy  of  his  em 
ployers.  AVheu  the  directors  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
rebuked  him  for  his  sympathy  with,  and  toleration  of  the 
Americans,  he  resigned  his  position,  and  retiring  to  his  land  near 
Oregon  City,  died  there  in  1857.  His  opportunities  for  doing 
good  were  very  great,  and  he  made  the  most  of  them.  In  his  place 
an  ignorant  or  a  bad  man  could  have  worked  an  infinity  of  mis 
chief  ;  and  it  is  to  his  credit  that  in  spite  of  ingratitude  from  those 
he  benefited,  his  life  was  full  of  good  deeds.  His  kindness  was 
ill -requited  ;  and  he  lived  to  be  a  witness  of  the  classical  maxim 
that  republics  are  ungrateful,  for  the  Government  of  Oregon  de 
prived  him  of  the  valuable  claim  which  he  occupied  at  Oregon 
City.  The  life  of  Dr.  McLoughlin,  abounded  with  such  incidents 
as  form  attractive  reading  ;  and  his  connection  with  and  participa 
tion  in  the  affairs  of  the  great  fur  companies,  and  the  new  states 
and  territories  of  the  west,  increase  the  importance  of  his  actions. 
The  story  of  his  life  has  never  been  written,  but  no  doubt  it  will 
some  time  be  fully  told. 

1829. 

BATES,  JAMES  M. 

Born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1809  ;  went  to  sea  in  1827,  and 
during  the  next  year  found  his  way  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  coming 
in  a  vessel  owned  in  Boston.  When  the  ship  arrived  on  this  coast 
an  accident  compelled  it  to  put  into  Gray's  Harbor  to  refit. 
This  was  in  1829.  The  ship's  crew  went  in  boats  up  the  Chehalis 
River,  and  after  putting  to  sea  again  they  coasted  southward,  and 
wintered  at  Scappoose,  where  they  "raised  vegetables."  In  the 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  595 

spring  of  1830  they  coasted  north  to  Sitka,  and  returning,  entered 
the  straits  of  Fuca.  Took  a  load  of  horses  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  sold  them,  and  Mr.  Bates  proceeded  on  another  ship 
to  China,  and  thence  home  via  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  In  1887, 
still  a  sailor,  Mr.  Bates  came  to  Oregon  in  the  ship  Don  Quixote, 
and  landing,  joined  the  Missionaries  as  blacksmith,  and  has  been 
in  this  valley  ever  since.  Located  at  Jefferson,  Marion  County,  in 
1847,  his  present  home.  Was  married  in  that  year  to  Mrs.  Mar 
garet  Caldwell,  and  has  had  one  child — Julia,  by  name,  now  'the 
wife  of  Eli  Vaughn,  of  Jefferson.  Mrs.  Bates  died  in  1882.  Mr. 
Bates  is,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  earliest  living  pioneer  of  Oregon,  if 
we  consider  his  first  coming  to  have  constituted  him  a  pioneer  ; 
and  considering  that  he  spent  a  considerable  part  of  a  year  in 
Oregon,  his  claim  to  have  become  then  a  pioneer  is  well  founded. 
Solomon  Smith,  who  resided  at  Clatsop  Plains,  in  1872,  claimed  to 
have  come  to  Oregon  in  1832  with  Wyeth  ;  but  this  date  was 
several  years  subsequent  to  Mr.  Bates'  arrival,  so  Smith  could  not 
be  considered  as  the  earliest  living  pioneer,  which  claim  was  put 
forth  by  some  one  on  his  behalf  several  years  since. 

1833. 

EBBERTS,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Bracken  County,  Kentucky,  in  1810;  went  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  in  1829  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company. 
Visited  Oregon  first  in  1833  and  again  in  1839.  Lived  for  a  year 
in  Marion  County,  but  removed  then  to  his  present  residence  in 
Washington  County,  near  Hillsboro.  Married  in  1838.  Children 
—John,  Anna  and  Alfred. 

1835. 

GAY,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Gloucestershire,  England,  in  1810;  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years  he  was  apprenticed  as  a  sailor  and  followed  the  sea  for  twelve 
years,  and  in  1833  found  himself  at  the  port  of  Monterey,  in  Cali 
fornia.  Here  he  deserted  his  ship  and  joined  Ewing  Young  in  a 
trapping  expedition  northward.  In  1835  he  came  overland  to  the 
Willamette  Valley  with  John  Turner,  Dr.  Bailey,  and  one  or  two 
others.  The  next  year  he  returned  to  California  again,  to  bring  up 


596  <  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

a  Land  of  cattle,  whose  increase  soon  made  him  rich.  lie  occupied 
a  great  and  undefined  tract  of  land  in  Yainhill  and  Polk  counties. 
He  died  near  Wheatland  on  October  7,  1882. 

WILKINS,  CALEB. 

Resides  four  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Hillsboro,  and  is  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1810;  was  for  ten 
years  a  trapper  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  employ  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Oregon. 
His  first  settlement  in  the  State  was  in  Ben  ton  County;  has  held 
office  as  county  treasure!'  of  Washington  County  for  two  years.  He 
married  Marian  Stevens  in  1852,  and  their  children  are — William 
Lloyd,  Alfred  C.,  and  Florence. 

1837. 

LEE,  ANN  MARIA  (PITMAN). 

Sailed  from  New  York  in  July,  1830  ;  landed  in  Oregon,  June, 

1837  ;  married  July  16th,  to  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  and  died  June  26, 

1838  ;    died  when  her  first-born  child  was  ten  days  old,  and  is 
buried  with  it  in  the  Lee  Cemetery,  at  Salem.     The  headstone  of 
their   grave  bears  the   inscription  :    "  Beneath  this  sod,  the  first 
broken  in  Oregon  for  the  reception  of  white  mother  and  child,  lie 
the  remains  of  Ann  Maria  Pitman  Lee." 

LESLIE,  DAVID. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1797.  Was  a  descendant  of  Rev. 
Geo.  Leslie,  of  Puritan  stock.  In  1837,  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  as  a  Missionary,  commissioned  by  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  took  up  his  residence  ten  miles  below  the  present  site  of  Salem, 
but  in  1843  came  to  Salem,  then  Chemekete.  Subsequently  he 
performed  a  term  of  ministerial  service  at  Oregon  City.  Was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Willamette  University,  and  was  President  of 
its  Board  of  Trustees  for  twenty-five  consecutive  years.  Mr.  Leslie 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Kinney,  and  by  her  had  six  children. 
The  wife  died  in  1841,  and  he  was  again  married  in  1844,  to  Mrs. 
A.  (Judson)  Alley,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  both  deceased. 
One  of  his  children  is  buried  in  the  East  ;  one  in  tropical  lands  ; 
two  daughters  and  a  son  were  carried  over  the  AVillamette  Falls  in 
the  dreadful  accident  related  by  Dr.  White  ;  three  daughters  and 


HISTORY   OF   IMMIGRATION. 

the  first  Mrs.  Leslie  sleep  in  Oregon  graves,  while  the  second  wife 
and  one  daughter — Helen  Leslie — now  live  in  Salem. 

SMITH,  SIDNEY. 

Born  in  Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1809;  the  son  of  a  Revolu 
tionary  captain  and  the  grand  nephew  of  Ethan  Allen  of  Ticonder- 
oga  fame.  He  lived  through  the  earlier  years  in  his  native  State, 
and  in  1888  found  himself  in  Ohio.  Set  out  for  Oregon  in  the 
spring  of  1887,  in  company  with  fifteen  friends — Oakley,  Farnham, 
Wood,  Cook,  Fletcher,  and  others — who  made  their  way  overland 
with  great  difficulties  and  hardships,  most  of  which  arose  from  their 
ignorance  of  the  proper  route.  They  lived  on  such  game  as  the 
country  afforded,  eking  out  an  often  insufficient  supply  with  roots 
and  the  flesh  of  dogs  which  they  bought  of  the  Indians.  Their  horses 
were  stolen  by  the  Sioux,  and  it  was  only  by  the  cool  courage  of 
Smith  and  Oakley  that  they  were  recaptured.  Smith  was  wounded 
by  the  accidental  discharge  of  his  own  rifle,  but  would  allow  no 
delay  or  change  of  plans  on  his  account,  and  the  cavalcade  in  time 
readied  The  Dalles,  arriving  there  on  October  2,  1887.  In  the 
succeeding  years,  while  the  strife  as  to  the  possession  of  Oregon 
waxed  warm,  Smith  then,  as  afterwards,  a  resident  of  the  Willam 
ette  Valley,  bore  his  part  in  favor  of  our  government  and  nation. 
In  1846  he  married  Miss  Miranda  Bailey,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  flve  are  now  living.  They  are — Irene  C.,  born 
1847,  and  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  F.  Calbreath,  of  Lafayette;  Mar} 
Almira,  born  in  1849,  and  now  married  to  A.  M.  Hurley,  of  Lafay 
ette;  Miranda  M.,  born  in  1851,  now  Mrs.  D.  L.  Kimberlain,  of 
West  Chehalem;  Dr.  G.  H.  Smith  (born  1861),  and  John  Bayley 
Smith  (born  1X68).  Sidney  Smith  passed  most  of  his  life  on  his 
farm  in  West  Chehalem,  purchased  by  him  from  the  estate  of  E wing- 
Young.  For  ten  years,  however,  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  at  Lafayette  (1856-1 866,  probably).  Died  September 
18,  1880. 

1888. 
MEEK,  JOSEPH  L. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Virginia,  in  1810  ;  left  home  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  and  went  westward  to  Louisville  and  St.  Louis, 
and  joined  Subletted  hunting  party,  and  set  out  in  March,  182V), 


598  HlftTOTlY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

upon  the  plains,  and  for  many  years  thereafter  led  the  life  of  a 
hunter  and  trapper.  (For  particulars  of  his  life  in  the  mountains 
and  subsequently,  see  "River  of  the  West.")  In  1841  Meek  settled 
in  the  Tualatin  Plains,  in  Washington  County,  and  made  that  his 
home  until  his  death  on  the  20th  of  June,  1875. 

MEEK,  COURTNEY. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1838,  the  son  of  Joe  Meek.  Is  a  farmer, 
and  resides  three  miles  north  of  Hillsboro.  He  married  Delia 
Newton  in  1878,  and  their  children's  names  are — George  and  Josie. 

WALKER,  MARY  RICHARDSON. 

This  venerable  lady,  who  is  unquestionably  the  leader  of  all 
living  female  immigrants  to  the  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
resides  at  present  at  Forest  Grove,  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  her 
mental  and  most  of  her  physical  faculties.  Like  so  many  of  the 
honored  and  venerated  pioneers  of  this  coast,  Mrs.  Walker  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Maine.  The  place  of  her  nativity  was  the 
town  of  Baldwin,  and  the  date  was  1811.  She  became  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Elkanah  Walker,  and  with  him  set  out  for  the  Pacific 
Slope,  and  after  the  ysual  adventures,  hardships  and  misfortunes 
incident  to  the  trip  across  the  plains  arrived,  in  the  year  1838,  on 
the  Columbia.  For  nearly  ten  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  con 
tinued  to  reside  at  the  Mission,  a  short  distance  below  Fort 
Colville,  and  here  some  of  their  children  were  born.  During  all 
this  time  their  existence  was  almost  wholly  with  the  Indians,  no 
white  people  living  within  hundreds  of  miles,  excepting  Rev.  C.  Eells 
and  family,  who  shared  with  the  Walker  family  the  discomforts 
of  their  life  and  lot.  To  the  people  of  to-day  it  must  seem  wonder 
ful  and  altogether  inexplicable,  how  human  beings  as  tenderly 
nurtured  as  the  Walker  and  Eells  families  were,  could  live  at  all 
amid  such  surroundings,  and  the  wonder  increases  when  it  is 
learned  that  ten  years  did  not  serve  to  dampen  the  ardor  of  these 
pious  missionary  people.  Leaving  Walker's  Claims,  as  the  locality 
of  the  mission  was  called,  the  Walker  family  removed  in  1848,  to 
the  Willamette  Valley,  and  have  since  made  Washington  County 
their  home.  Mr.  Walker  died  in  1877.  The  children's  names  are, 
Cyrus  H.,  Abigail  B.,  Marcus  W.,  Joseph  E.,  John  R.,  Levi  C. 
and  Samuel  T. 


Hf STORY   OF   IMMIGRATION.  ")(.»'.» 

( 

1839. 

BALDRA,  WILLIAM. 

Horn  in  England  in  1810;  came  to  America  in  1836,  and  lived 
three  years  on  Red  River  in  Manitoba;  came  then  to  Oregon  and 
settled  on  the  Tualatin  Plains,  locating  in  1842  three  miles  north 
west  of  the  site  of  Hillsboro.  Had  married  Maria  Callaby  in  Eng 
land  in  1835.  Their  children  are,  Thomas  W.  and  Richard  C., 
and  a  daughter,  now  Mrs.  R.  E.  Wiley,  the  later  having  been  the 
first  white  child  born  in  Washington  County.  Her  birth  took 
place  August  1,  1840.  Mr.  Baldra  was  an  employee  of  the  Hud 
son's  Bay  Company  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  residence  in  America. 
He  speaks  of  the  Indians  in  Washington  County  in  the  "  forties  " 
as  having  been  numerous,  but  not  troublesome  except  by  their 
thieving. 

GEIGER,  WM.,  M.   D. 

Doctor  Wui.  Geiger,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  the 
pioneers,  was  born  in  1816  in  Alleghany  County,  New  York,  but 
in  the  year  1833  had  settled  in  Illinois.  The  American  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  being  at  that  time  concerned  for  the  welfare  of 
the  Indians  of  the  Columbia  basin,  Mr.  Geiger  offered  his  services 
and  was  appointed  missionary  teacher,  with  instructions  to  proceed 
to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  engage  in  the  work  of  proselytizing.  It 
happened,  however,  that  the  funds  of  the  association  ran  low,  and 
the  new  plans  were  defeated.  Dr.  Geiger,  however,  did  not  relin 
quish  his  intention  of  engaging  in  missionary  work,  but  set  out  on 
his  own  account  to  cross  the  continent  in  company  with  quite  a 
number  of  kindred  spirits,  whose  names  are  set  forth  hf  another 
connection.  The  cavalcade  came  on  horseback,  paying  their  own 
expenses,  and  got  safely  to  Oregon  in  1839.  In  the  winter  follow 
ing  his  arrival,  the  doctor  taught  school  at  the  old  mission  not  far 
from  Wheatland.  The  station  was  long  since  deserted  and  now  re 
tains  no  signs  of  its  former  use,  the  buildings  being  completely  gone. 
The  next  spring  he  set  out  for  California  with  the  design  of  meet 
ing  a  party  of  his  friends  who  were  to  rendezvous  at  Sutler's  Fort; 
but,  going  by  sea  to  Monterey,  he  was  forbidden  to  travel  in  the 
interior  without  a  passport,  which  was  not  procurable  short  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  Proceeding  there  he  spent  some  months,  pro- 


600  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

cured  the  necessary  papers  and  returning  to  California  went  to 
Suiter's  Fort.  The  date  of  his  arrival  was  1841.  There  he  stayed 
a  year  surveying  for  the  proprietor,  and  eventually  formed  the 
intention  of  going  East  by  way  of  Fort  Hall.  Exchanging  his 
property  for  mules  and  horses,  he  set  out,  but,  arriving  at  the  last 
mentioned  place,  found  it  impossible  to  proceed,  owing  to  the  hos 
tility  of  the  Indians  along  the  route.  The  result  was  that  he  came 
back  to  Oregon,  and  has  since  remained  on  this  coast.  In  the 
winter  of  1842-43  Dr.  Geiger  occupied  Dr.  Whitman's  place  as  mis 
sionary,  that  individual  being  on  his  famous  trip  to  the  East,  the  re 
sults  of  which  are  supposed  to  have  proved  so  momentous  to  the  peo 
ple  of  this  country.  On  Whitman's  return,  Dr.  Geiger  came  to"  the 
Willamette  Valley  and  located,  November,  1843,  on  a  tract  of  land 
near  the  town  of  Cornelius,  in  Washington  County,  which  he  has 
held  ever  since.  A  year  or  two  previous  he  had  begun  practice  as 
a  physician,  having  studied  the  healing  art  in  the  Eastern  States, 
and  has  continued  in  his  profession  until  the  present.  Beginning 
as  a  "  regular  "  of  the  blood-letting,  fever- starving  sort,  he  has  of 
late  become  a  convert  to  the  virtues  of  the  homoeopathic  cult,  and 
follows  its  teachings.  Of  public  offices  Dr.  Geiger  has  held  several, 
being  county  clerk,  county  surveyor,  etc.  The  Doctor  relates  that 
on  his  arrival  in  the  valley  the  only  practicing  physicians  were 
Doctors  White  and  Bailey.  Doctors  Whitman  and  Gray  were  in 
the  habit  of  treating  the  natives  who  fell  under  their  care,  but  their 
professional  skill  was  not  often  called  upon  by  white  people.  Two 
medical  men  attached  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  attended  the 
sick  at  Vancouver,  and  made  extended  trips  into  the  interior  when 
ever  their  services  were  asked  in  behalf  of  the  higher  servants  of 
that  company.  Dr.  Geiger  was  married  in  1847  to  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  J.  A.  C.  Cornwall,  who  arrived  in  the  valley  during  the  early 
part  of  that  year.  The  reverend  gentleman,  with  his  family,  had 
crossed  the  continent  with  the  immigration  'of  1846,  but  entering 
Oregon  by  Applegate's  southern  route  had  been  compelled  to  halt 
in  the  Umpqua  Valley,  by  reason  of  their  utter  lack  of  transporta 
tion  facilities.  The  rainy  season  coming  on,  these  unfortunates  had 
to  abandon  their  property  and  make  their  way  to  the  settlements. 
But  the  Hev.  Cornwall,  unwilling  to  leave  his  beloved  books,  chose 
to  abide  in  the  valley  during  the  rough  and  inclement  season  ap- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  601 

proaching.  They  safely  wintered;  and  in  the  spring  Dr.  Geiger 
proceeded  to  their  assistance  and  aided  them  on  their  way  to  the 
Willamette.  Settling  here,  the  minister  occupied  himself  in  reli 
gious  ministrations  until  1865,  mainly  at  different  points  in  the 
valley.  Removing  from  the  State  in  that  year,  he  died  in  San 
Buenaventura,  Southern  California,  in  1879.  Mrs.  Cornwall  and 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Geiger,  now  reside  at  Forest  Grove. 

GRIFFIN,  JOHN  SMITH. 

The  reverend  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  article  has 
attained  and  preserved  in  the  course  of  a  long  and  eventful  life  of 
over*  three-fourths  of  a  century,  a  wide  reputation  as  a  man  of 
action  and  integrity  and  strong  convictions.  His  name  has  been 
on  the  tongues  of  the  people  for  very  many  years  ;  his  opinions 
and  his  character  have  always  been  influential ;  and  his  professions 
of  sanctity  and  integrity  have  not  exceeded  his  performances.  He 
has  lived  up  to  principles  as  commendable  in  theory  as  they  have 
proved  unique  in  practice.  The  strength,  earnestness  and  out 
spokenness  of  his  convictions  has  raised  up  enemies  ;  but  even 
these  enemies  have  borne  testimony  to  the  uprightness  of  his 
principles.  Rev.  J.  S.  Griffin  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vermont,  in 
November,  1807.  His  ancestors  were  of  English  descent.  The 
son  was  educated  for  the  ministry,  acquiring  the  groundwork  of 
extensive  learning  in  various  schools  and  seminaries  in  New  Eng 
land,  Vermont  and  Ohio.  Finishing  at  Oberlin,  he  wras  ordained 
as  a  Congregationalist  minister,  and  was  selected  to  perform 
evangelical  work  among  the  Indians  of  the  west.  It  was  in  the 
winter  of  1838-39  that  he  was  outfitted  as  a  missionary  by  the 
Congregational  church  of  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  and 
in  February,  1839,  he  left  that  State  with  the  intention  of  crossing 
the  plains  to  Oregon.  He  traveled  in  a  light  wagon  to  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  and  there  took  in  Asahel  Hunger  and  wife,  destined  for 
missionary  work,  as  Mr.  Griffin's  assistants.  In  St.  Louis,  Mr. 
Griffin,  feeling  the  need  of  a  help-meet,  married  a  young  lady,  Miss 
Desire  C.  Smith,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  wrho  being  educated  in 
the  eastern  towns,  had  magnanimously  devoted  the  pleasant  years 
of  her  youth  to  teaching  the  children  of  the  western  settlers,  and 
for  that  purpose  had  moved  to  Illinois.  While  in  such  employ- 


602  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY* 

merit  she  met  Mr.  Griffin,  and  their  marriage  followed  in  a  few 
days.  Of  the  lady's  life,  the  following  details  are  communicated 
by  her  husband  :  Born  in  Boston  in  June,  1805  ;  in  1834  was  one 
of  the  first  to  answer  the  call  for  lady  teachers  to  go  to  the  then 
frontier  ;  was  married  to  Rev.  Mr.  Griffin  in  St.  Louis,  on  April 
10,  1839  ;  on  her  bridal  tour  crossed  the  American  continent  in 
the  summer  of  1839  ;  taught  the  first  Indian  school  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  (1839-40),  and  was  the  first  white  woman  in 
the  settlement  of  the  Tualatin  Plains,  Oregon  ;  still  lives  (July  1, 
1884,)  in  the  first  building  erected  in  that  settlement.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Griifin  crossed  the  plains  on  horseback,  in  company  with 
some  emigrants  and  trappers,  and  stopped  at  Rev.  H.  H.  Spald- 
ing's  mission  among  the,  Nez  Perces,  at  Lapwai.  In  March,  1840, 
Mr.  Griffin  set  about  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  the 
Snake  Indians,  in  Idaho,  but  was  unsuccessful  in  two  attempts. 
Later,  he  became  chaplain  at  Fort  Vancouver,  but  in  1841  he 
proceeded  to  the  Tualatin  Plains  and  began  that  settlement  in  a 
locality  admirably  suited  for  the  purposes  of  a  colony.  Here, 
when  a  sufficient  number  of  neighbors  had  been  drawn  around 
him,  he  assumed  the  function  of  pastor,  which  he  still,  though  at 
an  advanced  age,  carries  on.  "  Rocky  Mountain  Retreat "  is  the 
fanciful  name  which  was  bestowed  upon  his  place  ;  and  here  he 
has  since  remained,  taken  up  with  his  agricultural  and  other  occu 
pations,  but  entering  with  vigor  into  the  political  affairs  of  the 
State  and  country.  His  acts  are  elsewhere  alluded  to,  and  his 
career  may  be  profitably  studied  by  those  who  would  understand 
the  peculiarities  of  the  puritanic  Yankee  type,  softened  and 
ameliorated  by  the  stanchest  patriotism  and  magnanimity. 

HOLMAN,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Devonshire,  England,  in  1815;  came  to  America  when 
nineteen  years  of  age,  and,  after  hearing  a  lecture  on  Oregon  by  the 
Rev.  Jason  Lee,  he  joined  a  company  of  emigrants  for  Oregon. 
They  arrived  the  following  spring  after  suffering  many  hardships 
and  privations,  and  only  four  of  the  eighteen  who  started  came 
through;  the  others  becoming  dissatisfied,  dropped  out  of  the  com 
pany  and  went  to  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Holman  being  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  was  immediately  employed  as  mission  carpenter.  In  1843 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  603 

lie  took  a  claim  and  farmed  until  Ib49;  then  followed  the  mercan 
tile  business  in  Salem  until  1853.  In  1872  he  was  appointed  one 
of  three  commissioners  on  the  new  penitentiary  and  was  also  super 
intendent  of  the  State  capitol;  he  built  the  Chemekete  Hotel  in 
Salem.  Married  a  missionary,  Miss  Almira  Phelps,  and  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom  now  live — George  P.,  of  Portland,  and  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Albert,  of  Salem.  Mr.  Holinan  was  the  founder  of  the 
Pioneer  Oil  MiUs  of  Salem.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Libbie  Buss.  He  died  June  25,  1880. 

1840. 

ABERNETHY,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  in  1807,  and  resided  there  until  1839. 
Set  out  for  Oregon  and  arrived  in  May,  1840.  For  many  years  he 
lived  on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette  below  Oregon  City.  He  was 
instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  Provisional  Government  of  Ore 
gon,  and  was  chosen  the  first  Governor,  holding  the  position  until 
in  1849,  when  the  Territorial  Government  was  organized.  Subse 
quently  he  became  interested  in  large  mercantile  enterprises,  nota 
bly  in  the  large  mills  at  Linn  City  (falls  of  the  Willamette).  Re 
sided  in  Portland  for  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life,  dying  in 
May,  1877. 

CLARKE,  EMELINE. 

Born  in  Lowville,  New  York;  married  Rev.  Harvey  Clarke  in 
Independence,  Missouri,  in  1838.  They  set  out  for  Oregon  two 
years  later,  to  do  missionary  work  among  the  Indians.  They  stopped 
at  Waiilatpu,  upon  their  arrival  in  August,  until  the  next  year, 
\vhen  they  located  at  Tualatin,  and  eventually  at  Forest  Grove. 
Here  they  lived  the  most  of  their  lives,  excepting  one  year  spent  in 
teaching  at  the  Methodist  Mission  below  Salem.  Mr.  Clarke  died 
in  1858;  Mrs.  Clarke,  August  1,  1866. 

COUCH,  JOHN  H. 

Born  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  February  21,  1811;  became  a 
sailor  and  made  many  voyages  during  the  years  preceding  1839. 
Entered  the  Columbia  River  in  the  spring  of  1840  on  board  the 
brig  Maryland.  Arrived  again  in  the  Willamette  in  1843  in  com 
mand  of  the  brig  Chenamus,  of  Boston.  Remained  in  this  country 


<>04  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  kept  a  store  in  Oregon  City  until  1845,  in  that  year  removing 
to  Portland  and  taking  up  a  land  claim  which  forms  a  large  part 
of  that  city.  Was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  Provisional  Govern 
ment  of  Oregon,  hut  went  to  the  Eastern  States  in  1847.  In  August, 
1849,  he  arrived  at  Portland  again  in  the  bark  Madonna,  of  New 
York.  Locating  permanently  in  Portland,  he  filled  the  positions 
of  county  treasurer,  county  commissioner,  pilot  commissioner,  port 
warden,  and  U.  S.  inspector  of  hulls.  Became  very  widely  known 
in  the  State.  Died  January  19,  1870. 

JUDSON,  LEONARD  B. 

Mr.  Judson  was  one  of  the  Methodist  missionaries  who  came  to 
Oregon  in  1840  in  the  ship  Lausanne.  He  was  born  in  New  York 
State.  He  now  resides  in  Salem.  To  use  his  own  words:  "I  saw 
the  Willamette  Valley  when  it  was  a  wilderness,  peopled  only  by 
wild  Indians  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  subjects;  witnessed 
the  first  Provisional  Government  in  the  new  territory;  saw  Port 
land  when  its  site  was  a  dense  body  of  timber;  saw  Oregon  City 
when  only  the  log  cabin  of  a  single  trader  was  there;  saw  Salem 
when  only  two  buildings  were  up,  and  the  whole  valley  above  was 
but  a  trackless  wilderness,  roamed  over  by  the  red  man;  lived  the 
first  year  on  boiled  wheat  slicked  over  with  Hudson's  Bay  molasses, 
strong  enough  to  go  alone,  with  an  occasional  cake  made  of  flour 
ground  in  the  coffee  mill." 

NAYLOR,  T.  G. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1814;  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  of 
Oregon,  and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Forest  Grove,  Washing 
ton  County,  where  he  farmed  for  an  occupation.  He  married 
Catharine  Storey  in  1853,  and  their  children  number  six,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Mr.  Naylor  died  in  1872. 

PARRISH,  JOSIAH  L. 

Of  all  the  old  settlers  of  Oregon  none  commands  a  greater  share 
of  respect  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  nor  has  any  individual 
accumulated  a  greater  amount  of  experience  and  knowledge  of 
this  State.  Mr.  Parrish  came  to  Oregon  as  an  assistant  to  the 
Methodist  Missionary  Board,  and  continued  the  work  of  evangeliz 
ing  the  Indians  for  nearly  twenty  years.  He  was  born  in  Onon- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  605 

daga  County,  New  York,  in  ISOti,  and  is  of  Dutch  and  English 
extraction.  He  was  taught  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  being  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  gifted  with  a  desire  to 
proselytize,  he  became  local  preacher  for  that  sect  in  Alleghany 
County,  New  York.  The  Methodist  Missionary  Board,  as  will  be 
seen  by  a  reference  to  previous  pages,  was  intent  upon  forming  an 
establishment  in  Oregon,  and  in  1889  Mr.  Parrish  volunteered  his 
services,  and  set  out  for  Oregon  with  the  missionary  family 
organized  by  the  Rev.  Jason  Lee,  and  set  sail  for  Oregon  in  1839, 
in  the  ship  Lausanne,  Captain  Josiah  Spaulding.  The  missionary 
force  consisted  of  the  following  persons  :  Rev.  Jason  Lee  and  wife  ; 
Rev.  J.  H.  Frost,  wife  and  child  ;  Rev.  Gustavus  Hines,  wife  and 
child  ;  Rev.  William  Kone  and  wife  ;  Rev.  Alvan  F.  Waller,  wife 
and  two  children  ;  Dr.  J.  F.  Richmond,  wife  and  four  children  ; 
Dr.  Ira  F.  Babcock,  wife  and  child  ;  George  Abernethy  (mission 
steward),  wife  and  two  children  ;  W.  W.  Raymond  (farmer)  and 
wife  ;  Henry  B.  Brewer  (farmer)  and  wife ;  Lewis  H.  Judson 
(cabinet-maker),  wife  and  three  children  ;  Josiah  L.  Parrish 
(blacksmith),  wife  and  three  children  ;  James  Alley  (carpenter)  ; 
Hamilton  Campbell  (carpenter),  wife  and  child  ;  Misses  Maria  T. 
Ware,  Chloe  A.  Clark,  Elmira  Phillips  and  Alniira  Phelps, 
(teachers)  ;  Orpha  Lankton  (stewardess),  and  Thomas  Adams 
(Indian  boy).  The  above  came  safely  around  Cape  Horn  and 
located  first  at  the  old  mission  near  the  present  town  of  Wheat  - 
land.  There,  for  three  years,  Mr.  Parrish  performed  the  black- 
smithing,  and  was  then  appointed  missionary  to  the  Indians  at  the 
Clatsop  Plains,  and  staid  there  three  years.  Then  returning  to  the 
valley  he  became  preacher  to  the  circuit  which  extended  from 
Portland  to  Corvallis,  performing  these  duties  in  conjunction  with 
Rev.  David  Leslie  and  Dr.  W.  H.  Willson.  In  1847  and  succeed 
ing  years  he  preached  in  the  west  side  circuit,  and  for  a  time  in 
Portland.  In  1849  he  received  the  appointment  of  sub-Indian 
agent  from  President  Taylor,  and  served  for  five  years,  or  until 
1854.  He  was  thus  the  first  regularly  appointed  Indian  agent  in 
Oregon,  the  circle  of  his  duties  extending  to  all  parts  of  the  then 
Oregon.  In  1854  President  Pierce  extended  his  appointment,  but 
owing  to  ill-health  he  was  compelled  to  resign.  In  1855  he  be 
came  a  missionary  among  the  Indians,  and  visited  many  tribes. 


606  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ministering  particularly  at  the  Grand  Ronde  Agency.  For  three 
or  four  subsequent  years  he  rode  a  circuit  and  preached,  in  widely 
varying  localities  ;  but  owing  to  ill -health  he  was  compelled  to 
retire  from  active  duties,  and  settled  at  Salem,  his  present  home, 
Mr.  Parrish  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  informed  individuals,  as 
regards  Oregon  history,  that  is  to  be  found  ;  and  his  statements  in 
all  things  reflect  the  candid  and  straightforward  mind  of  an 
honest  gentleman.  His  recollections  cover  an  interesting  and 
extended  period  in  the  State's  history,  and  his  evidence  is  indis 
pensable  to  any  one  who  would  seek  to  obtain  an  accurate  knowl 
edge  of  the  events  of  early  years. 

SMITH,  ALVIN  T. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1802,  and  now,  at  the  age 
of  four-score  and  two  years,  is  still  a  hale  man,  living  out  the  latter 
years  of  a  long  and  varied  life  in  the  town  of  Forest  Grove.  Mr. 
Smith  left  Illinois  for  Oregon  in  1840,  the  year  of  his  marriage. 
His  principal  occupation  has  been  farming,  at  which  he  has  been 
very  successful  and  has  accumulated  wealth. 

1841. 

BUXTON,  HENRY. 

Born  on  the  Red  River,  British  North  America,  six  miles  north 
of  the  United  States  line,  in  October,  1829.  He  arrived  in  Oregon 
in  1841,  coming  with  the  famous  Red  River  immigration  of  that 
year.  He  now  lives  at  Forest  Grove  and  cultivates  a  farm.  Has 
eleven  children,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Washington  county  for 
forty  4wo  years.  The  political  significance  of  the  Red  River  immi 
gration  has  been  elsewhere  touched  upon,  but  Mr.  Buxton  has  con 
tributed  the  following  facts  as  to  its  actual  experiences :  The  parties 
composing  the  expedition  numbered  some  sixty,  and  were  mostly  of 
mixed  blood — English,  Indian,  Scotch,  and  French.  The  leader 
was  James  Sinclair.  They  set  out  under  an  agreement  with  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  remove  from  their  habitations  in  British 
North  America  to  Puget  Sound,  there  to  engage  in  agricultural 
pursuits  upon  land  to  be  set  apart  for  them,  and  they  were  to  have 
houses  specially  prepared  against  their  arrival.  They  came  by  way 
of  Fort  Pitt  and  the  Saskatchewan  valley  to  Forts  Carl  tori  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  607 

Edmonton,  crossing  the  Saskatchewan  and  Assiniboine,  and  sur 
mounting  the  Rocky  Mountains  at  Devil's  Pass,  so-called,  at  the 
head  of  Red  Deer  River.  These  were  routes  never  before  traveled, 
and  of  course  abounded  in  difficulties.  They  had  set  out  with  carts 
drawn  by  animals,  but  abandoned  these  and  resorted  to  packing 
when  at  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Rockies.  Coming  by  way  of  Lake 
Pend  d'Oreille  and  crossing  the  rivers  Flat  Bow,  Spokane  and  Snake 
(at  Riparia),  they  struck  the  Columbia  near  Fort  Walla  'Walla,  and 
proceeded  down  it  to  near  their  objective  point.  The  colony,  however, 
did  not  succeed.  The  lands  were  found  to  be  unsuitable,  and  quite 
disadvantageous  in  comparison  with  the  fruitful  plains  of  the  Wil 
lamette;  so,  while  a  portion  of  the  colony  tried  faithfully  to  carry 
out  their  agreement,  the  most  of  them  drifted  off  to  other  sections, 
mostly  choosing  the  Willamette  valley  as  their  abode,  where  a  few 
survivors  may  yet  be  found,  amalgamated  with  the  American  pop 
ulation,  and  identified  with  them  by  community  of  tastes  and 
interests. 

JOHNSON,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Washington  Territory  in  1839;  is  of  English  parentage. 
Came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  when  two  years  of  age.  Is  a 
farmer,  and  a  resident  of  Glencoe,  Washington  County.  He  mar 
ried  Miss  Nancy  Smith,  a  native  of  Oregon,  in  1866,  and  they  have 
eight  children. 

WILLIAMS,  SAMUEL. 

Resides  one  mile  east  of  Hillsboro,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion.  He  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  at  a  very 
early  day  and  settled  in  Washington  county  on  the  place  where  he 
still  lives.  He  married  Ann  E.  Jolly  in  1856,  and  their  children 
are  Eliza  J.,  Amanda  M.,  William  W.,  and  Frank. 

1842. 
CRAWFORD,  MEDOREM. 

Born  in  Orange  County,  New  York,  June  24,  1819.  In  early 
life  was  apprenticed  to  a  farmer  in  Seneca  County,  with  whom  he 
lived  from  his  thirteenth  to  his  sixteenth  year.  Left  his  home  in 
Havana,  Schuyler  County,  on  March  17,  1842,  bound  for  Oregon. 
His  route  of  travel  led  through  Seneca  Lake,  Lake  Erie,  Pittsburg, 


608  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE   VALLEY. 

Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Independence,  and  the  trip  is  well 
described  in  his  Occasional  Address  to  the  Association  of  Pioneers, 
delivered  on  June  15,  1881.  On  his  arrival  in  Oregon,  the  young 
traveler  located  at  Salem,  and  taught  the  Mission  School  for  nine 
months.  In  the  following  year  he  married  Miss  Brown,  and  pur 
chased  an  interest  in  James  A.  O 'Neil's  claim,  covering  the  present 
town  of  Wheatland,  where  he  resided  until  the  fall  of  1844.  At 
the  Wheatland  farm,  in  January,  1844,  his  oldest  son  was  born, 
being  the  first  male  child  of  American  parentage  born  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Willamette  River.  In  April,  1845,  he  removed  to 
Oregon  City,  where  he  resided  for  seven  years,  engaged  in  trans 
porting  merchandise  and  produce  around  the  Willamette  Falls. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Provisional  Legislature  in  1847,  during 
which  session  the  Whitman  massacre  occurred,  and  again,  in  1849, 
the  last  session  under  the  Provisional  government.  In  1852  he 
removed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yamhill  river,  and  settled  permanently 
on  the  "Joe  McLoughlin  claim,"  one  of  the  earliest  settled  farms 
in  the  valley,  to  which  he  subsequently  acquired  a  patent  under  the 
Donation  Law.  He  was  elected  to  the  first  State  Legislature,  but 
was  counted  out  by  partisan  opponents;  was  again  elected  in  1860, 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  election  of  Oregon's  first  Republican 
Senator,  Col.  E.  D.  Baker.  He  visited  his  father  in  New  York,  in 
1861,  and  on  returning  westward,  across  the  plains,  was  taken  into 
government  service  and  made  assistant  to  Captain  Maynadier,  IT.  S. 
A.,  who  commanded  the  emigrant  escort.  In  the  following  year  he 
went  East  again,  and  received  from  President  Lincoln  the  appoint 
ment  of  assistant  quartermaster,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  was 
ordered  west,  to  organize,  arm  and  equip  one  hundred  men,  and  to 
proceed  westward,  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  and  protecting  the  emigrants.  The  company  performed 
that  duty  throughout  the  season,  and  were  disbanded  at  Walla 
Walla  in  October,  1862.  Returning  East  again,  in  1863,  he,  for 
the  third  time,  crossed  the  plains  westward  in  charge  of  emigrants, 
and  in  the  next  year  resigned  his  commission.  President  Lincoln 
then  conferred  upon  him  the  appointment  of  collector  of  internal 
revenue,  which  Captain  Crawford  held  for  five  years.  In  1871  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Grant  appraiser  of  merchandise  for  the 
port  of  Portland.  This  office  he  administered  also  for  about  five 


HI8TORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  609 

years,  retiring,  in  1876,  to  his  farm  on  the  Yamhill,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Mrs.  Crawford  died,  May  20,  1879,  and  in  the  fol 
lowing  year  he  married  Mrs.  E.  Burrows.  His  children,  all  of 
whom  are  by  the  first  wife,  are:  Medorem,  Frederick  A.,  Mary  E. 
(Mrs.  H.  C.  Stevens),  John  M.,  Albert,  and  Henrietta,  Medorem, 
Jr.  (who,  as  before  mentioned,  was  born  at  Wheatland),  was,  in 
1862,  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  to  West  Point,  and  without 
other  educational  advantages  than  the  then  primitive  schools  of 
Oregon  afforded,  passed  his  examination  and  was  admitted  as  a 
cadet.  Graduating  with  honor,  in  1867,  he  took  rank  as  lieutenant 
in  the  Second  Artillery,  where  he  still  remains. 

HOLMAN,  GEORGE  P. 

Born  in  Salem,  Oregon,  in  1842,  being  the  fourth  white  person 
born  in  the  State.  Represented  Marion  County  in  the  Legislature 
in  1870. 

LOVEJOY,  ASA  L. 

Born  in  Massachusetts,  March  14,  1808;  came  to   Oregon  in 
1842;  was  an  attorney  by  occupation;  died  at  Portland,  September 
11,  1882.     Wife's  previous  name,  Elizabeth  McGary.     Children- 
Ada  M.  (deceased),  Amos  L.,  Elizabeth  M.,  Nellie,  and  William  R. 

McKAY,   CHARLES. 

Was  born  at  sea  of  Scotch  parents  in  1808;  lived  at  Winnipeg 
where  he  was  married  to  Letitia  Bird  in  1827;  in  1841  went  to 
Washington  Territory,  remaining  at  Steilacoom  one  year;  then 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Glencoe,  Washington  County,  where 
his  family  yet  reside,  farmers  by  occupation.  His  children's  names 
are — Charles,  Mrs.  Elliott  and  Mrs.  Plumey.  Mr.  McKay  is  de 
ceased. 

MATTHIEU,  FRANCIS  XAVIER. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1818  and  removed  to  New  York  in  1838 
from  political  reasons,  having  been  one  of  the  insurrectionary  party 
in  1837-38.  He  became  clerk  for  the  American  Fur  Company,  and 
made  two  trips  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1840-41.  He  entered 
Oregon  in  1842  and  settled  among  the  Canadian -French  inhabitants 
of  the  northern  part  of  Marion  County.  His  presence  among  them 


610  HISTOKY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

was  useful  to  the  American  cause,  for  his  influence  was  thrown  in 
favor  of  republican  principles  and  movements.  Contemporary 
writers  have  spoken  of  F.  X.  Matthieu  in  terms  of  gratitude  and  re 
spect.  He  was,  doubtless,  the  most  influential  of  the  people  of  that 
nativity  in  Oregon.  Reserved  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1874  and 
1878;  and  in  the  Cayuse  war  was  deputy  quartermaster.  Resides 
now  on  his  original  donation  claim  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
Butteville.  Married,  in  1844,  Rosa  Ossang,  who  bore  him  seven 
sons  and  seven  daughters.  His  occupations  have  been  farming  and 
merchandising,  and  for  twenty  years  he  was  in  trade  at  Butteville. 

MOSS,  SIDNEY  W. 

Born  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky.  Came  to  Oregon  in 
September,  1842.  Residence,  Oregon  City,  and  occupation,  stone 
cutter.  Mr.  Moss'  first  wife's  name  was  Rebecca  Taylor,  and  the 
second,  Dorcas  Richardson.  Their  children  were — Sarah  E., 
Catharine  M.,  Alfred,  William  H.  H.,  Sidney,  John  M.,  Walter  S., 
Henrie  Lenora,  Volney  C.,  and  Charles  P. — of  whom  the  first  five, 
and  the  last  named,  are  deceased. 

WESTON,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Indiana,  July  4,  1820  ;  removed  to  Arkansas  in  1836  ; 
set  out  for  Oregon  in  1841,  but  had  to  winter  in  Missouri,  and 
during  the  next  year  arrived  in  this  State.  Mr.  Weston  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  after  his  arrival  worked  at  that  trade  for  T.  J. 
Hubbard,  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  who  had  come  here  with 
Captain  Wyeth.  He  took  up  a  land  claim  adjoining  Dr.  Newell's, 
on  the  Willamette,  where  his  family  yet  reside.  In  1847  he  be 
came  a  soldier  in  the  Cayuse  war,  attaining  the  rank  of  lieutenant. 

1843. 

APPLEGATE,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  January  24,  1806  ;  removed 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1820.  Married  in  1829  to  Miss  Melinda 
Miller.  Set  out  with  his  brothers,  Jesse  and  Lindsay,  for  Oregon 
in  the  memorable  year  1843.  Settled  in  Polk  County,  and  re 
mained  there  until  1860,  when  he  removed  to  Yoncalla,  Douglas 
County,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  August  9,  1879. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  611 

APPLEGATE,  JESSE  A. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1835  ;  came  to  Oregon  with  the  world- 
famous  party  led  by  his  relatives,  Charles,  Jesse  and  Lindsay 
Applegate,  in  1843.  Has  lived  at  various  points  in  the  valley. 
Studied  law  with  the  firm  of  Wilson  &  Harding,  at  Salem,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1864.  Was  married  in  1863  to  Virginia 
Watson.  Their  children  are — Glendower,  McClellan  and  Erie. 
Mr.  Applegate  was  superintendent  of  schools  for  Polk  County  in 
1863-64,  and  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1865-66.  Kesidence, 
Salem. 

APPLEGATE,  LINDSAY. 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  September  18,  1808  ;  his 
family  settled  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1820,  and  about  three 
years  later  he  joined  General  Ashby's  fur  company,  and  participated 
in  an  expedition  into  the  country  of  the  hostile  Indians.  Return 
ing  to  St.  Louis  he  was  married  in  1831  to  Elizabeth  Miller.  He 
served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Set  out  for  Oregon  in  May,  1843, 
and  settled  in  Polk  County.  The  expedition  of  the  above  year 
was,  probably,  the  most  important  of  all  the  movements  of  that 
sort  whose  direction  was  to  this  State,  and  Lindsay  Applegate, 
with  his  brothers,  Charles  and  Jesse,  were  the  moving  spirits 
therein.  Its  details  are  elsewhere  set  forth.  In  1844  Lindsay 
Applegate  served  as  a  member  of  the  first  organized  company  of 
soldiers  designed  to  protect  the  infant  settlements  from  the  invasion 
of  hostile  Indians.  In  1846  he,  with  Jesse  Applegate,  sought  out 
the  Southern  Immigrant  Route,  by  which,  in  that  year,  a  con 
siderable  number  of  pioneers  entered  this  State.  In  1848  he  went 
to  California  by  land,  and  returned  during  the  same  year  by 
water.  In  1850  he  joined  General  Lane  in  pursuit  of  the  deserting 
regulars  from  Vancouver.  In  the  same  year  he  served  as  special 
Indian  agent  under  Gen.  Palmer.  Commanded,  in  1853,  a  com 
pany  of  volunteers  who  enlisted  to  combat  the  Rogue  River  tribes, 
but  was  not  in  action.  In  1859  he  purchased  the  toll  road  leading 
from  Northern  California  to  Southern  Oregon,  and  went  to  reside 
on  the  Siskiyou  Mountains.  In  1861  he  was  chosen  captain  of  a 
volunteer  company,  whose  object  was  to  protect  incoming  immi 
grants,  and  set  out  to  patrol  the  southern  route  from  Klamath 


012  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

eastward.  Was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Oregon  in  1862, 
and  was  likewise  special  Indian  agent.  Served  at  Klamath,  as 
such,  until  1869.  Resides  at  Ashland,  Jackson  County. 

ARTHUR,  DAVID. 

Born  m  Kentucky,  in  1843  ;  lived  mainly  in  Missouri,  and 
joined  the  emigration  of  1843,  with  his  parents,  William  and 
Millie  Arthur,  to  cross  the  continent  with  the  Applegate  party. 
Settled  in  Yamhill  County,  near  McMirmville.  Lived  afterwards 
in  Lane  County.  Married,  in  1846,  Mary  J.  Malone.  Has  family 
of  four  living  children — Sophronia  G.,  Abbie  E.,  Arceiia  A.,  and 
Eugene  L.  Mrs.  Arthur,  who  also  belonged  to  the  aforesaid 
party,  died  in  1879.  The  family  now  reside  in  Salem. 

BAKER,  ANDREW  J. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1820  ;  went  to  Tennessee  at  the  age 
of  twelve,  and  staid  there  three  years  ;  spent  the  next  six  years  in 
Missouri ;  came  to  Oregon  in  the  memorable  year  1843,  and 
settled  in  Yamhill  County.  In  1846  he  made  a  trip  to  California, 
but  returned  in  1849,  having  participated  in  the  hostilities  between 
the  Americans  and  -Mexicans.  Mr.  Baker's  present  address  is 
Lafayette,  and  his  occupation  is  farming.  Was  married  in  1857 
to  Miss  Mary  Lake,  by  whom  he  has  had  Charles-,  Annie,  Rosa, 
Alsa  and  Lina. 

BAKER,  JOHN  G. 

Born  in  Hopkins- County,  Kentucky,  in  1818.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  emigrated  to  Missouri.  Two  years  later  he  married 
Catherine  Blevins,  the  mother  of  his  present  family  of  four  children 
-William  D.,  Morgan  A.,  Mary  A.,  and  Aville  L.  He  set  out 
with  his  family  for  Oregon  along  with  the  important  immigration 
of  1843.  With  the  party  were  one  hundred  and  twelve  wagons 
drawn  by  oxen,  making  a  very  imposing  train,  which  was  six 
months  on  the  way,  and  obtained  all  the  usual  experiences  attend 
ant  upon  that  long  and  arduous  journey.  Arriving  in  Oregon,  Mr. 
Baker  became  the  first  settler  between  "  the  two  Yamhills."  In  the 
early  years  of  his  residence  he  was  troubled  somewhat  by  the  dep 
redations  of  mischievous  Indians,  who  killed  his  stock  and  made 
themselves  detested  and  feared.  Mr.  Baker,  unwilling  to  endure 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  613 

such  ills,  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  and  pursuing  the  ravagers 
gained  a  decisive  victory  over  them,  killing  two  of  the  miscreants 
and  removing  from  the  others  any  further  desire  to  brave  the  white 
mairs  wrath.  Mr.  B.  became  sheriff  of  Yamhill  County  under  the 
Provisional  Government.  This  position  he  held  for  four  years,  and 
when  the  Territorial  Government  was  organized  by  General  Lane, 
his  appointment  was  continued  for  an  additional  term  of  two  years. 
While  performing  the  duties  of  sheriff  in  the  new  and  unorganized 
region,  he  gained  many  unique  experiences.  For  example:  He 
narrates  how,  when  in  charge  of  the  first  jury  impanelled  at  Lafay 
ette,  he  asked  instructions  of  the  presiding  judge  as  to  where  he 
should  take  them  to  deliberate,  the  judge  replied  with  a  touch  of 
humor  born  of  much  experience  with  domestic  animals,  u  Stake  out 
the  foreman,  and  I  guess  the  others  will  stay  around."  This  learned 
judge  was  A.  A.  Skinner,  a  very  useful  and  careful  judge  and, 
withal,  an  exemplary  citizen,  who  became  Indian  agent  at  a  later 
date,  and  was  for  a  time  settled  in  Rogue  River  Valley  on  the  first 
donation  claim  ever  taken  in  that  beautiful  region.  In  1852  one 
McCormack  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  three  years' 
imprisonment  for  an  infamous  crime.  The  trial  occurred  at  Lafay 
ette,  and  from  lack  of  either  a  county  jail  or  a  State  penitentiary, 
the  judge  remanded  the  convict  to  the  care  of  the  sheriff,  to  be  kept 
until  the  county  commissioners  could  meet  and  make  provision  for 
his  imprisonment.  Private  instructions  were  given  that  in  case  the 
commissioners  did  not  act,  that  the  prisoner  should  be  allowed  to 
take  French  leave.  This  course  was  followed  and  the  guilty  man 
escaped.  Such  was  the  course  of  justice  in  the  early  days,  where 
the  absence  of  courts  and  the  machinery  of  the  law  made  it  impos 
sible  to  properly  punish  crime.  Mr.  Baker  now  resides  at  McMinn- 
ville.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  a  square  mile  of  valuable  land,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  town,  of  the  richest  and  most  produc 
tive  quality. 

BROWN,  ORUS. 

Born  in  180O;  came  from  Missouri  to  Oregon.  Located  a 
donation  land  claim  a  mile  north  of  Forest  Grove.  Returned  to 
Missouri  in  1845,  and  brought  his  family  to  Oregon  in  1846. 
Resided  in  AYashington  County  for  twenty  years,  then  removing  to 
Saleni,  and  lived  there  until  1874.  Died  May  5,  1874. 


614  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

.GARY,  CYRENE  B.  (TAYLOR). 

Was  born  in  Richmond  City,  Virginia,  July  24,  1815.  uMy 
parents  moved  to  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  when  I  was  three 
years  old.  There  I  married  Miles  Cary  in  1831,  and  moved  to 
Missouri  in  1834,  where  we  remained  until  1843,  when  we  started 
to  Oregon.  We  started  with  plenty  of  provisions  and  took  in 
three  men  on  the  plains  that  had  been  turned  off  by  others,  but 
still  we  had  plenty.  Had  no  trouble,  only  sickness  and  the  death 
of  a  little  daughter  three  years  old,  at  Fort  Bridger.  Had  a  false 
Indian  alarm,  when  Fremont  came  up  with  the  American  flag. 
Some  of  the  men  were  without  bullets.  While  the  men  corralled 
the  cattle,  Mrs.  Andrew  Hembree  and  myself  run  bullets.  Mr. 
Gray  came  to  our  wagon  to  borrow  a  gun.  My  husband  told  him 
he  could  have  mine;  I  said,  'No  you  can  not  have  my  gun,  for  I 
am  going  to  fight  for  my  little  ones  and  need  my  gun.'  My 
husband  said  I  had  better  get  in  the  wagon  and  put  the  feather 
beds  around  the  children  and  myself  so  the  arrows  would  not  hit 
us ;  I  told  him  I  could  not  do  that,  for  we  had  better  be  killed  than 
taken  prisoners.  But  just  as  we  were  ready  for  battle,  the  word 
came  that  it  was  Fremont's  company.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
Hudson's  Bay  post  on  the  Columbia  River,  we  left  our  cattle  in 
the  care  of  a  man  there,  until  the  next  summer.  My  husband 
worked  for  Dr.  McLoughlin,  at  Oregon  City,  until  the  next  June, 
when  we  moved  up  to  Yamhill  County,  and  took  up  a  claim  and 
began  farming.  For  a  new  country  that  was  inhabited  by  Indians, 
and  so  few  white  people,  we  •  fared  exceedingly  well.  The  first 
winter  there  were  but  three  settlers  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Yamhill  river;  two  of  them  were  bachelors — Dr.  Sitton  and  Mr. 
Paul.  A  negro  girl  I  brought  with  me  and  myself  were  the  only 
women  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  no  way  to  cross  only  foot 
logs.  We  sent  for  our  cattle,  bought  some  pigs  and  chickens  from 
a  man  on  Sauvie's  Island,  in  the  Willamette  River.  We  then 
made  plenty  of  butter  and  cheese.  We  had  to  go  to  Oregon  City 
for  our  flour  and  groceries.  Some  wore  moccasins  for  lack  of 
shoes.  The  men  wore  buckskin  pants.  The  women  could  get 
clothing  from  Vancouver  or  Oregon  City  by  paying  for  it.  We 
had  no  more  trouble  with  the  Indians  than  we  could  expect;  I 
was  frightened  worse  than  hurt  many  times;  but  I  look  back  now 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  615 

and  wonder  how  we  ever  escaped  as  we  did.  It  was  a  higher 
power  than  ours  that  protected  us.  You  asked  me  what  our 
provisions  consisted  of.  We  had  beef,  venison  and  elk,  sugar, 
coffee,  1  >ntter,  cheese  and  bread.  There  were  no  fruits  here  at  that 
time,  f  have  been  a  widow  since  1858.  My  husband  died  on 
September  26th  of  that  year.  I  have  three  children  living — J.  J. 
Gary,  W.  B.  Gary  and  M.  Ettie  Gary.  I  live  in  Lafayette, 
Yamhill  County." 

CASON,  ADONIRAM  J. 

Born  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  November  27,  1829;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1848.  Occupation,  farmer;  residence,  Oregon  City. 
Wife's  previous  name,  Eliza  J.  Glover.  Children,  Katie  E.,  Honor 
J.,  George  L.,  Wilhelmina  (deceased),  Ada  J.,  and  Charles  L. 

CASON,  FENDAL  C. 

Born  near  Kichrnond,  Virginia.  Was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  died  near  Oregon  City  in  1860.  Wife's  previous  name  was 
Rebecca  R.  Holliday.  Children — Francis  C.  (deceased),  Rebecca 
R.  (deceased),  William  A.  (deceased),  Adoniram  J.,  James  P.,  John 
L.  (deceased),  Joseph  H.  (deceased),  and  Benjamin  F.  (deceased). 

CAVE,  REV.  JAMES. 

Came  to  Oregon  in  184o;  he  had  entered  the  ministry  when 
quite  young,  and  preached  forty  years.  He  died  in  Washington 
County  in  1868. 

CAVE,  RILEY. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1841;  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon. 
Was  educated  at  the  Pacific  University.  Has  served  fourteen  years 
tis  justice  of  the  peace  at  Hillsboro,  his  present  residence.  Is  now 
a  dealer  in  hardware,  also  practices  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Malinda  Boyd  in  1866,  and  by  her  has  four  children— 
Lillie  M.,  James  W.,  Charles  M.,  and  Lottie  B. 

COZINE,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1821;  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon. 
After  his  arrival  he  lived  in  Oregon  City  two  years;  then  moved  to 
Yamhill  County  and  settled  on  the  land  where  the  McMinnville  Col- 


HISTORY  OV  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

lege  now  stands;  he  still  owns  part  of  the  claim.  Married  Miss 
Mahala  Arthur  in  1845,  and  has  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom 
are  deceased.  The  living  are — Lucretia,  Pleasant,  and  Auburn  L. 
Mr.  Cozine  is  a  blacksmith  by  occupation,  and  lives  at  McMinnville. 
Owns  one  hundred  and  seventy -five  acres  of  land  and  city  property. 

EMERICK,  SOLOMON. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  November  30,  1821.  Came 
across  the  plains  with  Peter  H.  Burnett's  company.  With  James 
Hayes  went  over  the  Cascade  Falls  in  a  thirty-foot  canoe.  In  No 
vember,  1843,  came  into  what  was  known  as  Tualatin  County,  now 
Washington  County,  and  has  resided  there  since,  farming  most  of 
the  time,  and  still  owns  a  donation  claim  at  Cornelius;  was  a  vol 
unteer  in  the  Cayuse  war.  Was  married  in  June,  1845,  to  Miss 
Luceta  Zachary;  has  five  children  living  and  six  deceased.  The 
living  are — Thomas,  John,  David,  Ellen,  and  Charles. 

HEMBREE,  W.  C. 

Is  a  farmer  and  merchant  of  McMinnville,  Yamhill  County.  He 
was  born  in  Warren  County,  Tennessee,  in  1829;  moved  to  Mis 
souri  in  1837;  came  to  Oregon  in  1843  and  settled  at  Lafayette, 
Yamhill  County.  Married  Nancy  A.  Garrison  in  Yamhill  County 
in  1861,  and  their  children's  names  are — Oscar  L.,  Minnie  E.,  Rosa 
L.,  Carrie  I.,  Walter  L.,  Clark  P.,  Nellie  D.,  Eva  G.,  and  Maud. 

HILL,  ALMERAN. 

Born  in  Chariton  County,  Missouri,  in  1822;  when  he  arrived 
in  Oregon  he  settled  on  what  is  now  called  "Spring  Hill  Farm," 
near  Dilly;  two  years  later  took  a  donation  claim  near  Gaston, 
Washington  County,  on  which  he  still  lives.  Mr.  Hill  has  had  the 
rough  experience  known  only  to  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Oregon, 
and  can  relate  many  instances  regarding  life  among  the  Indians, 
and  the  manners  and  customs  of  pioneer  life,  that  are  both  startling 
and  amusing.  He  married  Sarah  J.  Reed  in  1841,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Deantha,  Frank  M.,  Mrs.  M.  Campbell,  Mrs. 
T.  Mooney,  Mrs.  H.  Cowles,  Mrs.  S.  J.  Brisbine,  and  A.  L.  Hill. 

HOLMAN,  DANIEL  S. 

Born  in  Lincoln  County,  Tennessee,  November  15,  1822.  In 
1829  went  to  Clay  County,  Missouri.  In  1843  came  to  Oregon 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  617 

and  settled  at  Forest  Grove.  His  present  residence  is  Bellevue, 
Yamhill  County,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married  Martha  E. 
Burnett  in  Polk  County,  August  21,  1847,  and  their  children's 
names  are — William  D.,  Woodford  P.,  Glen  O.,  Lucretia  M.,  Wil 
lis  M.  (deceased),  Mary  E.,  Charlie  W.,  John  E.,  Kowell  L.,  and 
Walter  B. 

HOLMES,  WILLIAM  L. 

Born  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  May  30,  1807;  came  to  Oregon 
in  November,  1843;  occupation,  farmer.  Was  elected  sheriff  of 
Clackamas  County  in  1844,  and  served  eleven  years.  Married 
Mary  A.  L.  C.  Williams,  and  had  by  her  the  following  children- 
Elizabeth  J.  (deceased),  Minnie  G.,  Samuel  D.  (deceased),  Frances 
E.  (deceased),  Mary  L.,  William  N.  B.  (deceased),  Erniina  A. 
(deceased),  and  Theodore  E.  Mr.  Holmes  died  in  1879,  at  his 
at  his  residence,  Rose  Farm,  near  Oregon  City. 

HUCK,  JAMES. 

Mr.  Huck  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1819;  left  that  State  twenty 
years  after,  and  located  in  Iowa;  started  overland  to  Oregon,  with 
the  emigration  of  1843,  crossing  the  plains  with  Colonel  Nesrnith 
and  party.  Two  years'  residence  in  Oregon  being  ended,  he  went 
to  California,  and  then  to  Mexico,  and  took  part  in  the  war  of 
1846.  After  a  variety  of  experiences  he  returned  in  1857  to  Ohio 
and  married  Miss  Mary  Jones,  who,  however,  died  a  year  later. 
Mr.  Huck's  second  wife  was  Miss  Frances  E.  Albert.  He  returned 
to  Oregon  again  in  1875,  and  now  resides  in  McMinnville.  Mr. 
Huck's  life  has  been  remarkable  for  its  multiplicity  of  adventures 
and  incidents.  His  travels  have  been  wide,  and  his  experiences 
remarkable. 

LENNOX,  DAVID  T. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1801;  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  thence 
in  1837  to  Missouri.  Settled  in  the  Tualatin  Plains,  Washington 
County,  Oregon,  and  resided  there  for  many  years.  Lived  subse 
quently  in  Portland,  and  Umatilla  County,  dying  there  on  October 
19,  1874.  Was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church  for  more  than  forty 
years. 


6  1  S  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

LENNOX,  LOUISE. 

Born  in  -  -  in  1808;  came  to  Oregon  with  her  husband, 

Judge  Lennox,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Washington  County.  She 
became  the  mother  of  nineteen  children.  She  died  on  November 
16,  1879,  having  outlived  her  husband  by  several  years. 

McCARVER,  MORTON  M. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1807;  after  coming  to  Oregon  was  com 
missary  general  in  the  Rogue  River  war,  and  held  a  number  of 
other  public  positions.  His  first  wife's  previous  name  was  Mary 
A.  Jennings,  and  that  of  the  second,  Julia  Backalow;  his  children 
were — Thomas  J.,  Mary  A.,  Jennie,  Elizabeth,  Julia,  Dollie  and 
Naomi.  Of  these,  Thomas  J.,  Julia  and  Dollie  are  deceased. 

McCLANE,  J.  B. 

Is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in  1820.  He  left  his 
home  in  1842  and  went  to  Texas,  and  shortly  after  to  Iowa,  and  in 
1843  set  out  for  Oregon  with  the  Applegate-Nesmith  party.  In 
early  days  Mr.  McClane  was  engaged  in  flour  milling  and  lumber 
producing,  and  owned  mills  in  North  Salem,  which  were  among 
the  first  of  their  kind.  His  occupation,  also,  included  merchandis 
ing.  He  took  part  ill  the  Cayuse  war,  was  the  first  postmaster  of 
Salem,  holding  the  office  for  several  years  preceding  1861;  was 
county  treasurer  of  Marion  County  in  1850-51,  and  has  been  prom 
inent  in  a  variety  of  ways.  Of  all  the  living  male  residents  of 
Salem,  Mr.  McClane  came  earliest.  He  married,  in  1846,  Miss 
Helen  C.  Judson.  There  have  been  nine  children,  namely — George 
F.,  Isabella,  Louie  (deceased),  Eva,  Charles,  James,  Helen,  Harold, 
and  John. 

MAUZEY,  WILLIAM. 

Resides  five  miles  northwest  of  Hillsboro,  Washington  County, 
where  he  settled  in  1845 ;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  born 
in  Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  in  1819;  married  Eleanor  Evans  in 
1847,  and  their  children  are — Lucinda  J.,  Thomas  A.,  Maria,  Anna, 
and  Mary. 

NESMITH,  J.  W. 

Of  all  the  early  pioneers  of  Oregon,  none  have  become  more 
widely  known,  and  none  have  done  more  to  deserve  celebrity,  than 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  619 

Mr.  Nesmith.  Through  more  than  forty  years  his  name  and  his 
person  have  been  familiar  to  the  people  of  Oregon,  who  have  come 
in  the  lapse  of  time  to  regard  his  fame  and  that  of  the  State  as  one 
and  the  same.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival  here,  coming  as  he  did 
with  the  Applegate  party  in  1843,  he  has  been  a  leader  in  enter 
prises  and  deeds  demanding  vigor  of  mind  and  body,  and  determin 
ation  of  spirit.  He  was  the  adjutant  of  the  emigration  of  1843, 
and  the  list  given  in  these  pages  of  the  names  of  his  party  was  com 
piled  by  him  in  the  pursuit  of  his  official  duties.  His  birthplace 
was  New  Hampshire,  and  his  ancestry  of  Scotch -English  type.  He 
took  a  valiant  part  in  the  Cayuse  war,  as  narrated  elsewhere.  Some 
what  later  Captain  Nesmith,  as  he  was  then  called,  led  an  explor 
ing  band  southward  through  the  dangerous  Indian  country  of  South 
ern  Oregon,  seeking  for  a  practicable  route  to  California.  In  the 
Yakima  war  he  served  the  country,  having  previously  led  a  com 
pany  of  volunteers  from  the  Willamette  to  the  Rogue,  in  defence  of 
the  settlers  of  Southern  Oregon,  and  was  present  at  the  Lane  treaty 
of  peace,  in  September,  1853.  At  a  later  date  he  entered  upon 
political  life.  He  had,  however,  been  judge  of  Oregon  in  1845 
under  the  Provisional  Government.  Subsequently,  he  held  many 
high  offices,  culminating  in  his  election  as  U.  S.  Senator,  his  col 
league  being  E.  D.  Baker,  who  fell  at  Ball's  Bluff,  in  Virginia.  His 
conduct  during  the  trying  times  of  the  civil  war,  when  he  stood  up 
manfully  for  the  Union,  is  his  best  passport  to  fame.  It  is  impos 
sible  to  give  within  the  brief  limits  of  a  sketch  like  this,  the  names 
and  dates  of  all  the  offices  he  held,  or  all  the  services  he  rendered 
to  the  people  of  the  Northwest;  but,  to  sum  up  all  in  a  sentence, 
it  seems  clear  and  indisputable  that  he  has  done  more  for  Oregon 
than  any  other  Oregonian,  and  that  he  has  attained  an  equal  posi 
tion  among  the  three  greatest  of  them.  Gen.  Nesmith's  residence 
for  many  years  was  at  Deny,  Polk  County,  where  he  farmed  on  a 
large  scale  and  kept  house  in  the  old  style  of  hospitality  and  wel 
come.  As  for  his  qualities  of  mind,  he  will  be  longest  remembered 
for  his  wit  and  strong  sense  of  humor.  He  is  of  a  border  type  of 
mankind — not  refined,  but  masculine,  forceful  and  strong  in  art  and 
expression.  His  stories  and  sayings  gained  a  world -wide  celebrity, 
and  rivaled  Lincoln's  in  their  appositeness  and  wit. 


620  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

NEWBY,  W.  T. 

Born  in  McMinnville,  Warren  County,  Tennessee,  March  25, 
1820;  moved  to  Missouri  in  1839,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1843. 
Lived  for  a  short  time  at  Oregon  City.  Founded  the  town  of 
McMinnville,  Yamhill  County,  in  1855,  naming  it  after  his  old 
home.  There  were  six  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  valley  on  his 
arrival  in  1844.  Some  difficulty  was  experienced  with  the  Indians, 
who  made  raids  upon  the  cattle.  In  1853  Mr.  Newby  built  a 
grist-mill,  and  in  1854,  a  store.  He  held  the  office  of  assessor  in 
1848,  and  in  1870  that  of  State  Senator.  Married  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Gray,  in  1841,  having  by  her  eight  children — Luther  A.,  Virginia, 
Harrison  C.,  Ollie,  Emma,  Martha  A.,  Rosa  Lee,  and  James  B. 
(deceased).  Mr.  Newby  died  October  22,  1884. 

OWENS,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Wales,  July  4,  1813;  in  1833,  came  to  New  York;  in 
1836,  moved  to  Ohio,  and  in  1841,  to  Missouri.  Two  years  later, 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County.  His 
present  residence  is  at  McMinnville,  and  occupation,  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  married  Emiline  Young,  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
December  25,  1850,  and  they  have  eight  children — Catharine  K., 
Ellen  E.,  James  R.,  Thomas  L.,  George,  Evan,  Mary  E.,  and 
Annie  J. 

SHADDEN,  THOMAS. 

Lives  in  McMinnville ;  was  born  in  Tennessee;  lived  in  Ar 
kansas  and  Missouri  prior  to  coming  to  Oregon.  He  arrived  in 
the  Willamette  Valley,  October  3,  1843.  Was  with  Fremont  in 
the  Mexican  war;  afterwards  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
Married  Miss  Martha  Simmer  in  1832;  has  had  twelve  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living. 

SITTON,  N.  R. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1825.  Mr.  Sitton  came  to  Oregon  in  1843, 
by  way  of  Fort  Hall.  Soon  after,  taking  up  a  residence  in 
Yamhill  County,  where  he  has  since  remained.  His  post-office 
address  is  Carlton.  Mr.  Sitton  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  P. 
Rogers,  by  whom  he  had  Charles  E.,  Wilbur,  Hubert,  Fred.,  and 
Elbridge.  The  lady  dying  about  1870,  he  afterwards  married 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  621 

Mrs.  Mary  Laughlin,  by  whom  he  had  issue,  Ward,  Pratt,  and 
Minnie. 

STRAIGHT,  HIRAM  A. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  New  York,  in  1814;  arrived  in 
Oregon  in  December,  1843.  Occupation,  farmer;  present  residence, 
Oregon  City.  Wife's  previous  name,  Susan  Lasswell.  His  chil 
dren  are — Cyrus  B.,  Mary,  Jane,  John,  Hiram,  and  Julia. 

WALDO,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Gasconade  County,  Missouri,  in  1832,  and  removing 
with  his  parents  to  Oregon,  settled  in  Marion  County.  His  father, 
Daniel  Waldo,  attained  great  prominence  in  this  State.  He  was 
educated  in  part  at  the  Willamette  University,  and  studied  law  at 
Salem  under  L.  F.  Grover,  in  1860,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1863,  was  elected  State  Senator  in  1880,  and  again  in  1882, 
and  President  of  the  Senate  in  1885.  Resides  in  Salem. 

WALLER,  O.  A. 

Is  a  resident  of  Salem.  He  was  born  in  Oregon  City,  in  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  Reverend  A.  F.  Waller,  celebrated  in  the  history 
of  the  State.  Salem  has  been  his  place  of  residence  for  many 
years,  the  town  consisting  of  a  very  few  houses  on  his  arrival.  His 
education  was  received  at  the  Willamette  University;  he  is  now  a 
gunsmith  by  occupation.  In  1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Chamberlain,  by  whom  he  has  five  children — Charlie  A.,  Alpha, 
Riley  C.,  Albert  B.,  and  George  C. 

1844. 

CASE,  WILLIAM  M. 

Born  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  in  1820.  Set  out  for 
Oregon  with  his  family  in  1842,  but  being  compelled  to  delay  his 
progress,  arrived  here  in  December,  1844,  having  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox-teams  in  the  ordinary  manner  of  that  date.  He 
settled  with  his  family  on  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  three  miles  south  of  Champoeg,  Marion  County,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  went  to  the  California  mines  in  1849,  remain 
ing  one  summer.  Held  the  office  of  county  commissioner  of 
Marion  County  for  eight  years.  Married  Sarah  A.  Potter  in  1841. 


622  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Children — Mrs.  Fanny  Moreland,  John  N.,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Felt,  Mrs. 
Alice  Borthwick,  Mrs.  Annie  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Jane  E.  Croghan,  Geo. 
W.,  Elenora,  and  Ida  Bell.  Mrs.  Case  was  born  near  Mount 
Holly,  New  Jersey,  January  17,  1822,  but  was  reared  to  woman 
hood  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana.  She  died  March  30,  1877. 

EMBREE,  C.  D., 

Of  Dallas,  Polk  County,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Kentucky, 
in  February,  1806;  in  1820  moved  to  Missouri;  in  1844  started 
across  the  plaias  with  a  party  of  emigrants,  with  Colonel  Ford,  his 
brother-in-law,  as  captain.  The  party  arrived  at  The  Dalles  late 
in  the  fall  of  that  year;  in  1845  Mr.  Embree  took  up  a  claim  in 
Polk  County,  upon  which  he  now  lives;  his  house  was  the  second 
built  on  La  Creole  Creek.  He  sat  on  the  first  grand  jury  held  in 
Polk  County,  the  jury  holding  their  consultation  in  the  brush  on 
the  creek.  In  1846  he  was  elected  sheriff  and  served  over  one 
term  of  court  and  then  resigned.  In  1834,  and  while  in  Missouri, 
he  married  Miss  Lucinda  Fowler;  they  had  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  yet  alive.  Their  names  are — Thomas  V.  B.,  now  a 
physician  in  Corvallis,  Mary  I.,  Marcus  A.,  Benton,  Alice  I.,  and 
John  B.  Mrs.  Embree  died  May  7,  1881,  from  injuries  received  in 
a  fall. 

FORD,  NATHANIEL. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1795;  reared  in  Kentucky;  in  1844  came  to 
Oregon  across  the  plains,  and  held  the  position  of  captain  of  the 
emigrant  train  which  he  accompanied.  He  settled  in  Polk  County 
in  1845,  and  that  county  continued  to  be  his  home  until  his  death. 
In  early  times  he  was  engaged  in  surveying,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Indian  outbreak  in  1855  was  examining  a  line  between  California 
and  Oregon.  Col.  Ford  held  public  offices  in  Missouri  and  served 
several  terms  in  both  houses  of  the  Legislature  of  Oregon.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Lucinda  Embree  in  Missouri  in  1820,  and  ten  children 
were  born  to  them,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  alive,  namely— 
Josephine,  who  was  the  wife  of  James  Boyle;  and  Sarah  Burch, 
both  of  whom  live  near  Dixie,  Polk  County.  Col.  Ford  died  in 
1870,  and  his  wife  in  1874. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  623 

HAWLEY,  J.  H. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1834,  bat  was  taken  to  Michigan  at  an  early 
aire.  He  removed  subsequently  to  Iowa  and  Missouri.  His  parents 
came  to  Yauihill  County,  Oregon,  in  1 844,  and  their  son  worked 
upon  his  father's  farm  until  1857,  when  he  removed  to  Polk  County 
and  entered  upon  merchandising  at  Bethel.  Was  justice  of  the 
peace  from  1862  to  18(>8.  Was  Representative  in  the  Legislature 
of  1882.  Married  Miss  Eliza  Mulkey  in  1857.  Their  children  are 
—Horace  G.,  May,  William  H.,  Curtis,  Constance,  Luke,  and 
Maud.  Mr.  Hawley  is  now  occupied  in  farming,  and  is  also  a  grain 
dealer. 

HINMAN,  ALANSON. 

Mr.  Hinman  also  belongs  to  the  band  of  immigrants  known  as 
the  Ford  company,  who  crossed  the  plains  in  1844.  He  had  then 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  and  was  a  native  of  Chenango 
County,  New  York.  His  earliest  work  in  Oregon  was  teaching 
school  in  the  Salem  Institute,  the  precursor  of  the  Willamette 
University.  He  stayed  here  two  years,  and  in  1847  went  k)  The 
Dalles  and  took  charge  of  the  missionary  station  there  as  secular 
agent,  that  being  an  outpost  of  Whitman's  station  at  Waiilatpu. 
This  was  shortly  before  the  Whitman  massacre.  The  occurrence 
of  that  dreadful  tragedy  was  unknown  to  Mr.  Himnan,  whose  first 
intimation  of  what  had  occurred  was  given  him  on  a  row-boat  in 
which  he  was  proceeding  to  Vancouver.  The  messenger  who 
carried  the  tidings  had  accompanied  him,  and  on  the  way  disclosed 
his  secret.  Mr.  Hinman  returned  from  Vancouver  as  quickly  as 
possible  to  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  but,  fortunately,  found  mat 
ters  at  The  Dalles  in  the  same  condition  as  he  left  them.  The 
situation,  however,  was  critical.  The  Wascoes,  who  inhabited  the 
country  round  about,  were  not  to  be  depended  on  to  protect  the 
white  occupants,  who  were  few  and  unable  to  protect  themselves. 
The  Indians  refused  to  assist  in  the  departure  of  Mr.  Hinman  and 
his  friends,  until  he  hit  upon  the  ruse  of  telling  them  that  the 
white  people  of  Oregon  would  hold  them  responsible  for  any  harm 
that  might  result  from  an  invasion  by  the  hostile  Cayuses.  Upon 
this  the  Wascoes,  in  alarm,  offered  their  services  to  assist  the 
mission  party  away,  and  the  whites  immediately  left  the  dangerous 


624  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

locality.  The  names  of  the  white  occupants  of  The  Dalles  station 
were,  Mr.  Hinman,  wife  and  children;  Mrs.  McKinney,  Miss  War 
ren  (sister  of  Henry  Warren,  of  Yamhill,  and  afterwards  married 
to  Mr.  White),  and  Perrin  Whitman,  nephew  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whit 
man.  Soon  after  these  occurrences,  Mr.  Hinman  moved  with  his 
family  to  what  is  now  Washington  County,  and  located  on  a  claim 
nine  miles  from  Forest  Grove,  and  stayed  thereupon  until  about 
1855,  when  he  removed  to  Forest  Grove,  and  has  since  remained 
there.  His  occupations  have  been  farming,  dealing  in  live-stock, 
and  merchandising.  For  six  years  he  served  as  collector  of 
customs  at  Astoria.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  State  assembly. 
Is  now  a  merchant  in  Forest  Grove.  Has  a  family  of  six  children. 
Mrs.  Hinman  (born  Miss  Gerrish)  came  with  the  Gilliain  immigra 
tion  in  1844. 

HOLDEN,  HORACE. 

Born  in  Hillsborough,  New  Hampshire,  July  10,  1810.  Re 
sided  in  various  localities  in  early  life;  followed  the  sea  for  a  time; 
turned  sugar  planter  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  After  many  adven 
tures,  came  to  Oregon  in  April,  1844.  (See  page  285.)  Resides 
now  three  miles  north  of  Salem  on  an  extensive  farm.  He  was 
married  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1836.  His  childen  are- 
Horace,  Eugene,  Ellen,  Isabelle,  and  Theodore. 

HOOVER,  JACOB. 

Born  in  Green  County,  Kentucky,  in  1814;  lived  in  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  Missouri  prior  to  his  arrival  in  Oregon.  -  His  first  place 
of  residence  in  this  State  was  near  Glencoe,  Washington  County. 
His  present  residence  is  one  mile  south  of  Glencoe,  and  occupation 
farmer.  He  has  been  a  constant  resident  of  Washington  County 
for  forty  years,  and,  with,  the  exception  of  four  years  spent  as  county 
treasurer,  has  remained  on  his  farm.  He  married  Malinda  Cave  in 
1843,  and  their  children's  names  are — Thomas,  Jackson,  Jacob, 
Harriet,  and  Lucretia. 

JOHNSON,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1812;  moved  to  New  York  and  after 
wards  to  Indiana;  left  then  in  1844.  and  coming  to  Oregon  brought 

7  O  o  O 

cattle  with  him  and  located  in  Yamhill  County  and  began  farming. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  625 

Has  spent  the  subsequent  years  in  the  same  pursuit  with  good  re 
sults.  Has  always  been  one  of  the  principal  farmers  of  the  West 
Side.  Married  in  1844  to  Elsina  Perkins,  and  has  had  Hall,  Me 
lissa,  Anna,  Lilian,  J.  P.,  Effie,  G.  D.,  Jennie  G.,  and  Minnie 
Maud.  Residence,  Lafayette. 

JOHNSON,  DAVID. 

Lives  in  Independence,  Polk  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Was  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1815;  came  to  Oregon  from  Missouri  in  an 
early  day  and  settled  in  Polk  County;  took  a  donation  claim.  He 
was  married  jn  1840  to  Miss  Araminta  Thorp;  by  her  had  two 
children — Angelina,  and  Richard  M.  She  died  in  1849,  and  in 
1854  he  married  Mrs.  L.  Webb;  by  her  he  had  two  children- 
Anna  and  John — both  now  deceased. 

JOHNSON,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1814;  moved  to  New  York  and  resided 
there  until  twenty -two;  lived  in  Indiana  six  years.  Married  Juliet 
Perkes  in  1839,  and  they  have  the  following  children — Burr,  Juliana, 
Wright  W.,  Viola,  Julia,  James  K.,  Augustus,  Ellen,  and  Clara. 
Resides  in  Lafayette,  having  retired  from  his  occupation  of  farming, 
but  is  still  a  large  land  owner,  possessing  several  hundred  acres  in 
Yamhill  County  besides  town  lots. 

McDANIEL,  ELISHA  P. 

Born  on  the  Cumberland  River,  in  Kentucky,  in  January,  1824; 
reared  to  manhood  in  that  State  and  Illinois,  and  set  out  for  the 
Pacific  Coast  in  1844.  Settled  first  in  Yamhill,  but  removed  in 
1845  to  Polk  County,  where  he  still  remains,  at  his  residence  near 
Independence.  Married  in  1846  to  Miss  L.  J.  Carmack,  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  Their  children  numbered  nine,  named  William, 
Joseph,  Lane,  John,  Elisha,  S.  J.,  J.  D.,  Robert  E.,  and  S.  P.  Mr. 
McDaniel's  occupations  have  included  farming  and  stock-raising, 
which  latter  pursuit  he  carries  on  in  Yakima  County,  W.  T.  He 
saw  rough  service  in  the  Cayuse  war,  and  on  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  California  visited  that  country  twice. 

MINTO,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Wylam,  Northumberland,  England,  in  October,  1822; 
came  to  Oregon  "  with  Americans  and  as  an  American  "  across  the 


626  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

plains,  in  1844,  and  settled  at  the  old  mission,  near  Wheatland. 
On  July  7,  1847,  lie  married  Martha  Ann  Morrison,  a  native  of 
Montgomery  County,  Missouri,  born  December  17,  1831,  the 
daughter  of  R.  W.  Morrison,  also  an  emigrant  of  1844.  Mr.  Morri 
son  was  one  of  the  captains  in  Gilliam's  overland  trains,  and  served 
in  the  Cay  use  war,  and  afterwards  represented  Clatsop,  Tillamook, 
and  Yamhill  in  the  Legislature.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minto  reside  now 
five  miles  south  of  Salem.  Their  children  were — John  Wilson, 
Mary  Ellen,  Robert  Burns,  William  Jasper,  Irwin,  Douglas,  Harry 
Percy,  and  May.  Of  these,  Robert  Burns,  Irwin,  and  May,  are  de 
ceased.  Mi\  Minto's  services  to  the  State  have  been  very  great,  and 
his  standing  as  an  old  pioneer  is  hardly  second  to  any  one.  He  has 
always  been  regarded  as  an  authority  on  Oregon's  history.  He  has 
held  several  civil  offices  of  importance. 

MOORE,  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1820;  moved  to  Indiana  when  eight  years  old; 
and  later  to  Illinois.  In  1844  left  for  Oregon,  coming  by  ox- train, 
and  landed  in  Tualatin  County.  Occupation,  farmer  and  black 
smith,  residing  in  Hillsboro,  Washington  County.  Was  married 
in  1847  to  Mary  Me  Williams.  Their  children's  names  are — Sarah 
J.,  Robert  S.,  William  E.,  Lucy  E.,  Edward  W.,  Ralph  A,,  arid 
John  M. 

NEAL,  OLDAY. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1802,  and  married  at  the  age  of  twenty  - 
one,  to  Jane  Adams,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — Robert  and 
William.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1844,  crossing  the  plains,  and 
some  time  after  purchased  a  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  in  Marion 
County.  He  married  his  second  wife  while  in  this  State.  Their 
children  were — Elvira,  Phcebe,  Melinda,  Moses,  and  Jesse.  Mr. 
Neal  possesses  property  in  Montana  Territory  and  resides  there  a 
part  of  the  time. 

NELSON,  GEORGE  S. 

Born  in  Cox  County,  Tennessee,  July  20,  1801.  Mr.  Nelson 
left  that  State  in  his  eighteenth  year  for  Missouri  and  there  re 
mained  until  1844,  when  he  set  out  for  Oregon,  accompanied  by  a 
large  concourse  of  fellow  travelers,  whose  effects  were  carried  in 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  627 

seventy  wagons.  He  went  immediately  to  Yamhill  County  and 
there  remained  until  1848,  when  he  proceeded  to  California,  but 
soon  returned  to  Oregon.  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  1825  to  Miss 
Margaret  Crawford.  They  have  three  children  now  living — Josiah 
C.,  Cornelius  G.,  and  Thomas  B.  Three  died — two  boys  and  a  girl. 
Mr.  Nelson  resided  for  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  Lafayette,  dying 
there  in  January,  1885. 

NELSON,  J.  C. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  in  1827.  Came  to  Oregon 
in  1844,  going  direct  to  Yamhill  County,  and  remaining  there  ever 
since.  He  secured  a  donation  claim  of  five  hundred  acres,  it  being 
yet  in  his  possession.  Mr.  Nelson  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Cay  use 
war;  and  was  afterwards  elected  to  the  first  State  Legislature.  In 
1882  he  was  again  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1884.  Was  prominent  in  Lafayette  as  a  merchant,  in  partner 
ship  with  Mr.  Bird,  and  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Bird  in  1850,  by 
whom  two  children  were  born  to  him — Nancy  Jane  (Mrs.  Belcher) 
and  William  W.  Mrs.  Nelson  died  in  1856,  and  in  1860  Mr. 
Nelson  married  Sarah  .  Curnmings,  who  has  brought  him  five 
children,  named  Cora  A.  (deceased),  Cornelia  M.  (Mrs.  Fletcher), 
Mary  Estella,  Maggie  L.,  and  Walter  H. 

NICHOLS,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri,  in  1825.  Coming  to  Oregon  in 
1844  he  wintered  first  at  Waiilatpu,  Dr.  Whitman's  station,  and  re 
moved  the  next  year  to  Oregon  City  and  soon  after  to  Dallas.  Here 
he  resided  until  1877,  farming.  Was  sheriff  of  Polk  County  under 
the  Provisional  Government,  and  again  after  the  territory  was  or 
ganized.  Studied  law  and  became  an  attorney,  and  was  clerk  of 
Polk  County  for  one  term.  Married  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Gilliam  in 
1850.  Mr.  Nichols  now  resides  in  Wasco  County,  which  he  has 
represented  in  the  Legislature. 

PRATHER,  WILLIAM  B. 

Mr.  Prather  came  with  the  immigrants  of  1844.  He  was  a 
Virginian  by  birth,  born  in  1818;  being  bred  to  the  life  of  an 
agriculturist,  he  took  a  claim  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley;  now 


628  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

resides  at  Buena  Vista.     His  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Clara  Barbra, 
whom  he  married  in  Polk  County,  in  1848.     Their  children  were— 
Perry  W.,  Martha,  James  M.,  Eliza  Jane,  Martin  V.  B.,  Miles,  and 
Ruth. 

REES,  WILLARD  H. 

Mr.  Rees  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Delaware,  and  was  "born  in 
Dover,  the  capital  of  the  State,  in  1819.  He  was  taken  to  Cincin 
nati,  Ohio,  in  1826,  and  fifteen  years  later  moved  to  Illinois.  He 
came  very  early  to  Oregon,  arriving  with  the  immigration  of  1844, 
and  settled  on  the  Willamette  near  Butteville,  taking  a  donation 
claim,  which  he  still  possesses.  His  occupation  is  farming,  and  in 
this  patriarchal  pursuit  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  served  in 
the  Provisional  Legislature  in  1847  and  1848.  Went  overland  to 
California  in  1848,  during  the  gold  excitement,  and  returned  the 
next  year.  In  1850  he  officially  took  a  census  of  Marion  County. 
He  married  in  1847,  Amanda  Hall,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  sons 
and  seven  daughters. 

ROWLAND,  JEREMIAH. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1805;  removed  to  Tennessee,  and 
thence,  in  1844,  to  Oregon.  Settling  in  Yamhill  County,  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Abernethy  probate  judge  of  that  county, 
serving  seven  consecutive  years.  Occupation,  farmer.  Married  in 
Tennessee  in  1830  to  Miss  Lucy  Butler.  He  died  in  1880,  leaving 
a  large  family,  of  whom  Dr.  L.  L.  Rowland,  of  Salein,  is  one. 

ROWLAND,  L.  L. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1831;  came  to  this  State  with  his  father, 
Jeremiah  Rowland,  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Was  dis 
tinguished  as  a  student  in  his  youth,  and  acquired,  mostly  without 
aid,  a  very  unusual  amount  of  knowledge.  Went  to  Virginia  and 
graduated  from  Bethany  College  in  185H.  Taught  school  for  a 
time,  studied  medicine,  and,  eventually,  in  1859,  returned  to  Oregon. 
Teaching  for  a  while  in  Polk  County,  he  became  in  due  time  su 
perintendent  of  schools  for  that  county.  This  occurred  in  1860. 
During  his  term  of  office  he  organized  the,  first  teachers'  institute 
ever  held  in  the  State.  For  a  time  he  was  president  of  the  Chris 
tian  College  at  Monmouth.  Removing  to  Salem  in  1870,  he  held  a 


HTSTOKY    OF    IMMIGRATION.  629 

professorship  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Willamette  Univer 
sity  for  eight  years,  and  was  made  an  emeritus  professor  from  long 
service.  Was  elected  State  Superintendent  of  schools  in  1874,  and 
served  one  term.  The  doctor,  in  addition  to  his  professional  de 
grees,  has  recived  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.,  and  signs  himself, 
also,  as  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Great  Britain,  an  honor 
held  by  few  but  Englishmen.  Dr.  Rowland  is  now  engaged  in 
practice  in  Salem,  and  is  president  of  the  State  Insurance  Society, 
one  of  the  most  meritorious  and  substantial  business  institutions  in 
Oregon.  He  was  married  in  1859  to  Miss  Emma  Sanders,  and  has 
had  five  children,  of  whom  but  one  —  Livia  —  is  alive. 

SCOGGIN,  W.  G. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  IS  30;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Wash 
ington  County,  and  now  lives  in  the  same  county  near  Dilley,  and 
is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Amanda  Grubb  in  1852, 
and  their  children's  names  are  —  Mary  L,  Thompson,  James  W., 
Woodson  V.,  Thomas  G.,  Lizzie  J.,  John  F.,  Avara  G.,  Alonzo  J., 
and  Eva  K. 

SHAW,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1829;  came  to  Oregon  in  1844.  Now  lives 
at  Vancouver.  Is  a  dealer  in  live  -stock. 

SHAW,  THOMAS  C. 

Born  in  Missouri,  February  23,  1823,  and  was  raised  on  a  farm. 
Came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1844.  Served  in  the  Cayuse 
war,  and  became  second  lieutenant  of  a  company.  Took  up  a 
farm  on  Howell  Prairie,  Marion  County,  about  1851,  where  he 
still  lives.  A¥as  elected  county  commissioner  in  1864,  holding  that 
office  four  years.  Was  county  assessor  from  1870  until  1874,  in 
the  latter  year  being  elected  sheriff.  Became  county  judge  in  1880. 
Married  Miss  Josephine  Headrick,  November  28,  1850. 

SUVER,  JOSEPH  W. 

Born  in  Berkeley  County,  Virginia,  in  1814;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1844,  and  settled  at  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  lives, 
engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  married  Delia  Pyburn 
in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1851,  and  their  children's  names  were 
Caroline,  Marshall,  and  Green  B. 


Or  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


630  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WATT,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  December  17,  1817;  at  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  west  as  far  as  Missouri,  where  he  lived  two  years 
engaged  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Started  for  Oregon  in  1843,  but 
did  not  arrive  until  the  following  year.  Returned  east  in  1847 
and  accompanied  his  father's  family  to  Oregon  in  1848,  who  came 
direct  to  Yamhill  County  and  settled  there.  Mr.  Watt  shipped  the 
first  load  of  wheat  around  Cape  Horn  from  Oregon  in  1868;  is  now 
a  farmer  and  stock  grower  and  owner  of  three  thousand  six  hun 
dred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  On  his  return  to  Oregon  in  1848  he 
brought  a  carding  machine,  the  first  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Married 
Miss  L.  A.  Lyons,  daughter  of  Hon.  Lemuel  Lyons,  consul  to  Japan 
under  President  Grant,  the  marriage  taking  place  in  1860.  The 
children  by  that  union  are — John  L.,  Maria  L.  (deceased),  Arling 
ton  B.,  Earl  B.,  and  Mary  C.  Mr.  Watt's  residence  and  address  are 
Amity,  Yamhill  County. 

WARRENER,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Virginia,  July  30,  1809;  moved  to  Kentucky  with  his 
parents  in  1815;  to  Sangarnon  County,  Illinois,  in  1834,  and  to 
Missouri  in  1839.  In*  1841  married  Miss  Lucy  McFall.  In  1844 
came  with  Colonel  Gilliam  to  Oregon.  Served  in  Captain  Maxon's 
company  during  the  Cayuse  war,  Resides  on  a  farm  near  Zena, 
Polk  County. 

WHEELER,  SOLOMON. 

Is  a  farmer  living  at  Harris  Bridge,  Washington  County.  He 
was  born  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in  1809;  settled  in  Clackamas 
County  on  his  arrival  in  the  State,  in  1844.  He  married  Melissa 
Foster  in  Missouri,  and  their  children  numbered  twelve,  nine  of 
whom  are  now  living. 

WILLIAMS,  J.  J. 

Born  in  Tennessee,  January  5,  1830;  came  to  Oregon  in  1844; 
settled  on  the  Luckiamute  River,  in  Polk  County,  in  1845;  was 
occupied  in  farming  until  1874,  then  being  elected  sheriff,  and  in 
1876  was  re-elected.  Owns  now  five  hundred  acres  of  land  and 
city  property  in  Dallas.  Married  Miss  Sarah  A.  English  in  1852, 
and  their  family  consists  of  ten  children,  namely — Susan,  James  F. 


HISTORY   OF    IMMIGRATION.  (>31 

Mary  A.,  Jennie,  Clara,  Otho,  Ethel,  Ralph,  Hattie,  and  Walter. 
Mr.  Williams  is  the  son  of  J.  E.  Williams,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  first  Legislature  of  Oregon  under  the  Provisional  Government. 

1845. 

BARER,  G.  H. 

Born  in  Bedford  County,  Virginia,  February  14.  1817;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1845,  and  remained  in  Oregon  City  until  the  following 
year,  *vhen  he  moved  to  what  is  now  Linn  County.  The  gold 
excitement  in  California  called  him  to  that  State  in  1848;  he 
mined  three  months  with  great  success,  on  the  American  River. 
Returned  to  Oregon  in  1849;  in  1851  was  elected  county  judge  of 
Linn  County,  and  served  one  term;  lived  in  Napa  County,  Cali 
fornia,  in  the  year  1868,  but  again  returned  to  Oregon,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Forest  Grove,  Washington  County.  The  judge  has 
been  married  twice;  first,  in  1843,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Knox,  who 
died  in  1874;  and  in  1875,  to  Miss  Minnie  Krauss.  He  has  one 
child — Livern  Hay  ward. 

BACON,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  October  27,  1822;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1845.  Occupation,  postmaster  and  merchant  at  Oregon  City. 
Wife's  previous  name,  Rachel  Newman.  Children — Robert  D., 
Theodore  A.,  Ella  I.,  James  J.,  May  A.,  Laura  E.,  Lennie  E., 
Elmer  J.,  Oscar  J.,  Grant  C.,  Herbert  B.,  arid  Claude  M.,  five  of 
whom  are  deceased. 

BAILEY,  CAROLINE  E. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1827;  came  to  Oregon  with  her  parents;  was 
married  first  to  Mr.  Dorris,  by  whom  she  had — George  P.,  Alice 
S.,  James  T.,  and  Sidney  8.  In  1872  she  married  Dr.  J.  W.  Watts. 
Resides  now  at  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County. 

BARLOW,  JOHN  L. 

Born  in  Marion  County,  Indiana,  May  25,  1828;  came  to  Ore 
gon  in  December,  1845.  Merchant  by  occupation.  Died  at  Oregon 
City,  March  8,  1879.  Wife's  previous  name,  Mary  E.  Miller.  Chil 
dren — Margaret  J.,  Samuel  (deceased),  James  W.,  Frank  T.,  Ada 
(deceased),  and  Netta  N. 


632  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BOON,  H.  D. 

Was  born  in  Iowa  in  1840;  came  to  Oregon  with  his  father,  J. 
D.  Boon;  resides  in  Salem,  Marion  County,  and  is  a  dealer  in  books, 
stationery,  etc.  Married  Miss  Duenna  Jones  in  1869,  and  has  five 
children — Enimett  R.,  Daisy,  Cora,  Shelby,  and  an  infant. 

BOON,  J.  D. 

Born  and  reared  in  Ohio;  then  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
the  Willamette  Valley,  where  he  farmed  for  some  time,  after 
which  he  went  into  the  mercantile  business  in  Salem,  and  carried 
it  on  for  several  years.  Was  elected  to  a  territorial  office,  and 
when  Oregon  became  a  State,  was  chosen  the  first  State  Treasurer. 
Married  Miss  Martha  J.  Hawkins,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children. 

BOYLE,  JAMES  W.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1815;  studied  medicine  in  St.  Louis,  and 
graduated  from  the  medical  college  there.  In  1845  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon,  and  practiced  in  this  State  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1864.  In  Polk  County,  in  1846,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Josephine  Ford,  daughter  of  Col.  Nat.  Ford;  by  that  marriage 
there  are  five  children  living,  namely,  Hannah,  Rena,  James, 
William,  and  Charles.  The  family  still  reside  on  their  old  dona 
tion  claim  near  Dixie,  Polk  County. 

BUCK,  WILLIAM  W. 

Born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  January  19,  1804;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1845.  Is  now  a  retired  merchant  and  resides  at  Oregon 
City.  He  was  married  twice;  his  first  wife's  previous  name  was 
Olive  Charles,  and  that  of  his  second,  Jane  Hurd.  His  children's 
names  are — R.  E.,  Hannah  S.  (deceased),  Marion  E.,  Charlotte  L., 
and  Fannie  H. 

BUFFUM,  WILLIAM  G., 

Is  a  resident  of  Amity,  Yamhill  County,  and  a  farmer  by  occu 
pation.  Born  in  Vermont,  June  25, 1804;  moved  to  Ohio  at  eleven 
years  of  age  and  resided  there  until  1825;  then  went  to  Illinois,  and 
from  thence  to  Missouri  in  1841;  four  years  later  came  to  Oregon. 
Married,  in  1828,  Miss  Caroline  Thurman. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  638 

BURCH,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Chariton  County,  Missouri,  May  2,  1825.  Crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  when  twenty  years  old,  and  the  next  year  assisted 
in  opening  the  Applegate  route  to  incoming  settlers.  In  the 
Cayuse  war  he  served  as  adjutant,  and  in  the  Yakima  war  com 
manded  a  company  of  volunteer  troops.  In  1857  he  had  a  seat  in 
the  Constitutional  Convention;  was  a  member  of  the  first  State 
Legislature,  and  was  State  Senator  in  1868,  1870,  and  1884,  being- 
president  of  that  body  in  the  former  year.  Married  Miss  Eliza  A. 
Davidson,  September  6,  1848,  the  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Davidson, 
and  herself  a  pioneer  of  1847.  The  pair  have  had  two  children,  of 
whom  one,  Benjamin  F.  Burch,  Jr.,  is  now  living. 

BURTON,  J.  J. 

Born  in  -          -  in  -  -  ;  came  to  Oregon  in   1845  and  set 

tled  on  a  farm  upon  the  North  Yanahill  River;  resided  there  until 
a  few  months  before  his  death,  which  took  place  in  Portland,  Sep 
tember  15,  1879.  He  built  the  Burton  House  in  that  city. 

BUTLER,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  Alabama  in  1820;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near 
Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  which  is  his  present  place  of  resi 
dence,  and  farming  is  his  occupation.  He  married  Tabitha  J. 
Tucker  in  1845,  and  fifteen  children  are  the  fruits  of  this  marriage. 

BUTT,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1810,  and  lived  there  until  1836.  He  was 
married  in  1836.  In  1845  he  started  for  Oregon  and  his  wife  died 
while  on  the  way,  and  he  came  on  to  Washington  County,  Oregon, 
with  his  children.  His  principal  occupation  since  arriving  in  this 
State  has  been  farming.  He  held  the  office  of  county  treasurer  two 
years.  At  present  he  lives  with  his  son  Wilcox,  at  Forest  Grove. 

CHAMBERS,  ROLAND. 

Born  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  in  1813,  and  coming  to  Oregon 
in  1845,  settled  at  King's  Valley.  He  built  the  King's  Valley 
mill  in  the  summer  of  1854.  His  occupation  was  milling  and 
farming.  He  married  Sarah  King,  in  1841,  who  died  September 
3,  1845;  married  Lovisa  King  in  1846.  Children — Martha, 


634  HISTORY   OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Margaret,    James,    William,    Jackson,    John,    Franklin,    Henry, 
Ordelia,  Samuel,  Lydia,  Rebecca,  Jnlia,  Lincoln,  Anna,  and  Alice. 

COOLEY,  E.  C. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1812;  crossed  the  plains  in  1845  and  located 
in  Oregon  City,  but  eventually  removed  to  Woodburn,  Marion 
County.  Was  married  in  1849  to  Lydia  Bonney.  Their  children 
were — B.  F.,  Laura  E.,  and  Mary  E. 

CORNELIUS,  JESSE. 

Born  in  Howard  County,  Missouri,  in  18*29;  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  lives  four  miles  northwest  of  Hillsboro,  where  he 
has  resided  since  his  arrival  in  the  State.  He  married  Julia  Mills 
in  1854,  and  Caroline  Freeman  in  1868;  his  children  are — John 
W.,  Thomas  E.,  Rachel  A.,  Eliza  J.,  Julia  A.,  Edwin  C.,  Margaret 
E.,  Benjamin  D.,  Hettie,  and  Jesse. 

CORNELIUS,  T.  R. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1827;  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  Cornelius. 
He  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon,  and  three  years  later  entered 
the  Cayuse  war  as  a  volunteer  and  was  in  all  the  actions  with  the 
Indians  during  that  war.  In  1855  he  enlisted  in  the  Yakima  war 
and  served  as  captain  of  a  company  three  months  when  Col.  Nes- 
mith  resigned  and  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  held  that 
position  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  In  185 ft  was  elected  to 
the  Territorial  Council,  and  served  until  the  State  was  admitted; 
was  then  sent  into  the  State  Senate  and  elected  to  every  session  of 
the  Legislature  until  1876,  but  was  out  one  term  during  the  war, 
when  himself  and  two  others  were  authorized  by  President  Lincoln 
to  raise  a  cavalry  regiment  for  the  United  States  service.  He  was 
elected  colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  regular  troops  being  ordered 
east,  Col.  Cornelius  was  placed  in  command  of  the  post  at  Walla 
Walla  in  1862;  during  the  summer  he  resigned  and  returned  to  his 
home.  He  has  twice  served  as  President  of  the  Senate.  In  1876 
he  resigned  public  duties  and  returned  to  private  life.  In  1872  he 
had  removed  from  his  farm  to  the  town  of  Cornelius,  in  Washing 
ton  County,  it  having  been  laid  out  the  preceding  year  and  named 
for  the  colonel.  A  large  warehouse  had  been  built  in  1871  and 
the  railroad  was  built  through  the  town  in  1872.  The  colonel 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  635 

opened  a  store  there  in  1872,  which  is  now  conducted  by  his  son, 
Thomas  S.,  and  his  son-in-law,  G.  H.  Shaw.  The  colonel  was 
married  in  1850  to  Miss  Florentine  Wilkes,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children;  she  died  in  1864;  he  married  again  in  1866  to  Miss  Mis 
souri  A.  Smith.  The  colonel  is  now  a  resident  of  Cornelius;  owns 
three  farms  aggregating  eleven  hundred  and  forty -eight  acres,  and 
two  unimproved  farms  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  a  saw  mill, 
warehouse,  and  store. 

CRABTREE,  JOHN  J., 

Is  a  resident  of  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Born  in  Lee  County,  Virginia,  June  20,  1800;  married  in  1825, 
Melinda  Geary,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  1808;  their  children 
Were — George,  Peggy,  Job,  William,  Hiram,  Isaac,  James,  Polly, 
Betsy,  Becky,  Jasper  and  Newton  (twins),  Phoebe,  Virginia,  and 
Martha.  Twelve  of  them  are  yet  alive,  and  Mr.  Crabtree  has  a 
long  list  of  grandchildren.  Since  1846,  he  has  resided  on  his  farm 
at  Scio;  he  is  of  English  extraction  and  of  old  Revolutionary  stock. 

DAVIS,  MRS.  NANCY. 

Born  in  Saratoga,  New  York,  in  1799.  She  married  John  L. 
Northrop  in  Onondaga  County,  in  that  State,  in  1821,  her  family 
name  being  Baird.  She  came  with  him  to  Oregon  and  they  settled 
at  Glencoe,  Washington  County.  Their  children  are — Perrin, 
Harvey,  Sarah,  and  Charlotte.  Mrs.  Northrop  married  Thomas 
Davis  at  Glencoe,  in  1870,  with  whom  she  is  still  living,  at 
Mountain  Dale,  Washington  County. 

DOVE,  BETHUEL. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1814;  married  in  1842  to  Rachel  Story;  their 
children  are — E.  P.,  Elizabeth,  C.  J.,  John,  Andrew,  David,  and 
Bethuel  C.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  Mr. 
Dove  has  a  fine  farm  and  cultivates  it.  Post-office  address,  Salem. 

ELKINS,  J.  E. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1822;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  the 
Luckiamute  Valley.  His  present  residence  is  Monniouth,  and 
occupation,  farming.  He  married  Lucy  J.  Zumwalt  in  1851,  and 
their  children's  names  are — John,  William  D.,  Anna,  Eliza, 
Lorenzo,  and  Laura  E. 


636  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

FIELDS,  HUGH. 

Lives  at  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock -growing.  Was  born  in  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  December 
28,  1828,  and  was  married  May  10,  1855,  to  Miss  Sidney  Younger. 
Their  children — Annie  and  Emma — are  both  deceased. 

HALE,  MILTON. 

Born  in  Mercer  County,  Kentucky,  September  6,  1821.  Was 
the  first  settler  in  Linn  County,  on  the  Santiam  River,  and  built 
the  first  ferry  on  that  stream — said  ferry  being  now  owned  by 
Ashby  Pierce.  He  is  now  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  lives  near 
Albany.  Married  Miss  Susanna  Brown  in  1843,  by  whom  he  has 
had  eleven  children,  only  four  of  whom  are  alive. 

HARRITT,  JESSE. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1818.  Started  for  Oregon  in  1844,  went  as  far 
west  as  the  Mississippi  River  and  laid  over  until  the  next  year,  when 
he  completed  his  travels.  Went  to  Polk  County  the  year  of  his 
arrival.  Made  an  excursion  to  California  in  1 848  but  returned  to 
Oregon  in  the  succeeding  year.  Has  resided  in  Polk  County  ever 
since.  Occupation,  farming.  Lives  two  miles  from  Salem  on  his 
old  donation  claim.  Married  Miss  Julia  F.  Lewis  in  1846.  Chil 
dren — John  W.,  Caroline  A.,  Byron  W.,  and  Elmer  E. 

HARVEY,  AMOS. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  March  29,  1799;  was  of  Quaker  extrac 
tion,  and  was  reared  in  the  State  of  his  nativity.  Came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  on  the  present  site  of  Portland,  but  afterwards  removed 
to  Yamhill  and  then  to  Polk  County,  where  he  took  a  donation 
land  claim.  Married  in  Pennsylvania  to  Jane  Ramage,  by  whom 
he  had  a  large  family,  four  children  still  surviving.  These  are- 
Eleanor  (Mrs.  Denny),  James  (now  in  Eastern  Oregon),  Mary 
(Mrs.  Bobbins),  and  Jane  (Mrs.  Kelty).  The  mother  died  in 
1866,  and  Mr.  Harvey  followed  her  in  1877. 

HELMICK,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1832;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Washington  County.  Present  residence,  Monmouth,  Polk  County, 
and  occupation  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Sarah 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  637 

Steepson  in  Iowa  in  1845,  and  their  children's  names  are — Lewis, 
James,  Harmon,  Mary  C.,  and  William  H.  When  Mr.  Helmick 
arrived  in  Oregon,  he,  with  a  company  of  others,  came  down  the 
Columbia  River  on  a  raft,  which  also  contained  all  their  goods. 
The  raft  was  wrecked  at  the  Cascades  and  one  man  was  drowned 
and  all  their  property  lost. 

HERREN,  DOSHA  (ROBBINS). 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  in  May,  1804;  married  to 
John  Herren,  in  June,  182*2;  removed  to  Indiana  and  settled  in 
Decatur  County,  in  1838,  but  went  to  Platt  County,  Missouri,  and 
there  resided  until  1845,  when  they  came  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon.  Located  first  near  Wheatland,  but  in  February,  1846, 
settled  in  Marion  County,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until 
their  respective  deaths.  Mr.  Herren  died  March  2,  1864,  Mrs. 
Herren  September  15,  1881.  Their  family  included  thirteen  chil 
dren — seven  sons  and  six  daughters — ten  of  whom  survived  their 
mother. 

HERREN,  W.J. 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  January  17,  1824;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1845,  settling  in  Marion  County.  Present  residence, 
Salem;  occupation,  manager  of  the  Salem  flouring  mill  company. 
Married,  in  1847,  Evelina  Hall,  by  whom  he  had — David,  Bertha 
(deceased),  Albert,  George,  Willard,  and  Edward.  Mr.  Herren,  in 
1875,  built  the  Farmers1  Warehouse  and  managed  it  until  1882  when 
it  was  sold  to  the  present  flouring  mill  company.  He  has  held 
several  public  oflices,  and  has  been  a  man  of  note  for  many  years. 

HILTIBRAND,  PAUL. 

Born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio  June  7,  1823;  moved  to 
Kentucky  in  1832,  to  Missouri  in  1842.  -Then  came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  lives,  and  his 
occupation  is  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Evaline 
Tetherow,  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1846,  and  their  children's 
names  are  Lavenia,  Iba  E.,  James,  and  John  W. 

HIASHAW,  SANDFORD. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Indiana,  1841;  came  to  Oregon  from 
Missouri  and  settled  in  Luckiamute  Valley.  Present  residence, 


638  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mill  Creek,  Polk  County,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married 
Elma  C.  Childers  in  Dallas,  Polk  County,  in  1878,  and  their  chil 
dren's  names  are — Isaac,  Emma,  and  Stella. 

HOSFORD,  E.  F. 

Born  in  Green  County,  New  York,  in  1820;  came  from  Indiana 
to  OregoD  and  lived  until  the  following  year  in  Yamhill  County; 
then,  in  1846,  went  to  California  and  volunteered  in  the  Mexican 
war.  Returned  to  Oregon  in  1849,  and  settled  in  Polk  County, 
near  Salem,  on  a  farm,  and  still  resides  there.  Married  Miss  Mary 
Emniett  in  1857,  by  whom  he  has  had  seven  children — Lucia, 
Walter  S.,  Olive,  William,  Stella  (deceased),  Minnie,  and  Ethel. 

ROWLAND,  JOHN  S. 

Lives  at  Oregon  City  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation;  he  was 
born  in  Kent,  England,  in  1809;  married  Elizabeth  Howe  and  their 
children  are — Cornelia,  Charles,  Henry  E.,  Lenora,  Alfred  T., 
Mary  E.,  Levina,  John,  Maggie  and  May  (twins),  and  Edward. 
The  first  three  named  are  deceased. 

JOHNSON,  HEZEKIAH. 

Born  in  Maryland  in  1798.  He  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to 
the  Pacific  Coast  by  the  Baptist  denomination,  and  died  at  Oregon 
City  in  1866.  His  wife's  previous  name  was  Eliza  Shepherd. 
Children — Martha  (deceased),  Mary  E.,  Olive,  William  C.,  Tappan 
(deceased),  Franklin,  Julia  A.,  Hugh  (deceased),  Charlotte,  Hugh 
(deceased),  Lucetta  (deceased),  Amy,  Albert  (deceased),  Hezekiah, 
and  Noble  S.  (deceased). 

JOHNSON,  W.  CAREY. 

Was  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Hezekiah  Johnson  (g.  v.).  He 
was  born  in  Frankfort,  Ohio,  October,  1833;  was  employed  in 
Oregon  City,  first  as  clerk  in  a  store,  and  afterwards  as  compositor 
in  the  printing  offices  of  the  Spectator  and  Argus  newspapers. 
He  studied  law  in  1855,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
following  year;  in  1857  he  ran  on  the  Republican  ticket  for  the 
Legislature.  Subsequently  he  held  the  offices  of  city  attorney, 
recorder,  and  treasurer  of  Oregon  City,  which  has  been  his  home 
for  nearly  forty  years.  Was  elected  district  attorney  in  1862,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  639 

State  Senator  four  years  after.  Is  a  strong  advocate  for  schools,  and 
equally  active  in  forward  ing  religious  enterprises.  His  time  is 
mainly  taken  up  with  the  profession  of  the  law.  Mr.  Johnson 
married  Josephine  Devore,  December  25,  1808,  and  they  have  four 
children — Balfe  I).,  Nello  I).,  M.  D.,  and  an  infant  boy. 

LEWIS,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Marion  County,  Oregon,  in  1845;  lived  in  that  county 
until  1863;  served  three  years  in  the  First  Oregon  Cavalry.  Since 
then  has  lived  in  California,  Oregon,  and  Washington  Territory. 
His  present  place  of  residence  is  Dundee,  Yamhill  County,  and  oc 
cupation,  railroad  foreman.  He  married  Maria  S.  Dibble  in  1876, 
and  their  children's  names  are — Mark  T.,  and  Rex  W. 

LOWNSDALE,  DANIEL  H. 

Born  in  Marion  County,  Kentucky,  April  8,  1803.  Married,  at 
the  age  of  twenty -three,  Miss  Ruth  Overt!  eld,  and  removed  to  Gib 
son  County,  Indiana.  Here  his  wife  died  in  1830,  leaving  three 
children — a  boy  ( J.  P.  O.  Lownsdale,  of  Portland),  and  two  girls. 
After  traveling  in  the  south  and  in  Europe,  he  set  out  for  Oregon 
in  1845;  arriving  late  in  the  year,  he  immediately  took  a  land  claim 
near  the  site  of  Portland,  then  a  wilderness  and  untrodden  by 
whites.  This  claim  is  now  known  as  the  Amos  King  claim,  and 
adjoined  that  of  Lovejoy  and  Pettygrove.  In  1848  he  purchased 
the  site  of  Portland  from  F.  W.  Pettygrove,  paying  five  thousand 
dollars — doubtless  then  an  extravagant  price.  In  1850  he  married 
Mrs.  Nancy  Gillihan  and  had  by  her  two  children — M.  O.  Lowns 
dale,  now  of  Portland,  and  Mrs.  Ruth  Hoyt,  of  Columbia  County. 
Mr.  Lownsdale  held  several  public  positions,  among  them  that  of 
U.  S.  Postal  Agent  in  Fillmore's  administration;  and  he  also  had  a 
seat  in  the  Legislature.  Died  May  4,  1862. 

McBRIDE,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Tennessee  about  the  year  1801;  resided  for  a  time  in 
Springfield,  Missouri;  emigrated  to  Oregon  in  1845;  settled  upon 
a  farm  in  Yamhill  County,  but  about  1870  removed  to  St.  Helens, 
Columbia  County.  He  was  a  physician,  but  did  not  practice  much 
in  the  latter  half  of  his  life.  Was  United  States  Minister  to  the 
Hawaiian  Kingdom  from  1863  to  1866.  Was  the  father  of  four- 


640  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

teen  children,  some  of  whom  have  attained  distinction.  Died  in 
St.  Helens,  December  18,  1875.  The  doctor  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  useful  men  of  the  early  days,  and  left  a  large  fund 
of  endearing  recollections  to  posterity. 

McKINNEY,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1830;  left  that  State  eight  years  later,  went 
to  Iowa  and  remained  there  until  1845,  when  he  came  to  Oregon, 
traveling  by  way  of  Meek's  celebrated  cut-off.  His  occupation  is 
farming,  and  he  possesses  real  estate  in  Hillsboro,  Washington 
County,  his  present  residence  and  post-office  address. 

McKINNEY,  J.  N. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1838;  his  first  place  of  residence  in  Oregon  was 
in  Washington  County,  and  his  present  residence  is  at  Hillsboro,  in 
that  county,  where  he  keeps  a  feed  and  livery  stable.  He  married 
Miss  Cornelius  in  1866  and  they  have  five  children. 

McNARY,  ALEXANDER. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1800;  moved  to  Indiana  and  thence  to 
Illinois,  and  from  there  to  Oregon;  settled  in  Polk  County  and  set 
out  the  first  peach  orchard  in  that  county.  While  in  Illinois  he 
married  Miss  L.  Stockton,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  Those 
now  living  are — Sarah,  Hugh  M.,  and  Alexander  W;  and  the  de 
ceased  are — Nancy  C.,  and  Davis. 

McNARY,  ALEXANDER  W. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1833;  is  the  son  of  the  preceding,  and  came 
with  his  father  to  Oregon.  Lived  in  Polk  County,  engaged  in 
stock-raising  and  farming.  Served  in  the  Yakima  war  as  a 
volunteer  under  Captain  B.  F.  Burch.  Married  Miss  Seatta 
Grubbs  in  1857,  and  by  her  had  two  children — Elizabeth  and 
Ella.  That  lady  died  in  1862,  and  in  1874  Mr.  McNary  married 
Mrs.  E.  J.  Miller,  and  by  her  has  one  child,  named  Archie  A. 
Mr.  McNary  lives  at  Eola,  and  is  the  oldest  settler  of  that  place. 
That  village  was  first  settled  by  William  Durand  about  1849,  was 
laid  out  in  1851,  and  called  Cincinnati,  and  was  once  proposed  as 
the  State  Capital. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  641 

McNARY,  HUGH  M. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1827;  removed  to  Missouri,  and  later  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon.  Went  direct  to  Polk  County  with  his  father, 
Alexander  McNary,  and  took  a  donation  claim  near  Eola.  His  oc 
cupations  have  been  stock-raising  and  farming.  In  the  interest  of 
the  former  pursuit  he  spent  seventeen  years  following  1859  in  East 
ern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  returning  to  Polk  County 
in  1876.  Was  county  commissioner  of  Klickitat  County  for  four 
years.  Married,  in  April,  1854,  Miss  Catherine  Frizzell.  Children 
—Sarah,  Lena,  Anna,  Lillie,  Angelo,  Lawrence,  Hugh,  and  Wilson. 

McNEMEE,  JOB. 

Settled  on  the  site  of  Portland  in  1845,  and  after  the  foundation 
of  that  city  attempted  to  acquire  title  to  the  land  as  a  donation 
claim;  was  unsuccessful  after  carrying  the  matter  through  several 
courts.  Died  in  Portland  October  1,  1872. 

MELDRUM,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  March  27,  1808.  His  ancestors  were  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  are  traceable  back  to  the  times  of  Robert  the 
Bruce  and  William  Wallace.  Rev.  Wm.  Meldrum,  the  father  of 
John,  originated  the  American  line,  he  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1804,  and  settling  in  Kentucky.  John  Meldrum  lived 
subsequently  in  various  western  States,  and  on  December  11,  1834, 
married  Susanna  Depew  Cox,  in  Green  County,  Illinois.  The  pair 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding — the  fiftieth  anniversary — in  Oregon 
City  in  1884.  Their  children  have  been — Margaret  Octavia  (Mrs. 
W.  S.  Moore,  of  Klamath  County,  Oregon),  George  McDonald 
(deceased),  John  William,  Mary  Relief  (Mrs.  D.  P.  Thompson,  of 
Portland),  Sarah  Mabry  (Mrs.  F.  O.  McCown,  of  Oregon  City), 
Charles  Westley  (deceased),  Edwin  O.  (deceased),  Henry,  Susan 
Frances  (deceased),  and  Helena.  The  five  first-named  were  born 
before  the  family  removed  to  Oregon,  the  others  subsequently. 
They  came  with  the  emigration  of  1845,  and  soon  after  settled  at 
Oregon  City.  Mr.  Meldrum's  occupation  was  farming. 

MELDRUM,  JOHN  W. 

Born  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  December  17,  1839;  and  came  to 
Oregon  with  his  parents  in  1845.  Resides  near  Oregon  City,  and 


642  HISTOKY   OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

is  a  ^farmer  and  deputy  II.  8.  surveyor.  Married  Miss  Georgia 
Pope,  and  there  were  born  to  them — Charles  E.,  Willie  (deceased), 
Eva  S.,  and  D.  Thompson. 

MILLER,  WILLIAM  P. 

Born  in  Missouri,  March  12,  1836,  of  parents  who  were  farmers. 
The  family  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  first  in  Washington 
County,  removing  to  Sauvie's  (Sauveur's)  Island  a  year  later. 
From  thence  they  went,  in  1855,  to  Jackson  County,  and  W.  P. 
served  in  the  war  against  the  Indians  in  that  year.  Col.  Miller  led 
the  band  of  prospectors  who  discovered  the  placers  of  John  Day, 
Powder,  and  Burnt  rivers  in  1861.  He  lived  in  the  Yakima  Coun 
try  from  1869  until  1877,  returning  then  to  The  Dalles.  He  was 
appointed  warden  of  the  State  prison  in  1878.  Married  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Raffety  September  21,  1864. 

PALMER,  JOEL. 

Born  in  Canada,  in  1810,  of  parents  who  were  residents  of 
New  York;  moved  in  early  life  to  Indiana,  and  resided  there  for 
many  years,  becoming  in  1844  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature. 
In  the  spring  of  1845  he  set  out  for  Oregon,  arriving  in  the  fall  of 
the  year.  His  errand  was  to  view  the  country;  and  so  well  was 
he  pleased,  that  in  the  following  year  he  returned  home,  proposing 
to  bring  out  his  family.  In  1847  the  Palmer  emigration  took 
place  accordingly,  which  derives  its  name  from  his  leadership, 
which  he  attained  from  his  knowledge  of  the  way.  A  large  num 
ber  of  people  constituted  the  party,  among  whom  were  Messrs. 
Geer  and  Grim,  of  Mai-ion  County,  the  Grahams  and  Collards,  and 
Christopher  Taylor,  of  Yainhill,  and  others.  Arriving  again  in 
Oregon,  General  Palmer  took  up  a  donation  claim  upon  the 
Yamhill  River,  and  laid  out  the  town  of  Dayton.  When  the 
Whitman  massacre  occurred  he  joined  the  volunteer  forces  and 
was  chosen  quartermaster  and  commissary  general,  and  served 
throughout  the  Cayuse  war,  thus  earning  the  title  of  general. 
Subsequently  he  held  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs.  For  several  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature, 
and  in  1870  was  Republican  candidate  for  Governor  of  Oregon, 
but  was  defeated.  He  was  twice  married,  and  his  second  wife  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  04. °> 

seven  of  their  children  survived  him.     Gen.  Palmer  died  June  9, 

1881. 

PENTLAND,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Newcastle,  England,  in  1820;  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1844  and  joined  the  Oregon  immigration  of  the  succeeding  year. 
Arriving  on  the  Willamette,  he  took  charge  of  a  grist  mill  at  Ore 
gon  City  belonging  to  George  Abernethy,  and  continued  therewith 
until  1849,  when  he  paid  a  visit  to  California.  Settled  next  on  a 
donation  claim  near  Albany,  and  engaged  in  flour  milling  and  mer 
chandising  at  that  place.  In  1855  he  become  a  partner  with  Aber 
nethy  and  Leander  Holmes  in  the  purchase  of  the  Linn  City  property 
at  the  Willamette  Falls.  They  erected  the  largest  flouring  mill  in 
Oregon ;  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Pentland  owned  an  interest  in  the 
Portland  water  works  with  Stephen  Coffin.  In  1860  the  Linn  City 
improvements  were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  as  soon  as  the  transpor 
tation  works  were  renewed  by  Mr.  Pentland  in  company  with 
Colonel  Kelly,  the  great  flood  of  1861-62  washed  all  away.  Mr. 
Pentland  then  removed  to  The  Dalles  and  engaged  in  business  for 
fifteen  years,  building,  among  other  structures,  two  flouring  mills. 
In  1878  he  purchased  the  flouring  mill  at  Scio,  Linn  County,  and 
now  runs  it  besides  a  sash  and  door  and  furniture  factory.  Married 
Miss  Jane  Law  at  Newcastle,  England,  in  1841.  She  died  in  1875, 
and  the  next  year  he  wedded  Mrs.  Eliza  E.  Reynolds,  a  native  of 
Maine.  Has  two  children  living — Mrs.  S.  L.  Brooks,  of  The  Dalles, 
and  E.  C.  Pentland,  of  Alkali,  Wasco  County. 

PETERSON,  ASA  H., 

Is  an  Eclectic  physician  and  dentist,  residing  in  Lebanon,  Linn 
County.  Born  in  Lewis  County,  West  Virginia,  April  12,  1822; 
came  overland  to  Oregon,  and  in  the  year  following  his  arrival, 
settled  in  Linn  County,  on  the  north  side  of  Peterson's  Butte,  so 
named  for  his  family.  He  was  a  descendant  of  John  Paul  Jones, 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  Our  subject  is  coroner  of  Linn  County, 
his  name  having  been  placed  on  both  the  Republican  and 
Democratic  tickets.  Married  Susanna  Johnson,  a  native  of  Ken 
tucky;  born  November  16,  1826;  and  their  children  are — David 
H.,  Lawson  J.,  Melissa  J.,  and  Walter  C, 


644  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

PETERSON,  HENRY  J. 

Born  in  Virginia;  came  from  Iowa  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Linn  County;  took  a  donation  claim  and  became  a  farmer;  was 
elected  to  the  Territorial  Legislature  in  1 848  and  served  one  term. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  John  Paul  Jones,  of  revolutionary  fame. 
Died  in  1864. 

PETERSON,  W.  A. 

Lives  in  Albany;  has  been  a  farmer;  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1828;  married,  in  1852,  Miss  Eliza  Smelser,  who  died  in  1867;  by 
her  he  had  five  children. 

PHILLIPS,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Wiltshire,  England,  in  1814;  came  to  America  in  1834 
Resided  for  a  time  in  Florida,  and  was  in  government  employ 
during  the  Semiriole  war.  Lived  in  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis 
successively,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1845.  Settled  on  a  donation 
claim  in  Spring  Valley,  Polk  County,  where  he  now  lives.  Married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hibbard,  in  New  Orleans,  in  1839,  and  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  the  following  are  alive,  namely — John  E., 
Charles,  Samuel,  Hannah,  Amelia  (now  Mrs.  Basey,  of  Salem); 
Mary  J.  (now  Mrs.  Martin,  of  Weston);  Elizabeth  J.  (now  Mrs. 
McCurly,  of  Uinatilla);  Cornelia  (now  Mrs.  Claggett,  of  Inde 
pendence). 

RIDGEWAY,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  September  3,  1842;  carne 
to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Mill  Creek,  Polk  County,  which  is  still 
his  place  of  residence;  he  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  1878  he 
married  Matilda  J.  Blair,  and  they  have  one  child— Mary  C. 

RINEARSON,  PETER  M. 

Born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  February  6,  1819.  Came  to  Ore 
gon  in  November,  1845.  Resides  now  at  Oregon  City  and  is  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Married  twice — to  Rebecca  Cornelius,  and 
to  Isabelle  McDonald.  Children's  names — Cornelius  (deceased), 
Sarah,  Abraham  B.,  Isaac  V.,  Peter  M.,  Jacob  (deceased),  Cicero, 
Emma,  George,  Edward,  and  Jacob  S. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  645 

RISLEY,  JACOB  S. 

Lives  near  Oregon  City,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation;  he  was 
born  in  Columbus  County,  Ohio,  in  1832;  married  Miss  Mary  S. 
Scholl,  and  their  children  are — Charles  W.,  Orville  (deceased), 
John  P.,  Arthur  B.  (deceased),  Elmer  S.  (deceased),  Mary  A.,  and 
Ralph  E. 

RISLEY,  ORVILLE, 

Lives  in  Portland,  but  is  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  he  was  born 
in  New  York,  in  1803,  and  was  twice  married;  first  to  Miss  Mary 
Ball,  and  second  to  Miss  Amelia  Snyder.  His  children  are — Jacob 
S.,  arid  Charles  M.  The  latter  is  deceased. 

RITNER,  S.  B. 

Born  in  Switzerland  in  1815;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Luckiamute  Valley,  Polk  County.  Occupation,  farming.  He  mar 
ried  Sarah  Woetling,  and  their  children's  names  are — John,  Louis, 
Sophronia,  and  Franklin. 

ROBINSON,  JAMES  B. 

Born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1824.  He 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  where  Hillsboro  now  stands,  in 
Washington  County,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Melissa 
H.  Warner  in  1842,  and  their  children's  names  are — Francis  M., 
and  George  A.  Mr.  Robinson  is  deceased,  but  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  still  reside  on  the  old  homestead  in  Washington  County. 

ROGERS,  JAMES  W. 

Lives  near  McMinnville,  Yamhill  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  was  born  in  Indiana,  April  13,  1821;  moved  to 
Iowa  in  1839;  six  years  later  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at 
McMinnville.  He  married  Mary  E.  Henderson  in  1849.  She 
died  in  1809,  and  in  1«7S  he  married  Mary  A.  Small.  Their 
children's  names  are — James  O.,  June  A..  Priscilla  E.,  Lewis  J., 
Thomas  H.,  Cora  B.,  and  Frank. 

SAPPINGTON,  GEORGE  W., 

Son  of  J.  M.  Sappington;  was  born  in  1841,  and  came  across 
the  plains  with  his  parents.  Since  1846  has  lived  in  Yamhill 
County;  has  been  a  farmer  and  butcher,  and  is  now  a  merchant  in 


646  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

partnership  with  James  Roberts.  Was  postmaster  four  years,  but 
has  now  resigned.  Married  Mary  F.  Laughlin  in  1864,  who  died 
in  1868,  leaving  one  child.  In  1870,  he  married  Miss  Mary  E. 
Robinson,  and  by  her  has  had  five  children.  Residence,  North 
Yanihill. 

SAPPINGTON,  JAMES  M. 

Was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Mary  A.  Anderson,  of  Kentucky,  who  died,  leaving  four 
children,  namely — John  W.,  George  W.,  Eliza  F.,  and  Sarah  P. 
Mr.  Sappington  died  on  the  Tualatin  Plains  in  1846. 

SAPPINGTON,  JOHN  A. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Kentucky,  in  1837;  the  son  of 
James  M.  Sappington ;  after  his  arrival  in  Oregon,  settled  in  Yam- 
hill  County ;  now  lives  three  miles  east  of  Gaston ;  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  married  Lucinda  Laughlin  in  1857,  and  their  chil 
dren's  names  are — I.  M.,  E.  B.,  Rosa  E.,  W.  D.,  Fanny,  Nancy,  and 
Henry  H.  Mr.  Sappington  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  1880, 
and  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1882,  and  served  one  term. 
He  also  served  in  the  Yakima  war. 

SAVAGE,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Oswego  County,  New  York,  in  1826;  in  1842  moved 
to  Hancock  County,  Ohio;  came  to  Oregon  across  the  plains,  and 
drove  the  third  wagon  of  the  first  train  that  crossed  the  Cascade 
Range,  in  July,  1846.  He  settled  in  Yamhill  County;  now  lives 
on  the  Yamhill  River,  in  Polk  County,  near  Sheridan,  and  his 
occupation  is  that  of  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Sarah 
Brown  in  1854,  arid  Mary  C.  Lady  in  1883.  Their  children  are- 
Edison,  Gibson,  James,  Laura,  William,  Sarah,  Austin,  and  Irving 
(deceased).  Mr.  Savage  was  a  member  of  the  Oregon  Legislature 
from  Polk  County  in  1880. 

SIMPSON,  ISAAC  N. 

Born  in  Georgia  in  1813;  moved  to  Tennessee  in  1815,  and  to 
Arkansas  in  1833.  Came  overland  to  Oregon,  arriving  here  with 
no  property  but  three  cows,  a  mule  and  a  pony,  and  eight  dollars 
in  cash.  Settled  in  the  Luckiarnute  Valley,  where  he  still  resides. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  647 

Occupation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  Married  Martha  Jackson 
in  Arkansas,  in  1885.  Children — Amos  C.,  Marshall  WM  Eliza, 
and  Isaac-  N. 

SKINNER,  ALONZO  A. 

Horn  in  Huron  County,  Ohio;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  Came  to  Oregon  in  company  with  Orville  Risley  and 
others,  in  1845.  In  the  year  after  his  arrival  he  was  made  Circuit 
Judge  of  Oregon  under  the  Provisional  Government.  The  salary 
of  this  office  was  originally  fixed  at  $200,  but  it  is  said  that  it  was 
raised  to  $800  to  induce  Judge  Skinner  to  accept  the  place.  Peter 
II.  Burnett,  afterward  Governor  of  California,  was  Supreine  Judge 
of  Oregon,  but  resigned  because  Judge  Skinner  received  the  largest 
salary.  Skinner  was  a  Whig  originally,  but  became  a  Republican 
on  the  formation  of  that  party.  From  1851  to  1853  he  was  Indian 
Agent,  and  was  located  in  the  Rogue  River  Valley,  where  he  took 
up  the  first  donation  land  claim  recorded  in  that  section.  In  1853 
he  was  candidate  for  Delegate  to  Congress,  against  Joseph  Lane, 
by  whom  he  was  badly  beaten.  From  1862  to  1864  he  was  clerk 
of  Lane  County.  He  was  esteemed  a  well-read  lawyer,  modest  and 
unassuming,  and  of  good  morals  and  fine  feelings. 

SMITH,  HIRAM. 

Born  in  Dunnville,  New  York,  and  grew  to  manhood  there ;  re 
moved  to  Ohio,  and  in  1845  organized  an  expedition  for  Oregon. 
Subsequently  he  crossed  the  plains  six  times.  In  1862  he  went  out 
upon  the  plains  to  protect  and  guide  the  immigrants  of  that  year. 
He  resided  mainly  in  Portland  and  accumulated  a  fortune.  Was 
very  widely  known,  and  was  a  man  of  great  usefulness  and  strength 
of  character.  Old  pioneers  will  remember  him  best  by  his  nick 
name  of  uRed  Shirt  Smith."  He  died  in  San  Francisco,  January 
17,1870.  His  widow  still  lives.  Her  residence  is  in  the  city  of 
Portland. 

SMITH,  JOSEPH  S. 

Born  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  June  20,  1824.  In  the 
fall  of  1844  he  started  for  Oregon  Territory,  reaching  Oregon  City  in 
the  spring  of  the  following  year.  He  began  the  study  of  law,  and 
while  he  was  acquiring  knowledge  supported  himself  by  manual 


648  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

labor,  such  as  sawing  logs  and  splitting  rails.  One  of  his  early  jobs 
of  work  was  helping  to  build  a  warehouse  for  ex- Senator  Nesmith 
at  Canemah.  In  July,  1849,  he  was  married  in  Salem  to  Miss 
Julia  A.  Carter,  who  survives  him.  Before  this  he  had  been  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar.  In  1853,  Mr.  Smith  moved  to  Puget  Sound 
and  served  some  time  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  third  district 
of  Oregon  Territory.  In  1854  or  1855  he  was  elected  to  the 
Territorial  Legislature,  and  was  unanimously  chosen  Speaker  of 
the  house.  Subsequently  he  was  appointed  by  President  Buchanan 
United  States  district  attorney  for  the  territory.  In  1858  he 
returned  to  Salem,  where  he  resided  until  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Portland.  He  was  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Grover,  Smith 
&  Page  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1860  he  became  manager  and 
financial  agent  of  the  Willamette  Woolen  Mills  at  Salein,  the  oldest 
industry  of  the  kind  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  In  1867  Mr.  Smith 
went  with  his  family  to  Europe,  his  health  necessitating  a  change 
of  climate.  Upon  his  return  in  the  following  year  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Democracy  for  Congress,  and  was  elected,  defeat 
ing  David  Logan  by  1200  majority — the  first  Democratic  Con 
gressman  sent  from  Oregon  in  eight  years.  After  his  term  in  Con 
gress  had  expired  Mr.  Smith  came  to  Portland,  and  lived  there 
continuously  until  his  death,  though  he  spent  a  great  deal  of  time 
in  travel,  principally  in  the  Southern  States,  whose  mild  climate 
suited  his  weak  constitution.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  for 
Governor  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Re 
publican  nominee,  Governor  Z.  F.  Moody.  He  made  judicious  in 
vestments  in  real  estate  in  Portland  in  early  days  and  died  wealthy. 
His  decease  took  place  on  the  twenty -eighth  of  September,  1884. 
Mr.  Smith  left  three  children— Walter  V.  Smith,  Mrs.  H.  Y. 
Thompson,  and  Preston  C.  Smith. 

STAATS,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  in  1814;  came  to  Oregon  and  set 
tled  at  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  resides.  Occupation, 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Orlena  M.  Williams  in 
Oregon  in  1846,  and  their  children's  names  are — James  M.,  Henry 
D.,  John  O.,  Isaac  W.,  Clarence  E.,  Asa  C.,  and  Mary  I. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  649 

STAATS,  STEPHEN. 

Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  July  16,  1821;  removed  succes 
sively  to  Kansas  (1835),  Missouri  (1837),  and  to  Oregon  (1845). 
Married  Miss  Cordelia  C.  Forrest  March  29,  1846,  in  Polk  County, 
the  marriage  being  the  first  that  ever  took  place  in  that  county, 
and,  probably,  the  first  on  the  West  Side.  Went  overland  to  Cali 
fornia  in  the  spring  of  1847,  taking  his  family  along,  the  mode  of 
travel  being  by  horse  or  mule  back.  Spent  some  months  in  that 
State  acting  as  clerk  for  Sam  Brannan,  but  returned  to  Oregon  in 
the  fall  of  1848,  coming  in  the  Sabine,  a  sailing  vessel.  Subse- 
qently,  Mr.  Staats  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Oregon.  His 
residence  is  in  Monmouth,  Polk  County,  and  occupation,  farmer  and 
stock-raiser.  The  names  of  his  children  are — John  H.  (died  March 
29,  1871),  Elizbeth  A.,  Cordelia  J.,  Clara  A.,  Mary  C.,  Cordelia 
C.,  Stephen  A.  D.  (died  January  21,  1884),  William  H.,  Charles  S., 
and  Lillie  F. 

STUMP,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  the  year  1819;  lived  for  a  time  in  Iowa,  and 
arrived  in  Oregon  in  1845.  He  settled  in  Polk  County,  and  took 
a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  he  still 
owns.  In  1850  went  on  a  prospecting  expedition  in  Rogue  River 
Valley.  In  1874  was  elected  to  serve  in  the  legislature.  He  has 
worked  as  surveyor  at  times.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Cham 
berlain  in  1850,  and  has  four  children — Mary  A.,  Joseph  S.,  Kath- 
erine  B.  and  John  B. 

TETHEROW,  THOMAS  B. 

Born  in  Platte  County,  Missouri,  in  1838;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Polk  County.  Present  residence,  Monmouth,  and  occu 
pation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Martha  A.  Mc- 
Loughlin  in  Buena  Vista,  November  18,  1858,  and  their  children's 
names  are — Joseph  A.,  and  Minnie  E. 

THOMAS,  FREDERICK. 

Was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812;  came  overland  to  Oregon  at 
a  very  early  day  and  settled  in  the  forks  of  the  Santiani  River. 
Was  the  first  settler  on  Thomas  Creek.  Children — Sally  E.,  Jesse 
B.,  John  S.,  George  C.,  Susan  W.,  Thomas  A.,  Charles  M.,  and  J.  W. 


650  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WALKER,  C.  C. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1819;  removed  with  parents  to  Missouri  in 
1829,  and  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  sixteen  years  later.  In 
1849  he  went  to  California,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  W.  P. 
Walker,  also  an  immigrant  of  1845,  and  labored  in  the  mines  for  a 
short  time.  Took  a  donation  claim  in  Spring  Valley,  Polk  County, 
on  which  he  still  resides.  Occupation,  farming  and  fruit-raising; 
address,  Zena,  Polk  County.  Was  married  July  4,  1850,  to  Miss 
Louisa  Purvine,  an  immigrant  of  1848. 

WALKER,  JOHN  H. 

Resides  three  miles  southeast  of  Gaston,  Washington  County, 
and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County, 
Indiana,  in  1819;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  Forest  Grove. 
He  married  Lucinda  Wilkes  in  1841,  and  they  have  five  children- 
William  B.,  Winfield  8.,  Leonard  E.,  Mrs.  Louisa  Gahey,  and  Mrs. 
Lucinda  Johnson. 

WAYMIRE,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1813,  and  after  living  at  various  times  in 
Indiana,  Illinois  and,  Missouri,  and  serving  as  .  a  volunteer  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  came  to  Oregon  in  1845.  Worked  in  Portland 
in  1846,  and  built  the  first  wharf  there.  Afterward,  moved  to 
Dallas  and  worked  as  carpenter.  Still  resides  there.  Mr.  Way- 
inire  has  been  married  three  times  and  has  eleven  children. 

WHITE,  EDWARD  NEWTON. 

Born  April  27,  1828,  in  Illinois.  Settled  m  Linn  County,  Ore 
gon.  Married  July,  1848,  Miss  Catharine  J.  Burhart.  They  had 
three  children — Cynthia  L.,  Adalia  A.,  and  M.  T.  Mrs.  White  died 
in  1859,  and  Anna  Woodsides  became  his  second  wife.  Eight 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  seven  being  now  alive— Jane, 
Eudocia,  Grant,  Aaron,  Bertha,  Eleanor,  and  Edward.  Mr.  White 
resides  mainly  at  Prineville,  Crook  County,  being  engaged  in  the 
stock  business. 

WILCOX,  RALPH. 

Born  in  Cattaraugus  County,  New  York,  in  July,  1818,  the 
son  of  a  physician,  with  whom  he  studied  medicine.  Removed  to 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  651 

Missouri  and  practiced.  Married  Miss  Fickels.  Removed  to 
Oregon,  and  in  1846-47  was  a  member  of  the  Provisional  Legisla 
ture.  In  1851  was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  and 
Speaker  of  the  House.  From  1856  to  1859  was  Register  of  the 
Oregon  City  Land  Office.  From  1859  to  1869  was  judge  of 
Washington  County.  Served  a  term  in  the  State  Legislature  in 
186*2,  and  in  the  next  year  became  clerk  of  the  United  States  Dis 
trict  Court  at  Portland.  Shot  himself,  and  died  on  April  18,  1877. 

WILEY,  RICHARD  E. 

Born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  in  1823;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1845;  married  to  Jane  Baldra;  children — Wilbur  D.,  Annie  M., 
William  V.,  Dora  A.,  Ella  F.,  and  Benemnaa.  Mr.  Wiley's  pres 
ent  residence  is  Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  and  his  occupation 
is  dealing  in  wines,  liquors  and  cigars. 

WILLIAMS,  P.  w. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee  in  1832.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled 
in  the  Luckiamute  Valley,  and  has  resided  there  since.  Is  a  car 
penter  and  farmer.  He  married  Emma  Snelling  in  Benton  County. 
Children — Dora,  Minerva,  George,  Thomas,  and  Richard. 

WOOLEY,  JACOB. 

Born  in  New  Jersey;  from  there  he  went  to  Ohio,  then  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  on  the  Tualatin  Plains,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1868.  His  wife's  previous  name  was 
Miss  Ellen  Rose,  by  whom  he  had  four  children. 

ZUMWALT,  c.  P. 

Born  in  Galloway  County,  Missouri,  August  12,  1827.  Settled 
first  in  Yamhill  County.  Resides  now  on  his  farm  at  Perrydale, 
Polk  County.  Married  Irene  Goodrich  in  1849.  Children — John 
T.,  C.  A.,  Henry  O.,  May  E.,  Sarah  M.,  Glenn  B.,  William  B., 
Guilford  L.,  Frank,  Tamine  (deceased),  and  Fred  (deceased). 

1846. 

ALDERMAN,  A.  L., 

Lives  in  Dayton,  Yamhill  County;  has  been  a  farmer  and  fruit 
grower,  and  at  one  time  owned  the  largest  orchard  in  the  State. 


652  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1820;  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Mary 
J.  Burns,  who  died  in  1863.  In  1867,  he  married  Miss  Charlotte 
Odell.  Has  four  children  by  the  first  wife  and  five  by  the  second. 

BLAKELY,  JAMES, 

Lives  near  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  engaged  in  stock-growing 
and  farming.  He  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Tennessee,  in  1812; 
in  1835  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Dick,  and  their  children  are — Ellen, 
Catherine,  William,  Caroline  (deceased),  Harriet,  Henry,  Margaret, 
James,  Joseph,  Sarah,  and  George. 

BONNEY,  JAIRUS. 

Jairus  Bonney,  with  his  wife  Jane,  and  their  six  children,  crossed 
the  plains  from  Illinois  to  California  in  1845,  and  in  the  following 
year  came  to  Oregon.  The  survivors  of  the  family  are  the  mother, 
Jane  Bonney,  who  is  aged  seventy-five  years;  Martha  (Bonney) 
Rhodes,  aged  forty-eight;  B.  F.  Bonney,  aged  forty -six;  Emily 
(Bonney)  Broyles,  of  Wasco  County;  and  Ellen  (Bonney)  Bidwell, 
aged  thirty-eight,  of  Drain,  Douglas  County.  The  latter  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  child  born  in  California  of  parents  who  were 
American  citizens,  'flie  mother  and  her  two  first  named  children 
live  in  Clackamas  County. 

BOUNDS,  JOHN. 

Born  and  raised  in  Tennessee;  settled  in  Polk  County.  Occupa 
tion,  farming.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Lovelady.  Children — Nancy 
(deceased),  Margaret  (Mrs.  Tharp),  Thomas,  Jane  (Mrs.  A.  Y.  Mc- 
Carty),  Jesse,  Amanda  (Mrs.  E.  W.  McCarty),  John,  Ann  (deceased), 
Sarah  (deceased),  and  James  S. 

BROCK,  EUNICE. 

Born  in  Wood  County,  Ohio,  in  1839;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  near  Forest  Grove ;  now  lives  at  Gaston  and  conducts  a  hotel. 
She  married  George  Brock  in  1857,  and  their  children's  names  are 
—James  W.,  Mrs.  Florence  Bryant,  and  Wilson  E. 

BURNETT,  GEORGE  W.  ^ 

Born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  1811;  lived,  the  first  year  of 
his  residence  in  Oregon,  on  Tualatin  Plains.  In  1847  moved  to 
Yamhill  County;  was  a  farmer.  Served  during  the  Cayuse  war 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  653 

as  captain  of  the  company  organized  in  Yamhill  and  Washington 
counties.  Returned  to  Yamhill  County  after  the  war,  where  he- 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  served  one  term  in  the  Legis 
lature.  Married  Miss  Sidney  Younger  in  1831,  and  seven  chil 
dren  were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  now  live — Anna  Mary, 
Lucretia,  Emily  J.,  and  George  H.  Mrs.  Burnett  lives  in  McMinn- 
ville.  Mr.  Burnett  died  in  -  — . 

CARLIN,  JOHN. 

Horn  in  Massachusetts  in  December,  1820;  came  across  the  plains 
in  an  immigrant  train,  of  which  Captain  William  Martin  was  the 
leader;  lived  in  Yamhill  County  two  years.  In  1849  went  to  Cal 
ifornia  in  the  first  schooner  ever  built  in  Oregon.  Returned  to 
Yamhill  County,  Oregon,  the  following  year  and  settled  on  a  farm 
three  miles  from  McMinnville.  Moved  to  McMmnville  in  1884 
and  now  lives  there,  but  still  owns  five  hundred  acres  of  land.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Martha  E.  Garrison  in  1850,  and  has  four  children  living 

—George  D.,  Henry  W.,  Mary  O.,  and  Wayne — and  two  deceased 

— James  W.,  and  Martha  E. 

COLLINS,  F.  M. 

Horn  in  Missouri,  in  1834,  the  son  of  Smith  Collins;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1846.  His  father  settled  in  Polk  County,  and  took  a 
donation  claim  in  1847,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death.-  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  traded  in  stock,  and  kept  a  meat  market 
for  some  time.  Served  as  deputy  under  Sheriffs  Smith  and  S.  T. 
Birch.  In  1859  he  married  Miss  Martha  E.  Blake,  daughter  of 
the  Colonel  Gilliam  who  was  killed  in  the  Cayuse  war.  Mr. 
Collins  has  two  children — Henrietta  Blanche  and  Anna  Bertha. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Dallas. 

COLLINS,  JAMES  L. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Missouri,  May  9,  1833.  Came  to  Ore 
gon  with  his  father,  Smith  Collins,  in  1846,  by  way  of  the  "South 
Road,'1  or  Applegate's  cut-off,  his  company  being  the  first  that 
came  that  way.  Settled  in  Polk  County;  went  to  California  in 
1853,  and  remained  for  a  time;  served  in  the  Yakima  war;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859.  Married  Miss  Mary  Whiteaker  in 
1861,  who  died  in  1865,  leaving  one  child.  In  1867  married  Miss 


654  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mary  E.  Kimes.     Was  appointed  county  judge  of  Polk  County  in 
1869. 

COLLINS,  SMITH. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1804;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  the 
Luckiamute  Valley,  Polk  County,  where  he  still  lives.  He  is  a 
farmer.  He  married  Emily  Wyatt,  in  Missouri,  in  1836.  Children- 
Elizabeth  T.,  James  L.,  Frank  M.,  Eliza  M.,  Douglass  W.,  William 
W.,  George  W.,  David  C.,  Alexander  H.,  Emily  A.,  Samuel  A., 
and  Mary. 

COLLINS,  WILLIAM  W. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Missouri,  in  1843  (the  son  of  Smith 
Collins),  and  was  taken  to  Oregon  with  the  emigration  of  1846. 
Located  in  Luckiamute  Valley,  and  is  a  farmer.  He  married  Letitia 
Fuqua,  in  this  State,  in  1870.  Children — Mary  J.,  Laura  E.,  Joseph 
W.,  and  Ralph  L. 

CURRY,  GEORGE  L. 

Born  in  —  — ,  in  1820;  came  to  Oregon  in  1846,  and  soon 
after  became  editor  of  the  Oregon  Spectator,  the  earliest  and  then 
only  newspaper  of  the  Northwest.  In  1854  President  Pierce  ap 
pointed  him  Governor  of  the  Territory,  and  he  held  that  position 
until  the  organization  of  the  State  government  in  1857.  Died  in 
Portland,  July  28,  1878,  aged  58  years. 

DAVIDSON,  ANDREW. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1812;  came  to  Oregon  in  1846.  Lives  at 
Ballston,  Polk  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  He  married  Mrs.  Rachel 
Owens  in  1845.  Children — Mary  J.,  Nancy,  Sabrina,  Margaret, 
Joseph,  Ellen,  Martha,  Rachel,  H.  D.,  Dollie,  and  James. 

DAVIS,  A.  C. 

Born  in  Wood  County,  Ohio,  March  4,  1838;  was  taken  to 
Missouri  in  the  same  year,  and  to  Oregon  ten  years  later.  He  set 
tled  in  Washington  County,  but  later  removed  to  McMinnville, 
Yamhill  County,  where  he  still  resides  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  married  Pauline  Beman  in  Yamhill  County, 
November  29,  1874,  and  their  children's  names  are — John  B.,  Lizzie 
E.,  Rosley  A.,  and  Lelah  B. 


HI8TORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  655 

DAVIS,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  New  Jersey,  August  3,  1812.  He  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  at  what  is  now  known  as  Dilley;  his  occupation  was  farm 
ing.  He  married  Lucy  Carpenter  January  31,  1836,  and  their  chil 
dren  numbered  six,  only  two  of  whom  are  living,  namely — Mrs. 
Eunice  Brock,  and  Mrs.  Henderson.  Mr.  Davis  died  in  1877. 

DAVIS,  LEVI  T. 

Born  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  March  28,  1838;  came  to  Or 
egon  and  settled  in  Washington  County.  In  1866,  Mr,  Levi  Davis 
and  his  brother  invented  a  combined  header  and  thresher;  it  was 
patented  in  1867,  and  sold  in  1883.  He  and  his  father,  Samuel 
Davis,  were  the  incorporators  of  the  Blue  Mountain  wagon  road, 
which  was  built  in  1865.  In  Marion  County,  June  17,  1873,  he 
was  married  to  Margaret  A.  Hunsaker,  and  their  children's  names 
were — Mary  E.,  and  Earnest  W.,  both  deceased.  Mr.  Davis  is  now 
a  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  and  lives  at  McMiunville,  Yamhill  County. 

DAWSON,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Scotland,  December  31,  1816,  and  left  that  country  for 
America  in  1838.  Proceeded  to  Missouri  and  followed  the  occupa 
tion  of  farmer  in  that  State  until  1843,  when  he  started  for  Oregon 
and  arrived  on  the  Pacific  coast  1846,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Yamhill  County.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Monmouth,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  grocer,  and  druggist.  Mr. 
Dawson  served  as  county  commissioner  of  Yamhill  County  before 
and  after  Oregon  was  organized  as  a  State,  and  was  United  States 
commissioner  of  that  county  seven  years.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Searcy  in  1843,  and  six  children  were  the  fruits  of  this 
union,  namely — Phoebe  E.,  Ann,  Margaret,  Amanda,  Ella,  and  Lou. 
His  wife  dying,  he  married  again  in  1864,  and  one  other  child  was 
born  to  him,  named  William. 

DESKINS,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1820;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled 
at  North  Yamhill;  was  a  farmer.  He  married  Miss  Shuck  in 
1854,  and  their  children's  names  are — Ellen,  Caroline,  Emma,  and 
Edith.  Mr.  Deskins  died  in  1873. 


656  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

DICE,  E.  C. 

Was  born  in  Adair  County,  Kentucky,  January  4,  1816.  Re 
sided  in  that  State  until  1841.  when  he  went  to  Illinois,  and  the 
same  year  to  Missouri.  In  1846  he  came  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon,  and  was  met  at  Fort  Hall  by  Jesse  Applegate,  and  came 
with  him  across  the  mountains  by  the  Applegate  route.  During 
the  Cayuse  war  he  was  one  of  a  company  of  sixteen  to  take  dis 
patches  to  California,  but  the  deep  snow  in  the  Siskiyous  prevented 
them  from  crossing,  and  they  were  obliged  to  return  to  the  valley. 
They  then  enlisted  in  a  volunteer  company,  and  after  considerable 
hard  traveling  in  pursuit  of  the  Whitman  murderers  returned  to 
Oregon  City,  and  were  discharged  in  June,  1848.  Mr.  Dice  then 
returned  to  his  claim  in  Polk  County.  Since  then  he  has  resided 
at  various  times  in  California  and  Walla  Walla.  He  now  owns 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  near  Independence  and  also  city 
property.  Was  married  to  Miss  Minerva  A.  Steward,  September 
27,  1848,  and  to  them  the  following  named  children  have  been 
born — Frances  M.,  Mary  E.,  Orlena  E.,  and  Benjamin  C. 

EDGAR,  RANKIN. 

Born  in  Boone  Cpunty,  Indiana,  December  18,  1844;  came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1846.  Resides  now  at  Camp  Polk,  Crook 
County,  Eastern  Oregon.  Is  a  prominent  stock- raiser.  Married 
Elizabeth  A.  Tracy,  and  has  three  children — Effie,  Elizabeth  E., 
and  Wayne. 

ELLIOTT,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Vincennes,  Indiana,  September  14,  1815.  Occupation, 
farmer.  Postoffice  address,  Oregon  City.  Wife's  previous  name, 
Nancy  Sconce.  Children — Annie  M.,  John  W.,  Robert  H.  (de 
ceased),  Eliza  C.,  and  Ella  L. 

FAULCONER,  A.  B. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1816;  caine  from  Missouri  to  Oregon;  set 
tled  in  the  Willamette  Valley  and  took  up  a  claim  near  Sheridan, 
on  which  he  still  lives.  In  1840  he  married  Miss  Mary  Graves,  and 
by  her  had  four  children,  two  of  whom,  James  and  Anna,  are  liv 
ing.  Mrs.  Faulconer  died  and  he  was  married  again  to  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Cutting;  has  six  children  by  her — Mary,  Estella,  Hattie,  Thomas, 
Edward,  and  Sheridan. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  657 

GARRISON,  JOHN  M.,  A.M. 

Born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1845,  and  brought  to 
Yamhill  County,  Oregon,  the  next  year.  His  father  settled  near 
Amity,  and  was  a  farmer.  The  son  was  educated  at  the  Willamette 
University,  Salem,  graduating  in  1866.  Is  now  a  teacher  of  pen 
manship.  Married  Miss  Mary  Blank,  of  Forest  Grove,  in  January, 
1876. 

GEER,  F.  W. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1817;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Clackamas  County.  Present  residence  on  the  banks  of  the  Wil 
lamette,  opposite  Butteville,  and  occupation  hop-farming.  He 
married  Mary  A.  Prentis,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  July  17,  1841, 
and  their  children  are  three  sons  and  four  daughters. 

GOOD,  D.  H. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1818;  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Clackamas  County,  where  he  died  in  1871.  Married 
in  1847  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Dunbar,  and  had  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  now  live. 

GRAVES,  CHARLES  B. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  in  January,  1824;  was  the  son  of  James  B. 
and  Diana  Graves;  parents  removed  to  Missouri  eight  years  later, 
and  in  1846  the  son  left  that  State  for  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains. 
Settled  in  Yamhill,  but  now  lives  in  Polk  County,  where  he  has 
resided  since  1864.  Is  a  farmer  by  occupation;  was  married  in 
Polk  County,  in  1851,  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Burnett.  Their  children 
numbered  thirteen,  of  whom  the  eight  following  still  live — Emma 
S.,  Thomas  J.,  Glenn  O.,  James,  Mary  F.,  Nellie,  Nettie,  and  Daisy. 

GUTHRIE,  DAVID  M. 

Born  in  Boone  County,  Missouri,  May  28,  1824.  Started  over 
land  to  Oregon  in  May,  1846,  and  arrived  in  December.  Being  a 
farmer,  he  settled  in  Polk  County,  taking  up  a  land  claim.  His 
residence  is  four  miles  south  of  Dallas.  Here  he  has  a  fine  farm, 
with  excellent  improvements,  and  lives  thereon  in  comfort,  with  his 
large  family.  A  part  of  his  attention  is  given  to  stock-raising,  at 
which  he  is  regarded  as  very  successful.  He  married  Mary  Ellen 


658  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Davidson,  September  21,  1851,  in  Polk  County.  She  died  October 
23,  1860,  leaving  five  children — Harvey  Elias,  Aaron,  James 
Thomas,  Sarah  Margaret,  and  Henry.  Mr.  Guthrie  was  married  to 
Martha  Emelme  Miller,  in  Polk  County,  October  18,  1868.  By 
her  he  has  had — David  A.,  George  H.,  Jonathan  F.,  Odis  M.,  Joseph 
L.,  Mary  E.,  Latoii  A.,  Forest  L.,  Martha  T.,  and  Lillie  M. 

HALL,  EDWARD  C. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1841,  the  son  of  Reason  B.  Hall.  Has 
resided  in  Polk  County  since  coming  across  the  plains  with  his 
father  in  1846.  Now  lives  in  Buena  Vista,  and  is  a  farmer;  was 
for  nine  years  a  >vagon -maker.  Married  Miss  Margaret  L.  Leasure, 
and  has  seven  children — George  S.,  Josephine  E.,  John  E.,  Henry 
R.,  Charles  C.,  Ralph,  and  James  C. 

HALL,  REASON  B. 

Born  in  Georgia  in  1794;  was  taken  to  Kentucky  by  his  father 
and  reared  there.  Served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Married  in  1823,  while  in  Indiana,  Miss  Martha 
Wright,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive 
—Mary  (Mrs.  H.  Croisan),  Sarah  (Mrs.  Joseph  Smith),  Lawrence 
M.,  Edward  C.,  Reuben  and  William  (twins,  born  on  the  plains), 
Andrew  Jackson,  and  Benjamin  F.  Mr.  Hall  brought  his  family 
across  the  plains  in  1846,  and  in  the  next  year  settled  permanently 
on  a  donation  claim  where  Buena  Vista  now  stands.  This  town 
he  laid  out  in  1861,  and  named  it  from  the  celebrated  battle  field 
in  Mexico.  Mr.  Hall  died  December  13,  1870. 

HALL,  REUBEN  P. 

Born  in  1846,  upon  the  plains,  while  his  parents  were  en  route 
for  Oregon.  Son  of  R.  B.  Hall.  Was  raised  in  Polk  County, 
which  has  been  his  home  ever  since.  Resides  in  Buena  Vista,  and 
conducts  the  livery  stable  of  that  place.  Married  Miss  Fannie 
Bevens  in  1869,  and  has  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living — Mary  B.,  Nettie,  Pearl  A.,  Rupert,  and  Grace  E. 

HAYES,  SARAH  A. 

Born  Sarah  A.  Finlay,  in  Missouri  in  1843,  and  came  with  her 
parents  to  Oregon.  Mrs.  Hayes  has  been  twice  married,  her  first 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  659 

husband  having  been  a  Mr.  Vawter,  and  by  whom  she  had  two 
children — W.  J.  and  Ira  Vawter.  Her  second  husband  was  S.  W. 
Hayes,  who  was  murdered  in  Halsey  in  1876.  (See  Seth  Hayes). 
Mrs.  Hayes'  present  residence  is  Halsey. 

HENDERSON,  J.  J. 

Born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  April  16,  1842;  when 
four  years  of  age  he  came  to  Oregon  and  lived  in  Yamhill  County, 
and  now  resides  in  Bellevue,  that  county,  occupied  in  farming. 
He  married  Lucinda  Van  Buskirk  in  Yamhill  County,  February 
19,  1865,  and  they  have  one  child,  named  Lloyd  B. 

HOLMAN,  JAMES  D. 

Born  in  Woodford  County,  Kentucky,  August  18,  1814;  was 
married  in  1840  to  Miss  Rachel  Summers;  came  to  Oregon  six  years 
afterwards,  and  settled  in  Pacific  County,  W.  T.  Represented  that 
district  in  the  first  legislative  session  under  the  Provisional  Govern 
ment.  Went  to  California  in  1848;  returned  in  1850,  and  founded 
Pacific  City,  on  Baker's  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  Moved 
to  Portland  in  1856,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  on  the  20th 
of  December,  1882.  He  was  one  of  the  first  directors  of  the  pub 
lic  schools  of  Portland,  and  was  also  identified  with  the  affairs  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  meniber.  His 
wife  survives  him,  as  also  four  of  their  children — Fannie  A.,  Kate 
S.,  Fred.  V.,  and  George  F. 

IMBRIE,  JAMES. 

Mr.  Imbrie's  native  State  was  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  in  1818. 
Coming  to  Oregon,  he  settled  in  Washington  County,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Hillsboro.  His  occupation  is  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  Cornelius  in  1851.  Children — James  J., 
Lizzie,  Josephine,  Thomas,  William  C.,  and  Nellie. 

JONES,  WILLIAM  T. 

Born  in  Dorsetshire,  England,  September  15,  1819;  came  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  in  1846,  and  lived  in  California  a  short  time  prior  to 
coming  to  Oregon.  On  his  arrival  here  he  settled  at  Muddy  Creek, 
Yamhill  County.  His  present  place  of  residence  is  at  McMinn- 
ville,  and  occupation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Eliza- 


660  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

beth  Meader,  a  native  of  England,  in  Yamhill  County,  July  14, 
1857,  and  they  have  seven  children,  viz. — Eliza  J.,  John  W.,  Mary 
E.,  Charlotte  A.,  Thomas  A.,  Esther  E.,  and  Walter  H. 

KINSEY,  ANSON. 

Born  in  Howard  County,  Missouri,  February  6,  1824.  Located 
in  Yamhill  County  in  1846;  went  to  the  California  mines  in  1849, 
returning  in  1852.  Since  then  has  resided  s in  Polk  County.  Oc 
cupation,  farming;  address,  Deny.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Beatty 
in  1853.  Children — Nancy  J.,  and  Willard  H.  Mrs.  Kinsey  died 
in  March,  1882. 

LANCEFIELD,  ALBERT  J. 

Born  in  Kent,  England,  March  12,  1817;  came  to  New  York  in 
1832,  to  Missouri  in  1837,  and  to  Oregon  nine  years  later.  He  set 
tled  at  Amity,  Yamhill  County,  and  still  resides  there.  He  is  a 
farmer.  He  married  Sarah  Henderson  in  Canada  in  1835,  who 
died  in  1849;  married  Sarah  Mulkey  in  Oregon  in  1850,  deceased 
December  5,  1855;  married  Eliza  Allen  in  Oregon  in  1863.  Chil 
dren — Robert  W.,  and  Mary  E. 

LINVILLE,  HARRISON. 

Born  in  Campbell  County,  Tennessee,  September  22,  1813; 
removed  when  seven  years  old,  to  Missouri.  In  1836  married 
Nancy  Bounds,  and  in  1846  came  to  Oregon  with  his  family. 
Settled  on  a  farm  at  what  was  known  as  Bloomingtori,  Polk 
County,  and  remained  there  until  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Buena 
Vista,  and  subsequently  to  Parker's  Station,  on  the  West  Side 
railroad,  and  in  1884  to  Independence,  where  he  still  lives.  Mr. 
Linville  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  in 
1 848,  and  was  the  first  county  judge  of  Polk  County.  For  a  time 
he  was  United  States  Indian  Agent  at  the  Malheur  Agency.  The 
first  Mrs.  Linville  died  in  1855;  and  two  years  later  Mr.  Linville 
married  Mrs.  Clara  L.  Frederick.  His  children  by  his  first  wife 
were — Mary  E.,  Harriet  I.,  Cordelia,  Joan,  Hannah  J.,  Julettie, 
Willard  S.,  Granville,  and  Clara.  Of  these,  Joan,  Julettie,  and 
Granville  are  dead.  By  his  second  wife  he  has  had  Joseph  A.  and 
Viola  H.,  both  now  living. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  66l 

LOVELADY,  T.  J. 

Born  in  Tennessee,  March  19,  1806;  in  1832  went  to  Missouri 
and  served  there  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  eight  years.  In  1846 
came  to  Oregon  and  took  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  County,  two 
miles  east  of  where  Dallas  now  stands.  Was  county  judge  under  the 
Iowa  statute  in  1848,  and  the  county  court  was  held  in  his  house 
for  some  time.  Was  county  commissioner  until  1856.  Moved 
to  Dallas  in  1S'58,  and  built  a  hotel,  which  he  kept  until  1867. 
Married  Miss  Mary  Bounds  in  1827,  and  ten  children  were  the 
fruits  of  this  marriage,  five  of  whom  are  now  dead.  The  living 
are  Thomas  B.,  Margaret,  Eliza  A.,  Andrew  J.,  and  Mary  F.  Two 
sons  were  in  the  Indian  war.  Mr.  Lovelady  is  still  a  resident  of 
Dallas. 

POMEROY,  F.  F. 

Was  a  native  of  New  York;  came  to  Oregon  in  1846,  then  went 
to  California,  and  was  murdered  in  1849,  for  money  in  his 
possession.  He  had  been  married  to  Miss  Mary  Catching,  who 
died  in  1852,  and  left  a  family  of  four  children. 

SHELTON,  j.  w. 

Born  in  Franklin  County,  Missouri,  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1846,  and  settled  at  Lafayette,  Yarnhill  County.  Occupation, 
farmer,  and  residence  Carlton,  Yarnhill  County.  Married  Miss 
Mary  J.  Burford,  in  1853,  and  their  children's  names  are — Mattie, 
C.  M.,  Lucy,  Arthur,  Bertie,  Ward,  and  Lena. 

SIMPSON,  BEN. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1818,  but  taken  by  his  parents  to  Missouri 
in  1820,  where  he  resided  until  1846.  Was  married  in  1839  to 
Miss  Wisdom,  who  died  two  years  after.  In  1843  he  married  Miss 
Nancy  Cooper;  came  to  Oregon  in  1846,  bringing  his  family,  con 
sisting  of  his  wife  and  three  sons,  John  Thomas,  Sylvester  C.,  and 
Samuel  L.  Settled  on  French  Prairie  in  1847.  Served  in  the 
Cayuse  war.  Was  a  member  of  the  second  Territorial  Legislature. 
Made  a  voyage  to  California  in  1849,  and  sold  a  cargo  of  timber. 
Has  represented,  at  various  times,  Clackamas,  Benton  and  Polk 
counties,  in  the  legislature;  was  Indian  agent  at  the  Siletz  reserva- 


662  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tion  for  eight  years ;  was  in  the  Jumbering  business  at  Clackamas 
City,  Parkersville,  Yaquina  Bay  and  Santiam  City;  was  surveyor- 
general  of  Oregon  from  1872  to  1876. 

SMITH,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Cedar  County,  Missouri,  in  1840;  his  first  home  in  Ore 
gon  was  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley;  his  present  residence  is  Louis 
ville,  Polk  County,  and  occupation  that  of  a  fanner  and  merchant. 
He  married  Rachel  M.  Burns  in  Polk  County  in  1864,  and  their 
children's  names  are — William  W.,  and  Mary  E. 

SMITH,  ELIZABETH  M.  (WRIGHT). 

Born  in  Clarke  County,  Kentucky,  in  1812.  She  married  James 
Smith  in  Missouri  in  1831.  Their  children  were — John  H.,  Henry 
S.,  Minerva  J.,  Maria,  Eliza  A.,  Margaret  E.,  James  D.,  Benjamin 
E.,  George  W.,  L.  D.,  and  Cornelia  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  came 
to  Oregon  and  settled  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  the  lady 
still  lives.  Her  husband  died  March  22,  1872. 

SMITH,  j.  D. 

Born  in  Missouri,  January  5,  1839,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Oregon  in  184(3.  They  settled  in  Polk  County  and  took  a  dona 
tion  claim  near  Louisville,  which  is  still  owned  by  the  heirs  and  is 
the  present  home  of  the  mother.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived 
on  the  farm  until  1877,  when  he  removed  to  Dallas  and  has  since 
held  the  office  of  postmaster,  and  was  elected  county  commissioner 
in  1874.  Married  Miss  L.  P.  Sheldon  in  1856,  and  they  have  one 
child — Otis  C.  Mr.  Smith  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  near  Louisville. 

SMITH,  LUCIUS  S. 

Born  in  Iowa,  October  6,  1841;  came  to  Oregon  in  1846.  His 
father,  William  Smith,  died  on  the  plains,  while  on  his  way  to  Or 
egon.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  livery  stable  keeper,  and  stage  contractor; 
resides  at  Turner.  Wife's  previous  name,  Sarah  E.  Snodderly. 
Children — Mary  A.,  Addie,  William  C.,  and  Walter  E. 

WHEELER,  JAMES. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee  in  1820.  On  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he 
settled  in  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  resides,  engaged  in 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  663 

farming.  In  Oregon,  in  1850,  he  married  Mary  E.  Hawkins,  who 
died  in  1869.  In  1870,  he  married  Eli/a  J.  Miller,  who  is  also 
deceased;  she  died  in  1S79.  His  children's  names  are — Sarelia, 
Mansel,  Wilbur,  Ida,  Zillah,  Alonzo,  Johanna,  Ellis,  and  E.  J. 

WHEELER,  JOHN. 

Lives  in  Hills) >oro,  Washington  County;  was  born  in  Oregon 
in  1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Solomon  Wheeler  who  crossed  the  plains 
in  1845.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  near  Oregon  City,  Clackamas 
County. 

ZUMWALT,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  St.  Charles  County,  Missouri,  in  1815.  He  married 
Sarah  Crow  in  1837,  and  in  1846  left  that  State  for  Oregon. 
Settled  in  Washington  County,  but  now  resides  in  the  Luckiamute 
Valley,  where  he  carries  on  the  business  of  farming,  and  is  also  a 
millwright.  His  children  are — William  H.,  Matilda  J.,  Commo 
dore,  Lewis  S.,  Andrew  J.,  Nancy  A.,  Benjamin  F.,  Melinda  C. 
Mary  E.,  Charles  N.,  George  W.,  and  Amelia  C. 

1847. 

ADAMS,  E.  M. 

Was  born  in  New  Jersey;  came  to  Oregon  from  Missouri;  farmed 
in  Yamhill  Count}'.  Died  in  1877,  and  left  two  children. 

ALDERMAN,  ORLANDO. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1838;  went  to  Illinois  when  young,  and  crossed 
the  plains  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  accompanying  his  mother,  who 
was  then  a  widow.  Resided  at  first  in  Linn,  but  a  few  years  later 
located  at  Dallas.  Later  still  (in  1865)  he  went  to  his  present  farm 
in  Spring  Valley,  Polk  County.  Was  married  in  1851  to  Miss 
Isabella  Baker,  a  pioneer  of  1 845.  Her  father,  George  M.  Baker, 
now  lives  at  Shoalwater  Bay,  W.  T.  The  Aldermans  have  eleven 
children — Charles  L.,  John  W.,  Sarah  A.  (Mrs.  Parrish),  Nancy  E. 
(Mrs.  Wesley),  Mary  M.  (Mrs.  Lewis),  George  L.,  William  J., 
Henry  N.,  Ira  < ).,  Rosa  A.,  and  Albert  E. 

APPERSON,  j.  T. 

Captain  Apperson  was  born  near  Hop  kins  ville,  Kentucky,  in 
1834;  was  taken  by  his  parents- to  Missouri,  and  lived  there  until 


664  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1847,  when  they  started  to  Oregon.  His  father  died  on  the  plains, 
but  his  mother  brought  him  across  and  settled  near  where  Portland 
now  stands.  He  lived  in  California  from  1849  to  1855,  returning 
in  the  latter  year.  In  1858  he  entered  upon  river  steamboating 
and  in  the  course  of  years  achieved  success.  He  served  in  the 
United  States  army  throughout  the  years  of  the  war,  returning  to 
the  command  of  a  Willamette  river  boat  at  its  end.  In  1870  he 
became  a  representative  in  'the  State  legislature;  in  1874  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Clackamas  County,  and  at  the  close  of  the  term 
became  State  senator.  In  1882  he  was  defeated  for  that  office.  He 
is  a  successful  farmer  and  stock -raiser,  and  is  President  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society,  and  likewise  President  of  the  Oregon  Pioneer 
Association.  Resides  at  Oregon  City.  Wife's  previous  name,  Mary 
A.  Elliott. 

BEDWELL,  E. 

Was  born  in  Missouri  in  1819,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  that 
State.  He  came  to  Oregon,  settled  in  Yanihill  County,  and  took  a 
donation  claim,  and  lived  on  it  twenty  -five  years.  Moved  to  Polk 
County  in  1874,  and  now  lives  on  a  farm  near  Monmouth.  In  1850 
he  was  married  to  Miss  A.  M.  Shelton,  and  ten  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  only  five  of  whom  are  now  alive,  namely — Mary, 
Mildred,  Barbara,  Edward  B.,  and  Loring. 

BELLINGER,  J.  H. 

Born  in  New  York  State  in  1791 ;  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
Built  the  first  canal  boat  used  in  New  York.  Emigrated  to 
Oregon  in  1847,  and  later  became  a  farmer  in  Marion  County. 
Died  near  Salem,  in  November,  1878. 

BEWLEY,  T.  R. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee  in  1834;  moved  to  Indiana  in  1836. 
Settled  first  at  Oregon  City.  Lives  now  at  Sheridan,  Yamhill 
County;  occupation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  Married  Elizabeth 
E.  Patty,  in  September,  1859.  The  lady  is  a  native  of  East 
Tennessee,  and  was  born  September  8,  1841. 

BIRD,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1819;  went  to  Illinois  when  nineteen  years 
old,  and  became  a  farmer.  Served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Mar- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  665 

ried  Mrs.  Bland,  and  had  four  children — two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
the  later  being  now  dead.  The  sons'  names  are  James  M.,  and 
Robert  P.  In  1847  Mr.  Bird  brought  his  family  to  Oregon  by  the 
route  across  the  plains,  and  went  to  Clackamas  County.  Made  a 
visit  to  California  during  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement,  but 
stayed  only  four  months.  Returned  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Yam- 
hill  County,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  a  volunteer  in 
Captain  Ankeny's  company  in  the  Yakima  war.  He  has  filled 
several  civil  offices,  among  them  that  of  county  treasurer.  Resides 
at  Lafayette. 

BRIDGEFARMER,  D. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1837;  arrived  in  Oregon  at  an  early  day  and 
settled  near  Vancouver;  now  lives  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of 
Gaston,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Sarah  J. 
Archer  in  1867,  and  their  children's  names  are — John  W.,  William 
S.,  Mary  E.,  and  Julia  A.  Mr.  Bridgefarmer  served  three  years  in 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  in  the  1st  Oregon  Cavalry;  also  in  the 
Indian  war  of  this  State. 

BROWN,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1823;  moved  to  Indiana  in  1825,  and  to 
Missouri  in  1831.  From  there,  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Polk  County,  and  he  now  lives  near  Dallas  where  he  has  a  farm. 
He  married  Martha  O.  Hines  in  Yamhill  County,  in  May,  1850, 
and  their  children  are — William  N.,  June  E.,  James  M.,  Emma  E. 
(deceased), 'Thomas  M.  (deceased),  Lillian  M.,  Nettie  B.,  Edgar  M., 
Alvin  R.,  and  George  F. 

BROWN,  ALVIN  CLARK, 

Of  Forest  Grove,  was  born  -  in  Warren  County,  Missouri,  in 
1829,  and  in  1847  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  his  present 
location.  His  occupation  is  farmer.  His  wife's  name  was  Sarah 
E.  Ross,  whom  he  married  in  1854.  Their  children  are — Elma 
M.,  A.  Victor,  Ernest  C.,  Mary  T.,  Emma  Q.,  and  Elizabeth.  A. 
C.  Brown's  father,  Orus  Brown,  crossed  from  Missouri  to  Oregon 
in  1843,  and  after  quite  a  series  of  adventures,  returned  and 
brought  his  family  out  in  the  year  mentioned.  The  old  gentleman 
was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  the  year  1800,  and  after  an  active 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  useful  life,  died  in  this  State  in  1874.  He  held  claim  to  the 
land  upon  which  Forest  Grove  now  stands,  but  sold  his  right  to 
Harvey  Clark  for  five  hundred  bushels  of  wheat, 

BROWN,  w.  c. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1824,  and  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near 
where  Albany  now  stands,  but  moved  the  following  year  to  Dallas. 
Carried  a  chain  in  the  first  survey  of  Albany,  also  of  Dallas.  Built 
the  first  brick  building  of  old  Dallas.  Erected  the  second  building 
intended  for  business  purposes  in  old  Dallas,  and  the  first  in  the 
present  town.  Was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  at  present  owns  a  half  interest  in  a  hardware  store 
in  Dallas.  Mr.  Brown  is  the  owner  of  two  thousand  acres  of  land 
in  Polk  County.  He  served  in  the  Legislature  in  1874.  Carried 
ffiss  Martha  J.  Townsend  in  1848,  and  has  five  children — John  G., 
Joseph  L.,  Alonzo,  Henry,  and  Ann,  all  of  whom  are  married. 

BRUSH,  JOHN. 

Lives  in  Albany,  Linn  County;  is  proprietor  of  the  Oregon 
Wire  Works.  Born  in  New  York  in  1822;  married  in  1854  to  Miss 
Almira  Brewster;  children — Sarah  (deceased),  Charles,  L.,  Emma, 
and  Ida. 

BUTLER,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  in  1847.  Is  a  salesman 
and  surveyor  by  occupation,  and  resides  at  Salem.  Mr.  Butler  is 
remarkable  as  having  been  one  of  the  first  white  children  born  in 
Oregon. 

CAUFIELD,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  May  5,  1805.  Came  to  the 
United  States  in  1832,  and  lived  in  Cincinnati  until  1837.  In  that 
year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Burnside.  Came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Oregon  City,  where  he  still  lives.  In  1.850  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  Clackamas  County,  and  re-elected  the  following  term. 
In  1852  was  elected  Probate  Judge,  and  served  two  terms.  Was 
the  first  County  Judge  of  Clackamas  County  after  the  admission  of 
Oregon  as  a  State.  The  names  of  his  children  were — John  (de 
ceased),  Mary  J.  (deceased),  Robert  F.,  David,  Clarinda,  Charles 
H.,  Edwin  GK,  and  Elizabeth  (deceased). 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  667 

CAREY,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Philadelphia  in  1802;  came  to  Oregon  in  1847,  settling 
in  Yamhill  County.  He  removed  later  to  Polk  County,  and  died 
there  in  1880.  Was  postmaster  of  Dayton,  and  justice  of  the  peace; 
had  a  seat  in  the  legislature  for  a  term.  Mr.  Cary  possessed  poet 
ical  gifts  of  a  noticeable  order,  and  produced  several  creditable 
poems.  He  married  Ruth  Odell  in  1826,  and  had  by  her  Sarah, 
John  W.,  Joseph  D.,  George  W.,  Amanda  E.,  Alfred  M.,  and  Car 
oline  E. 

CHAPMAN,  M.  N. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1845;  is  the  son  of  W.  Chapman  (deceased), 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon.  Is  now  a  resident  of  Salem 
and  clerk  of  Marion  County,  elected  in  1882;  has  served  as  deputy 
clerk,  at  different  times,  for  twelve  years.  Married  Miss  Jennie 
Thatcher  in  1868.  Children — Lorie,  May,  Nina  (deceased),  and 
Oda. 

CHAPMAN,  W. 

Born  in  South  Carolina  in  1814;  came  from  Illinois  to  Oregon; 
settled  in  Marion  County  in  1848;  served  as  Representative  in  the 
Lower  House  of  the  Territorial  Legislature;  held  offices  in  Salem 
for  many  years.  Married  Miss  R.  Farmer  in  1833,  who  died  in 
1847;  by  her  he  had  five  children.  Married  again  in  1850  Miss 
Ellen  Matlock,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  He  died  in  Clack  - 
amas  County  in  1884. 

CHAPMAN,  WILLIAM  W. 

Born  at  Clarksburg,  Virginia,  August  8,  1808.  Studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  practice.  Married  Margaret  Ingram  in  1832. 
Moved  in  succession  to  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Was  United  States 
attorney  for  Wisconsin,  and  was  the  first  Territorial  Delegate  to 
Congress  from  Iowa.  Was  a  member  of  Iowa's  Constitutional  Con 
vention,  and  sat  in  the  Legislature  of  the  new  State.  Came  to 
Oregon  with  his  family  in  1847.  Visited  California  in  1849.  Was 
several  times  a  member  of  the  Legislature  under  the  Provisional, 
Territorial  and  State  governments.  Participated  in  the  Rogue 
River  Indian  war  of  1855-56.  (See  pages  433-438.)  Rose  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant- colonel.  In  1849  he  acquired  a  third  interest  in 


668  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  town  site  of  Portland,  and  devoted  himself  thenceforward  to 
building  up  that  city.  Has  always  been  enterprising  in  a  high  de 
gree,  doing  a  great  deal  for  the  introduction  of  railways,  steamship 
lines,  and  everything  progressive.  (See  page  492.) 

CHAPMAN,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  New  York,  September  16,  1824;  in  1843  went  to 
Michigan,  but  returned  to  New  York  in  1846;  came  from  New 
York  to  Oregon.  He  immediately  enlisted  in  the  Cayuse  war,  and 
was  in  all  the  fights  which  followed.  In  1848  he  went  to  the 
mines  in  California;  returned  to  Oregon  in  1849.  In  1852  took  a 
donation  claim  near  where  Sheridan  now  stands,  and  which  is  still 
his  place  of  residence,  and  employed  in  farming.  Married  Miss 
Esther  L.  Bewley  in  1849.  Miss  BeAvley  had  been  captured  by 
the  Indians  at  the  Whitman  massacre,  and  was  their  prisoner  three 
weeks,  and  a  brother,  Crocket  Bewley,  was  killed.  (See  page  311.) 
Ten  children  were  born  to  them,  namely — John  M.,  Catherine, 
Eusebia  J.  (deceased),  Leonora,  Mary,  Charles  (deceased),  Frank, 
Nettie,  Charles,  and  Fred. 

COCHRAN,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Madison  County,  Kentucky,  November  20,  1813;  he  is 
a  stock -grower,  and  resides  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County;  has  lived 
in  that  county  since  1849.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Johnson,  and 
his  children  are — Nelson,  Robert,  William,  Sarah  E.,  Nancy  E., 
and  Mehala. 

COFFIN,  STEPHEN. 

Born  in  Ohio,  in  -  — ;  came  to  Oregon,  bringing  his  family. 
Settled  at  Oregon  City,  but  two  years  later  purchased  a  half -interest 
in  the  town-site  of  Portland,  it  being  the  Lownsdale  claim,  now 
covered  by  that  portion  of  the  city  between  the  Willamette  river 
and  Sixteenth  street,  and  A  and  Caruthers  streets.  He  grew  rich 
by  the  sale  of  lots,  and  manifested  immense  enterprise  in  the  vari 
ous  projects  for  building  up  the  city  of  Portland.  Steamship  com 
panies,  roads  and  railroads,  felt  his  influence,  and  the  city  owes 
much  to  his  sagacity.  General  Coffin,  as  he  was  commonly  known, 
helped  organize  the  People's  Transportation  Company  in  1860, 
which,  for  many  years,  controlled  the  traffic  on  the  Willamette,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  669 

carried  on  a  fierce  battle  with  the  O.  S.  N.  Co.  for  the  control  of 
that  of  the  Columbia.  Previously  he  had,  in  company  with  his  part 
ners,  Lownsdale  and  Chapman,  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  steamer  Gold  Hunter,  which  was  to  run  between  San  Francisco 
and  Portland,  in  opposition  to  the  vessels  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Com 
pany,  which  was  opposed  to  Portland  and  strove  to  build  up  St. 
Helens  in  opposition  to  it.  The  project  of  the  Gold  Hunter  proved 
unsuccessful.  In  1851  he  organized  a  company  to  build  a  plank 
road  to  connect  the  rising  metropolis  with  the  towns  of  the  "  west 
side."  The  project  was  only  partially  successful.  In  1860  he  was 
contractor  for  the  bridge  work  of  the  Oregon  Central  Railroad, 
west  side  division.  Stephen  Coffin  died  at  Dayton,  Yamhill  County, 
in  March,  1883. 

COLEMAN,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1831;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  m  Yamhill 
County.  Present  residence,  St.  Paul,  Marion  County,  and  occupa 
tion,  farmer.  He  married  Fanny  Murray,  of  Iowa,  in  1845,  and 
they  have  eleven  children. 

COLLARD,  E.  B., 

Of  Lafayette,  was  born  in  Illinois,  in  1838;  came  with  his 
parents  to  Oregon  in  1847.  His  father,  F.  A.  Collard,  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  Oregon  for  three  terms.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  worked  at  various  times  in  Idaho  and  Eastern  Oregon 
before  settling  in  Yamhill  County,  which  he  did  in  1874.  Since 
coming  to  that  county  he  was  in  the  grain  business  at  Dayton  until 
1882,  in  which  year  he  was  elected  sheriff,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1884.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow's  Orders. 
Married  Miss  Isaphenea  Waldron  in  1866,  and  their  family  con 
sists  of  eight  children — Frank  A.,  Agnes  A.,  Lyman,  Roy  L.,  Ella 
Maud,  Mabel,  Samuel,  and  an  infant  unnamed. 

CONKLIN,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1818;  on  arriving  in  Oregon  he  settled  one 
mile  northeast  of  Glencoe,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
married  Margaret  A.  Beach  nee  Dobbin,  in  1851,  and  their  chil 
dren's  names  are — Ann  Louisa,  Catharine,  Charles  T.,  Ada,  and 
Sarah.  Mr.  Conklin  died  in  1882. 


670  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CONNER,  NATHAN. 

Born  in  Preston  County,  Missouri,  in  1821.  Game  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Polk  County,  and  resides  there  still.  Is  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  married  Miss  E.  Buell  (born  in  Louisa  County, 
Iowa),  and  they  have  had  eight  children. 

CONNOR,  J. 

Born  in  Darke  County,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1847. 
Settled  at  Ballston  and  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  He 
married  Miss  P.  A.  Riggs^in  1853.  Children— R.  S.,  T.  E.,  C.  J., 
L.,  R,  M.  L.,  and  N.  A. 

COSGROVE,  HUGH. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1811;  arrived  in  Canada  in  1820;  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Champoeg  on  a 
farm  and  still  resides  there.  Married  Mary  Rossi ter  in  1831,  who 
is  now  dead.  Children — Mrs.  A.  Eldridge,  Mrs.  Mary  Jackson, 
Mrs.  E.  Murphy,  Mrs.  C.  Vantine,  Susan  Cosgrove,  and  Mrs.  E. 
Wagner. 

CYRUS,  WILLIAM, 

Is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-growing  at  Scio,  Linn  County. 
He  was  born  of  Scotch  and  English  parents  in  Granger  County, 
Tennessee,  on  the  seventeenth  of  December,  1820;  came  overland 
to  Oregon  and  has  lived  for  a  great  number  of  years  on  his  farm  in 
Linn  County.  Was  elected  a  State  Senator  from  that  county  in 
1866,  and  in  1872  was  elected  county  commissioner.  His  farm  at 
Scio  consists  of  eleven  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was  married 
three  times;  his  first  wife's  previous  name  was  Mary  A.  Deakins, 
a  native  of  Indiana.  By  her  his  children  are — Rebecca  J.,  Enoch, 
Rachel,  Hepsibah,  Henry,  Charlotte,  Mary  E.,  Nancy  C.,  Chris- 
tiancy  M.,  and  John  E.  By  his  second  wife,  Jane  Brisco,  of  In 
diana,  his  children  are — Owen  B.,  Jane,  and  Warren.  His  third 
wife  was  Margaret  H.  Charlton,  of  Virginia.  In  1884  there  were 
photographed  on  Mr.  Cyrus'  farm,  his  family,  consisting  of  sixty  - 
four  children  and  grandchildren. 

DAVIDSON,  J.  E.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Barroii  County,  Kentucky,  November  17,  1823.  Mov 
ing  in  1829  to  Illinois,  he  resided  there  until  he  came  to  Oregon, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  671 

and  took  up  a  claim  to  the  land  whereon  Independence  now  stands. 
In  1850  he  erected  there  the  first  business  house  of  that  place,  in 
company  with  Burbanks.  Two  years  preceding  he  had  spent  in 
the  California  gold  mines.  When  the  Cayuse  war  ensued,  Dr. 
Davidson  joined  Nesmith's  command  and  served  against  the  Indians. 
The  Doctor  has  practised  medicine  since  1853,  but  secured  his  di 
ploma  in  1808,  at  the  Willamette  University.  He  was  married  in 
1850  to  Mary  Davis.  Is  in  medical  practice  at  Independence. 

DAVIDSON,  JAMES  O. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  in  October,  1825,  and  was 
taken  to  Illinois  two  years  later.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1847,  and 
settled  at  Monmouth,  Polk  County,  but  now  resides  at  Buena  Vista. 
Is  a  farmer  and  stock -raiser.  He  married  Mary  E.  Linville  in 
1850,  in  Polk  County,  and  their  children  are — Annette,  Lida,  Or- 
ville  P.,  Ellis,  Mary  B.,  James  L.,  and  Ralph  L. 

DORRIS,  J.  J. 

Born  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  April,  1841;  set  out  with 
his  parents  for  Oregon  when  six  years  old ;  the  father  died  on  the 
journey,  and  the  family,  destitute  and  unprotected,  settled  on  the 
La  Creole  in  Polk  County.  Subsequently  the  widow  married  Alvis 
Kinsey,  who  lived  four  miles  south  of  Dayton,  Yamhill  County; 
but  he  dying  in  1858,  the  Dorrises,  with  their  mother,  removed  to 
Linn  County,  where  J.  J.  Dorris  has  continuously  resided  since,  ex 
cepting  five  years  which  he  spent  in  California.  He  married  Mary 
E.  Shields  in  1860,  and  they  have  had  twelve  children,  of  whom 
ten  are  now  living.  Address,  Scio,  Linn  County. 

DURHAM,  GEORGE  H. 

Born  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  December  4,  1843.  His  parents 
settled  in  Clackanias  County,  Oregon,  in  1847.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Willamette  University  and  the  Pacific  University,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1866.  Was  a  member  of  the  First  Oregon  Cav 
alry.  Studied  law  and  wras  admitted  to  practice  in  1869.  Was 
elected  district  attorney  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  District  of  Oregon, 
in  1872.  Is  in  legal  practice  at  Portland.  Married  Miss  S.  E. 
Clarke,  daughter  of  Rev.  Harvey  Clarke. 


672  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

FREDERICKS,  JAMES  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1814;  went  thence  to  Illinois  and  Iowa,  coming 
to  Oregon  in  1847,  and  settling  in  Polk  County.  Bought  the 
Applegate  farm  and  cultivated  it.  Married  Clara  L.  Downer,  in 
1837.  Children — Martha  J.,  Irene,  Judith  E.,  and  Jacob  W.  Mr. 
Fredericks  died  in  1856. 

FULKERSON,  JAMES  W. 

Born  in  Virginia,  August  28,  1803;  in  1807  his  family  moved 
to  Tennessee,  and  in  1817  to  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1847  he 
set  out  for  Oregon,  and  arrived  in  Polk  County  in  October  of  that 
year.  He  made  that  locality  his  home  until  his  death,  May  31, 
1884.  Served  several  terms  in  the  Territorial  Legislature.  Was 
married  in  1823  to  Miss  Mary  Fuller,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children,  six  of  whom  still  live.  These  are — Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
Willis  Gaines),  Sarah  (Mrs.  A.  Cain),  Virginia  (Mrs.  J.  McDamel), 
Margaret  (Mrs.  Caleb  Curl),  Hannah  (Mrs.  S.  Crowley),  and 
William  H.  Mrs.  Fulkerson  died  on  the  plains,  and  in  1848  he 
married  Mrs.  Catharine  Crowley,  mother  of  the  Miss  Leland 
Crowley,  whose  death  and  burial  at  Grave  Creek  form  such  a 
romantic  episode  in  the  history  of  Southern  Oregon.  The  lady 
was  a  pioneer  of  1846. 

FULKERSON,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1840;  the  son  of  the  preceding.  Came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon  when  seven  years  of  age,  and  has  lived  in 
Polk  County  ever  since.  Is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  his  farm  being 
in  Polk  County,  near  Salem.  'Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Craven  in 
1867.  They  have  had  five  children — Frederick  (deceased),  Albert 
N.,  Pearly  P.,  James  M.  (deceased),  and  Lois  F. 

GEER,  JOSEPH  C.,  Sr. 

Born  in  Windham  County,  Connecticut,  February  5,  1795; 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  for  which,  many  years  after,  he  obtained 
a  pension.  In  1815  married  Mary  Johnston,  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  three  years  after  moved  to  Madison  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  a  farmer  for  twenty-two  years.  In  1840  he  moved  westward 
again,  settling  in  western  Illinois.  In  1847  he  set  out  for  Oregon. 
He  located  in  Clackarnas  County,  opposite  Butteville,  and  died 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  673 

there  of  old  age,  August  27,  1881.  He  left  an  aged  widow,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters.  His  lineal  descendants,  all  residing  on 
this  coast,  number  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  He  was  the 
oldest  member  of  the  Pioneer  Association. 

GIBSON,  W.  O. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1810;  crossed  the  plains  with  a  family  of 
six  children  and  his  mother.  The  year  following  his  arrival  in 
Oregon  he  settled  in  Washington  County — then  Tualatin  County— 
and  took  a  donation  claim  near  Forest  Grove,  on  which  he  lived 
twelve  years.  He  has  resided  in  Hillsboro  since  1875;  owns  city 
property  and  some  land.  In  1830  married  Miss  M.  Burgin,  and 
has  four  living  children  and  six  dead.  The  living  are — James  W., 
Elizabeth,  Eliza  J.,  and  Jacob. 

GILLIAM,  ANDREW  J. 

Was  born  in  Carrol  County,  Missouri,  in  1818;  came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Polk  County.  His  present  residence  is  Dallas,  and 
occupation,  farming.  He  married  Sarah  T.  Clay  in  Missouri  in 
1839,  by  whom  he  has  eleven  children. 

GRAVES,  G.  W. 

Born   in  Warren  County,   Missouri,  in   1833,  the  son   of  the 
succeeding.     Coming  to  Oregon,  he  settled  at  Sheridan,  near  which 
town  he  still  resides,  occupying  himself  in  the  pursuits  of  agricul 
ture.     He  married  Miss  Ellen  McCanein  October,  1855.     Children 
-Walter,  Lucy  E.,  James  F.,  Ezra  C.,  J.  O.,  Cora  B.,  and  C.  C. 

GRAVES,  JAMES  B. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1797;  moved  to  Kentucky  in  an  early  day, 
and  was  married  to  Diana  Newton  in  1823.  Moved  next  to  Mis 
souri,  and  from  there  to  Oregon  in  1847.  Settled  near  what  is  now 
Sheridan,  in  Yamhill  County.  Was  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature  one  term.  Had  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
eight  grew  up.  Six  of  these  still  live.  Their  names  are — Charles 
B.,  Helen  M.,  Thomas  N.,  George  W.,  Lacy,  and  Harrison  T. 
Mr.  Graves  died  in  1882. 

GRAVES,  THOMAS  NEWTON. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1831;  came  to  Oregon  in  1847,  and  settled 
in  Yamhill  County,  where  he  still  resides.  Is  a  farmer.  Married 


fi74  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Miss  Miranda  N.  Bewley  in  1862.  Children— Henry  H.,  Eugene 
M.,  Charles,  Walter  F.,  Edward  B.,  L.  (\,  Nellie  E.,  Louis  J., 
Christine  M.,  Wilbur  and  Bertha. 

GREEN,  JAMES. 

Mr.  Green  came  to  Oregon  in  1847.  His  birth  took  place  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  1817;  he  resided  throughout  his  early  years  in 
that  State,  New  York,  and  Illinois;  started  for  Oregon  in  1847, 
and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  His  occupation  has  been  farming, 
and  his  present  residence  is  at  Lafayette. 

GRIMM,  J.  W. 

Judge  Grimm  was  born  in  Ohio,  June  H>,  18*20.  He  removed 
to  Illinois  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  and  in  1847  joined  the  noted 
and  important  immigration  of  that  year,  and  came  to  Oregon  by 
the  usual  route  across  the  plains.  He  settled  in  Marion  County, 
and  still  resides  there.  His  home  is  on  a  farm  two  miles  west  of 
Aurora.  The  Judge  has  been  prominently  connected  with  the 
growth  and  progress  of  the  State,  and  has  held  various  important 
offices.  In  184V)  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  Territorial  Leicisla- 

o 

ture;  in  1850  he  became  county  commissioner  and  ex  officio  probate 
judge,  and  was  re-'elected  two  years  later.  Was  chosen  State 
Senator  in  1858,  and  served  until  1866.  Again,  from  l^7S  until 
1882  he  held  the  same  position.  His  acceptance  of  the  latter 
office  was  only  at  the  solicitation  of  the  celebrated  Colonel  and 
Senator,  E.  D.  Baker.  Judge  Grimm  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Pioneer  Association.  He  married  in  1843,  Miss  Frances  E. 
(ieer,  by  whom  he  has  had  twelve  children,  whose  names  are— 
Kyron  J.,  Martha  \Mrs.  Schneur),  William,  Thurston,  Isaiah, 
Kdgar,  Edwin,  John  W.,  Mary  E.,  Jacob  C.,  Ralph  and  Alice. 

HACKLEMAN,  A. 

Born  in  Indiana;  came  to  Oregon  and  took  a  donation  claim, 
on  which  a  part  of  the  city  of  Albany  now  stands.  Owns  a  farm 
of  tive  hundred  acres  near  Albany.  Married  Miss  Eleanor  B. 
Davis,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children,  namely — Pauline,  Thurs 
ton  P.,  Josephine  (deceased),  Denver  D.,  and  Frank. 

HARRIS,  REUBEN. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1820,  and  removed,  when  young,  to  I11P 
uois;  and  afterwards  to  Iowa  and  Missouri.  Married  Miss  Clarinda 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  675 

Buck,  by  whom  lie  has  had — John  E.,  Lafayette  T.,  Sultana,  Al- 
zada,  Mehala,  Mary,  W.  E.,  and  Thomas  J.  Crossed  the  plains  by 
ox-team  in  1847,  and  halted  in  Washington  County.  Spent  a  year 
in  California.  Farmed  in  Yanihill  County.  Is  partner  with  John 
Haney  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  at  Lafayette. 

HEMBREE,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1847;  farmer  until  1879.  Married,  in  1874, 
to  Miss  Mary  Perkins;  family  includes  two  children — Clinton  E., 
and  Dora;  residence,  Lafayette. 

HILL,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  New  York,  in  1820;  moved  to  Ohio 
in  1831;  to  Illinois  in  1840;  and  seven  years  later  left  Illinois  for 
Oregon;  arrived  in  Polk  County  and  became  the  founder  of  Inde 
pendence  in  1 868,  which  town  is  still  his  place  of  residence,  and  oc 
cupation,  farming.  He  married  Martha  A.  Virgin  in  1851,  and 
their  children's  names  are — Roseltha,  Clarinda,  Ladue,  Mary  E., 
Lucy  V.,  Nellie  M.,  Homer  V.,  Verdie,  and  one  other. 

HOLMAN,  HARDY. 

The  son  of  James  S.  Holman,  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1840,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1847.  He  en 
gaged  in  farming,  and  now  possesses  considerable  real  estate.  He 
was  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Buena  Vista  for  eight  years.  Was 
also  in  the  stock  business  in  Eastern  Oregon.  Was  elected  sheriff 
of  Polk  County  in  1882,  having  previously  been  deputy  for  his 
father.  Married  Miss  Margaret  E.  Allen  in  1861,  and  they  have 
seven  children — James  M.,  Mary  E.,  Eva  H.,  Nathaniel  A.,  Addie 
E.,  Alice,  and  Meda. 

HOLMAN,  JAMES  S. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1813;  emigrated  to  Missouri  when  young, 
and  while  there  married  Miss  Mary  Bowman  in  1832.  Came  across 
the  plains  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  Became  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  and  of  the  Constitutional  Conven 
tion  ;  was  sheriff  of  Polk  County  seven  years,  and  held  that  office  at 
the  time  that  Oregon  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  Was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  two  terms  after  the  State  was  organized.  He  was 


676  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  college  at  McMinnville.  His  children  numbered  seven  when 
lie  came  to  the  State  of  Oregon,  namely — -Hardy,  John,  Preston, 
Nathaniel,  Amos  H.,  Nancy,  and  Mary  H.  Three  of  them,  John, 
Nancy,  and  Mary  H.,  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  Holman  died  Janu 
ary  13,  1881. 

HOLMAN,  NATHANIEL. 

Born  in  Platte  County,  Missouri,  in  1*46,  son  of  James  S. 
Holman;  came  when  an  infant  to  Oregon,  and  now  lives  at  Dallas, 
Polk  County.  His  occupation  is  that  of  a  farmer  and  livery  stable 
keeper.  He  married  Martha  A.  Waters,  in  Polk  County,  in  1868, 
and  their  children's  names  are — William  H.,  Nettie  J.,  John  D., 
and  James  N. 

HOLMAN,  PRESTON. 

Lives  in  Dallas,  Polk  County.  He  was  born  in  Missouri  in 
1844,  the  son  of  James  S.  Holman,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Oregon  when  three  years  of  age;  received  his  education  at  the 
Baptist  College,  McMinnville,  and  entered  the  ministry  at  twenty - 
five  years  of  age,  and  now,  in  connection  with  ministerial  duties,  is 
engaged  in  a  tannery,  in  partnership  with  Charles  McDonald. 
Was  in  the  war  in  1864-67.  Married  Miss  I.  E.  Hubbard  in  1866. 
Children — Frank,  Mollie  E.,  Nellie  M.  (deceased),  Fred  J.,  and 
Juanita  P. 

HUBBARD,  G. 

Born  in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  in  1830;  came  from  Illinois  to 
( >regon  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  His  present  residence  is  Dixie, 
and  occupation  farming.  He  married  Nancy  J.  Smith,  in  Polk 
County,  in  1858,  and  their  children's  names  are — Laura,  Samuel 
H.,  McClellari,  David  R.,  Hannah  H.,  Nettie  A.,  John  V.,  Thomas 
G.,  James  I.,  Charles  A.,  Jemima  E.,  Grace  J.,  Joseph  C.,  Lee  F., 
and  Metzler. 

HUMPHREYS,  THOMAS  DABNEY. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1822;  spent  his  early  life  in  the  Mississippi 
States,  and  taught  school  on  reaching  sufficient  age.  Left  St.  Jo., 
Missouri,  May  5,  1847,  for  Oregon,  and  arrived  at  Oregon  City  on 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  677 

• 

September  15tL  of  that  year.  Mined  on  Feather  River,  California, 
in  the  early  days,  but  returned  in  less  than  a  year,  settled  on  a 
donation  claim  in  Washington  County,  and  engaged  in  farming. 
His 'first  location,  made  in  1847,  was  on  the  Tualatin,  nine  miles 
from  Hillsboro,  but  about  1868  he  removed  to  that  town,  and  has 
lived  there  since.  'Was  probate  judge  in  old  times,  and  since  has 
been  United  States  assessor,  county  clerk,  and  county  judge,  and 
now  (1885)  acts  in  the  latter  capacity.  Married  in  1849  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  A.  Taylor,  and  their  children,  eight  in  number,  were  all 
born  in  Oregon.  Their  names  are — S.  H.,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Morgan, 
Mrs.  Bruce  Wolverton,  John  H.,  Thomas  J..  Araminta  E.,  Arthur, 
and  Samuel. 

HUNT,  G.  w. 

Born  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  in  1830;  set  out  for  Oregon 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  arrived  in  October.  Is  now  a  resident 
of  Whiteaker,  Oregon,  dealing  in  general  merchandise.  'Imports 
Shropshire  and  Leicester  sheep  and  Essex  swine,  and  has  done 
much  to  improve  the  breeds  of  domestic  animals  in  this  valley. 

HUNT,  JOHN  A. 

Born  in  Union  County,  Indiana,  in  1836.  Removed  to  Oregon 
and  settled  ten  miles  east  of  Salem.  Visited  California  during  the 
gold  excitement.  Removed  to  Douglas  County.  Represented  that 
section  in  the  Legislature  of  1882.  Married  in  1860  to  Miss  Ellen 
Ammen. 

ILER.  w.  E. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1845;  came  to  Oregon  in  1847  and  settled 
at  Oregon  City.  Present  residence  two  miles  east  of  Butteville; 
and  occupation  farmer.  He  married  Loulie  Stevens  in  1870,  and 
their  children's  names  are — Emma  R.,  Arthur,  Birdie,  and  Ettie. 

JENNINGS,  BERRYMAN. 

Born  in  Jessamine  County,  Kentucky,  June  16,  1807;  resides 
near  Oregon  City,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Has  been  mar 
ried  twice,  the  first  wife's  name  having  been  M.  White,  the 
second,  Martha  Pope.  The  children  were — Edward  T.,  Charles  H., 
Ella  A.,  Ada  C.,  William  B.,  May  E.,  John  F.,  and  Lillie  M. 


678  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

• 

JOHNSON,  H.  A. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1819;  moved  to  Illinois  when  twenty-one; 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Whitley  the  next  year;  in  1847  set  out  for 
Oregon,  and  settled  in  Marion  County;  went  next  year  to  the 
California  mines  for  a  short  stay;  in  1862  went  into  mercantile 
business,  and  so  occupied  himself  for  five  years.  Mr.  Johnson  re 
sides  at  Salem  with  his  family,  which  includes  seven  children — J. 
C.,  W.  G.,  W.  W.,  H.  A.,  Jr.,  S.  T.,  F.  M.,  and  Rachel  C. 

JOLLY,  W.  B. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  May  26,  1843,  and  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1847.  Married,  November  9,  1865,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Griffin;  she  died  on  October  25,  1877,  and 
on  April  10,  1879,  he  married  Miss  Hattie  E.  Woodworth,  of 
HowelPs  Prairie,  Marion  County.  Mr.  Jolly  resides  near  Hillsboro, 
Washington  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  + 

JORY,  HUGH  S. 

Born  in  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick,  in  November,  1833; 
present  residence,  South  Salem.  Occupation,  wagon  and  carriage 
maker.  Married  in  1857  to  Miss  Mary  Budd,  who  came  to  Oregon 
in  that  year.  Their  children  were — Charles,  Oliver,  Allie,  and 
Ralph.  The  two  latter  were  drowned  in  the  Willamette  in  1879. 

KENNEDY,  BARNEY. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1811;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on  a  farm 
two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Champoeg.  Occupation,  farming. 
Married  Arah  Underwood  in  1839,  and  they  had  John,  William, 
Mary,  and  Sarah.  Mr.  Kennedy  died  in  1865.  Mrs.  Kennedy 
still  resides  near  Champoeg. 

KETCHUM,  W.  M. 

Lives  in  Albany,  Linn  County,  engaged  in  a  planing  mill  and 
sash  and  door  factory.  Pie  was  born  in  New  York  in  1820;  mar 
ried  in  1851  to  Miss  Laura  Patterson;  have  four  children — Emma, 
Ella,  Frank,  and  Alva. 

KINNEY,  ROBERT  CROUCH. 

Born  .near  Summerville,  Illinois,  July  4,  1813;  married  Miss 
Eliza  Bigelow  in  1833;  founded  the  town  of  Muscatine,  Iowa;  par- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION".  679 

ticipated  in  the  Black  Hawk  war;  came  to  Oregon  with  his  family 
and  liU  brother  Samuel,  in  Palmer's  company;  the  brothers  settled 
in  the  Ohehalem  Valley,  Yamhill  County,  and  became  successful 
farmers.  Robert  removed  to  McMinnville  in  1857,  to  be  near  school; 
bought  the  McMinnville  flouring  mill;  in  1862  bought  the  Brooklyn 
flour  mill  opposite  Portland;  removed  to  Salem  in  1867  and  in 
vested  in  the  woolen  manufacturing  company,  and  afterwards  en 
tered  upon  flour  milling  with  great  success,  handling  one -fourth  of 
the  Oregon  wheat  crop,  and  shipping  great  quantities  of  flour  and 
grain  to  Europe.  Mr.  Kinney  died  in  February,  1875.  He  had 
held  several  public  offices,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Constitu 
tional  Convention  and  Territorial  Legislature.  His  children  were 
—Mary  Jane,  wife  of  J.  H.  Smith,  of  Harrisburg;  Albert  William, 
of  Salem  (died  January  1,  1881);  Augustus  C.,  a  physician;  Mar 
shal  J.,  of  San  Francisco;  Alfred  C.,  a  physician;  Josephine  E.,  of 
San  Francisco;  AVilliam  S.,  a/id  Eliza  L. 

KINSEY,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1784;  settled  eventually  in  Missouri  after 
considerable  wandering,  and  was  county  judge  of  Holt  County  for 
several  years.  Came  to  Oregon,  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  His 
residence  was  near  Dixie.  Occupation,  farming.  Married  Miss 
Hannah  McCracken.  Children — Edson,  Benjamin,  and  Anson. 
Mr.  Kinsey  died  in  1861,  and  his  widow  two  years  later. 

KNIGHTEN,  THOMAS.         , 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1831;  came  to  Oregon,  and  his  first  settle 
ment  in  this  State  was  made  near  Gales'  Peak,  Washington  County. 
He  now  lives  three  miles  west  of  Forest  Grove,  engaged  in  farm 
ing.  He  married  Nancy  Raues  in  1855,  and  they  now  have  six 
children. 

LAROQUE,  GEORGE. 

Born  near  Montreal,  Canada,  in  1820;  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1836,  and  three  years  later  entered  the  service  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  set  out  to  the  Rocky  Mountain 
country.  He  continued  in  the  wild  plains  life  for  several  years, 
and  in  1847  settled  in  the  Willamette  Valley.  In  the  fall  of  1848 
he  went  to  California  on  the  brig  Henry,  and  spent  several  mouths 


680  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

prospecting  for  gold.  In  one  year  he  took  out  $12,000  in  gold, 
and  returned  to  Oregon.  In  1851  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  F.  X.  Mathieu  &  Co.,  at  Butteville,  and  remained  therewith 
for  several  years.  lie  afterwards  embarked  in  the  wheat  trade  and 
milling  business  at  Oregon  City,  and  so  remained  until  his  death 
at  Oakland,  California,  February  23,  1877.  Left  a  wife,  daughter, 
and  three  sons. 

LAUGHLIN,  LEE. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  when  fourteen  years 
of  age;  was  in  the  Yakima  war  in  1856,  and  served  until  its  close. 
He  took  a  donation  claim  when  he  became  of  age.  Commenced 
mercantile  business  in  1866  at  North  Yarnhill,  and  is  still  engaged 
therein.  In  1860  was  elected  assessor;  was  elected  to  the  Legisla 
ture  in  1870,  and  re-elected  in  1874.  Was  a  candidate  for  a  seat 
in  the  State  Senate  in  1884,  which  is  now  being  contested.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Emma  Stewart  in  1856. 

LAUGHLIN,  SAMUEL,  SR. 

Born  in  Pendleton  County,  S.  C.,  December  2,  1792;  removed 
to  Kentucky  in  1803rand  to  Missouri  in  1815;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1847  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  In  1868  the  members  of  the 
Laughlin  family  residing  in  Yamhill  numbered  one  hundred  and 
eleven  persons.  Mr.  Laughlin  died  in  1869. 

LEE,  NICHOLAS. 

Born  in  Pike  County,  Ohio,  in  February,  1818;  learned  the 
trade  of  cooper;  married  in  1840  to  Miss  Sarah  Hopper,  a  native 
of  Virginia.  They  moved  westward  in  the  following  year,  and 
stopped  for  a  time  in  Iowa,  but  in  1847  came  overland  to  Oregon 
by  the  southern  route.  In  the  following  spring  they  moved  to  Polk 
County,  and  one  year  later  settled  on  the  Lee  homestead,  two  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  Dallas.  Mr.  Lee  tilled  the  soil  and  raised  stock 
until  1862,  when  he  established  a  business  house  in  Dallas  and  con 
ducted  it  until  1876,  when  he  disposed  of  it  and  retired  to  the  old 
homestead.  He  died  on  July  11,  1879,  and  Mrs.  Lee  survived  him 
for  eighteen  months,  dying  on  the  eleventh  of  January,  1881.  Mr. 
Lee  was  instrumental  in  founding  the  LaCreole  Academy  and  was 
one  of  the  first  trustees.  He  was  licensed  as  a  local  preacher  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  681 

M.  E.  Church  in  1854.  Of  their  children,  Joseph  IX,  E.  Jennie 
Smith  and  George  W.  Lee  live  in  Polk  County;  Mrs.  Martha  A. 
Odell,  in  Yamhill  County;  Miss  Sarah  L.  Lee,  and  Mrs.  V.  A. 
Gwynn,  in  Benton  County,  and  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Butler  in  Whitman 
County,  Washington  Territory. 

LEE,  PHILANDER. 

Lives  at  Canby,  Clackarnas  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion;  was  born  in  New  York  in  1802;  married  Miss  Annie  Green, 
by  whom  his  children  were — Emily  A.  (deceased),  Edwin  T. 
(deceased),  Heman  A.,  Elvira,  Oren  (deceased),  Caroline,  Jason R. 
(deceased),  and  Albert  H. 

MARVIN,  LUCINDA  (COFFIN). 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1839,  the  daughter  of  General  Stephen 
Coffin  (q.  v.)\  came  with  her  parents  to  Oregon  in  1847;  lived 
mainly  at  Oregon  City  and  Portland,  and  married,  first,  C.  A. 
Reed,  and,  second,  Albert  M.  Marvin.  Residence,  Salem. 

MAY,  HARVEY  B. 

Born  in  Shelby  County,  Kentucky,  in  September,  1833;  came 
to  Oregon  in  October,  1847.  Resides  now  at  Caneniah,  and  is  a 
carpenter  by  trade.  Married  Narcissa  A.  Morris,  and  their  chil 
dren  are — Albion  W.,  Emma  A.,  Minnie  E.,  Eugenia,  Franklin 
M.,  Lawrence,  Lake  A.,  Elvin  S.,  and  Fred  O. 

MAY,  THOMAS  W. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1812;  was  a  farmer  by  occupation; 
married  Caroline  McNealey,  and  their  children  were — Harvey  B., 
Wiley  W.,  Sophia,  Delilah,  and  Stephen  L.  (deceased).  Mr.  May 
died  near  Oregon  City  in  1880. 

McBRIDE,  T.  A. 

Born  in  Yamhill  County  in  1847,  the  son  of  Dr.  James  McBride, 
a  well  known  pioneer.  He  was  educated  at  McMinnville,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870,  and  has  practiced  law  ever  since. 
Was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Columbia  County,  and 
later,  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  Fifth  Judicial  District, 


682  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

McCAIN,  PARIS. 

Born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  in  1824;  came  to  Oregon  in  1847, 
settling  in  Polk  County,  where  he  still  resides.  Mr.  McCain  is  a 
farmer,  and  his  address  is  Sheridan,  Yamhill  County.  He  married 
Miss  Frances  J.  Story  in  1857,  and  they  have  six  children,  whose 
names  are  as  follows — Ollie,  Flor,  James  L.,  Orville,  Charles  and 
Esther. 

MCCARTY,  E.  w. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  in  1827;  came  to  Oregon 
overland  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  settled  in  Polk  County;  still  re 
sides  in  that  county,  near  Buena  Vista,  and  is  a  farmer.  He  mar 
ried  Miss  Amanda  Bounds  in  Buena  Vista  in  1850,  and  they  have 
—Mary,  Alexander,  Parmeas  B.,  Josephine,  Leroy,  Charles,  and 
Eddie. 

McKAY,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1819,  and  came  to  America  in  1842.  Came 
to  Oregon  and  settled  at  St.  Paul,  Marion  County.  Besides  upon 
his  farm  three  miles  east  of  that  place.  Is  proprietor  of  a  mill,  the 
successor  of  one  which,  was  constructed  in  1844  by  the  St.  Paul 
mission,  and  sold  to  Mr.  McKay  in  1850.  The  present  structure 
was  built  by  him  in  1861.  Mr.  McKay  married  Cecelia  Lawson  in 
1840,  who  died  June  13,  1871.  Their  children  are — William,  Kate 
(Mrs.  Mc-Cormack),  Cecelia  (Mrs.  Kirk),  Mary,  and  John  N. 

McKINNEY,  WILLIAM, 

Is  a  farmer,  merchant  and  miller,  and  lives  at  Turner,  Marion 
County.  Born  in  Missouri  in  1820;  married  Matilda  Darby,  and 
their  children  are — Edwin  E.,  Martha  E.,  Anna  E.,  Henriette  V., 
John  W.,  Mary  E.,  Fanny  O.,  Alice  N.,  M.,  E.,  and  Oneatia.  Mr. 
McKinney  built  the  first  mill  in  Marion  County  north  of  Salem. 

MONTEITH,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1824;  lived  in  Illinois  for  six  years; 
came  to  Oregon  in  1847  across  the  plains;  located  in  Linn  County, 
and  with  his  brother  Walter,  laid  out  the  town  of  Albany  in  1848, 
upon  their  own  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  paid  a 
visit  to  California  in  1848,  but  soon  returned.  Part  of  his  time 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  683 

has  been  devoted  to  trade  and  the  manufacture  of  flour.  The 
Albany  City  Flouring  Mills,  owned  by  Monteith  &  Son,  have  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  barrels  daily.  Mr.  Montieth 
married  Christine  M.  Dunbar,  and  their  children  are — Archibald, 
Lotta,  Thomas,  and  Christine.  Eesidence,  Albany. 

MONTGOMERY,  JOHN  A., 

Is  a  farmer,  residing  at  Scio,  Linn  County;  was  born  in  Hick- 
man  County,  Tennessee,  January  8,  1826;  came  overland  to 
Oregon,  and  in  the  same  year  participated  in  the  Indian  troubles. 
Married  Eliza  E.  Hester,  and  their  children's  names  are — George 
S.,  Thomas  J.,  and  William. 

MONTGOMERY,  WILLIAM. 

Lives  in  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  born 
in  Kentucky;  married  Mary  L.  Cusick,  and  their  children  are- 
Amanda  I.,  Anna  M.,  Eliza  J.,  Martha  O.,  William  O.,  Roger  S., 
Howard,  George  S.,  Elva  M.,  Lena  J.,  Mary  L,  and  Frank. 

MULKEY,  MARION  F. 

Born  in  Johnson  County,  Missouri,  November  14,  1836.  Came 
to  Oregon  with  his  father,  Johnson  Mulkey,  in  1847,  and  settled  in 
Benton  County,  on  a  donation  claim.  Was  educated  in  Yale 
College,  graduating  in  1862.  Read  law,  and  in  1864  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Became  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  fourth  judicial 
district  in  1866,  and  next  year  a  member  of  the  city  council  of 
Portland,  his  place  of  residence.  In  1872  and  1873  he  was  city 
attorney  of  that  town.  Married  Miss  Mary  E.  Porter  in  1862. 

MYER,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  November  30,  1818.  Went  to 
Illinois  in  1833,  moving  thence  overland  to  Oregon  in  1847. 
Settled  in  Polk  County,  and  now  resides  at  Smithfield,  in  the 
same  county.  He  is  a  farmer  and  stock -raiser.  He  married 
Elizabeth  J.  Shankline  in  Cass  County,  Illinois,  October  26,  1842. 
Children— William  H.,  William  T.,  John  H.,  George  W.,  Sarah 
E.,  Amanda  J.,  Mary  A.  H.,  James  W.,  A.  E.,  and  Frank  I. 

PENNINGTON,  STEWART  M. 

Born  in  Monroe  County,  Kentucky,  in  1824;  came  overland  to 
Oregon,  part  of  the  way  with  a  train,  partly  on  horseback  and  with 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

but  four  companions.  Reached  Oregon  City  in  September,  and 
worked  for  a  while  in  George  Abernethy's  sawmill.  Farmed  on  the 
Tualatin  Plains.  Went  to  California  in  1849  and  mined  for  two 
years.  Returning,  he  located  in  Linn  County,  and  married  Miss 
Abigail  E.  Cooper  and  took  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  Removed  to  Umatilla  County  in  1871  and  engaged  in 
stock-raising.  Resides  at  Pendleton.  Was  chosen  State  Senator 
in  1878  and  1880.  Has  seven  children  and  several  grandchildren. 

PIERCE,  ASHLEY. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana,  June  30,  1821;  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn  County,  and  was  one  of  the  active  men 
who  aided  in  forming  that  county;  was  the  first  delegate  from  that 
county  to  take  fruit  to  the  horticultural  society.  Is  now  a  ferryman 
by  occupation,  and  resides  at  Albany.  Married,  in  1860,  Miss 
Susan  Read. 

POUJADE,  L.  H. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1829,  and  moved  thence  to  Louisiana.  In  1847 
set  out  by  ox -team  for  Oregon  and  located  at  Gervais,  Marion 
County,  and  has  remained  there  ever  since.  There  were  only  three 
houses  there  on  his  arrival,  and  no  English-speaking  family  for  eight 
miles.  His  occupation  was  farming.  In  1853  he  married  Catherine 
Simmons,  who  bore  him,  Henry  B.,  Mary  E.,  Anna,  Louisa  M., 
and  Joseph,  and  died  in  1867.  Three  years  later  he  wedded  Mary 
Ann  Barnes,  and  has  had — T.  D.,  Agnes,  Evelina,  and  Franklin, 
by  her.  Mr.  Poujade  was  assessor  in  1853,  and  since  1862  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace. 

POWELL,  L.  JM  A.  M. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  May,  1834;  the  son  of  David  and  Almedia 
Powell,  who  emigrated  first  to  Missouri  (1837),  and  to  Oregon 
(1847).  They  settled  at  a  point  seven  miles  east  of  Portland.  The 
son  went  to  California  in  1849,  and  remained  a  year.  Served  in 
the  Yakinia  war.  Was  educated  in  the  Wesleyan  University  at 
Delaware,  Ohio,  class  of  1861,  and  in  the  same  year  married  Miss 
Martha  Ransom,  of  Yamhill  County.  Held  the  chair  of  mathe 
matics  in  the  Willamette  University  for  fourteen  years  (1862-1876). 
Was  elected  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  1878. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  685 

At  the  close  of  his  term  he  became  president  of  the  University  of 
Washington  Territory,  at  Seattle,  where  he  now  resides. 

PRETTYMAN,  DAVID  D. 

Birthplace,  Delaware;  date,  1832;  moved  to  Missouri  in  1839, 
and  to  Oregon  in  1847.  In  1849  went  to  farming,  three  miles  from 
Portland,  and  remained  there  until  1861 ;  then  went  to  Polk  County 
and  settled  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  near  Salem. 
Mr.  Prettyinan  was  married  in  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Riggs,  and 
they  have  two  children.  He  has  distinguished  himself  in  agricul 
tural  pursuits,  and  at  the  Centennial  Exposition,  in  Philadelphia, 
took  prizes  for  his  fine  wheat  exhibits.  His  residence  now  is  Salem. 
Dr.  Pretty  man,  father  of  the  gentleman  spoken  of,  was  a  physician 
of  eminence  in  Oregon,  and  did  much  to  develop  the  State's  resources. 

PUTNAM,  D.   B. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  in  1810,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1847,  settling, 
in  the  following  year,  in  Linn  County.  In  1856  he  removed  to 
Amity,  Yamhill  County,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since.  He  is  propri 
etor  of  a  large  farm,  and  property  in  the  town  mentioned.  He 
married  Isabella  Finley  in  Illinois,  in  1830.  Children — Martha, 
Mahala,  David  H.,  John,  James,  and  Mary.  Mrs.  Putnam  dying, 
Mr.  P.  married,  in  1851,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Landingham,  by  whom  he  has 
had  the  following  children — Sarah  (Mrs.  Levi  Walker,  of  Forest 
Grove),  Joseph  J.,  Robert  B.,  Daniel  B.,  Nancy  A.  (Mrs.  J.  Durant, 
of  Ainsworth,  W.  T.),  Frances  (Mrs.  E.  Conner),  and  Rebecca  (Mrs. 
E.  Henderson). 

RAMSEY,  DAVID. 

Resides  at  Newburg,  Yamhill  County,  and  is  both  farmer  and 
miller  by  occupation.  He  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1815;  married 
Miss  Susan  Shuck  in  1838,  and  by  her  had  five  sons  and  five 
daughters. 

RAMSEY,  WILLIAM  M. 

Born  in  Monroe  County,  Iowa,  December  25,  1846;  present 
residence,  Salem.  Occupation,  attorney  at  lawr.  Was  county 
judge  of  Yamhill  County  from  1870  to  1874.  Was  married  in 
1870  to  Mahala  A.  Harris.  They  have  children — Nellie,  Fred  A., 
Horace  M.,  and  Mary  E. 


686  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

RICHARDSON,  NATHANIEL  C., 

Is  a  farmer,  and  lives  three  miles  south  of  Hillsboro,  his  home 
since  1852.  His  first  place  of  residence  in  this  State  was  near 
Oregon  City,  in  Clackainas  County.  He  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  Illinois,  in  1808;  married  to  Anna  H.  Buslmel  in  1829, 
and  their  children's  names  are — John  A.,  Elizabeth,  George  W., 
Frances  M.,  Lois  Ann,  Cornelia,  and  Peter.  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Mrs.  C.  L.  Cox  in  1873. 

ROTH,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1818;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
near  Harrisburg,  in  Linn  County.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wood 
turner  and  chair  maker,  when  young;  is  now  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion.  Was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Conovert  in  1867. 

ROWELL,  JAMES  M. 

Lives  in  Eola,  Polk  County;  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1809;  moved  from  there  to  Vermont  and  then  to  Illinois.  Next 
came  to  Oregon  and  located  in  Washington  County,  but  moved  to 
Polk  in  1857;  his  occupations  have  been  farming,  gardening,  and 
teaching  school.  Was  in  the  Cayuse  war. 

SHELTON,  HAMAN. 

Born  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  November  1,  1843;  is  a 
farmer,  and  resides  in  Scio,  Linn  County;  married  Ollie  Holman, 
and  has  one  child — Vardemon  E.  Shelton. 

SHELTON,  HARVEY. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1822;  came  overland  to  Oregon  and  took 
a  donation  claim  in  Linn  County,  near  Scio,  which  is  still  his  place 
of  residence.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  in 
1872,  and  re-elected  in  1874,  1880,  and  1884.  Married  Caroline 
Thomas,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1852. 
Their  children  are — Riley,  Mary  C.,  Henry,  George,  Isabel,  Melvin 
H.,  and  Enoch.  Mr.  Shelton  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Cayuse  war 
of  1847-48. 

SHUCK,  ANDREW. 

•Lives  in  McMinnville.  Was  born  in  Indiana  in  1815;  went  to 
Iowa  in  1835,  and  lived  there  until  coming  to  Oregon;  after  his 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  687 

arrival  in  this  State  he  settled  in  Yamhill  County  on  a  donation 
claim.  Moved  to  McMinnville  a  few  years  since.  He  was  ap 
pointed  sheriff  by  Governor  Lane  during  the  Territorial  Govern 
ment,  and  was  elected  for  two  terms  afterwards,  and  has  served  six 
sessions  in  the  Legislature.  Married  Miss  Mary  Conway  in  1888, 
and  has  seven  children. 

STEWART,  BENJAMIN  E. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1815;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  North 
Yanihill,  Yamhill  County,  on  a  donation  claim,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  \vhich  occurred  in  1877.  His  occupation  was  that 
of  a  farmer  arid  stock-raiser.  He  married  Ann  Cruinbaker  in 
1830,  and  their  children's  names  are — Emeline,  David  C.,  Ermin- 
ger,  James  Y.,  Orville,  Montgomery,  Fanny  A.,  and  Emma. 

TAYLOR,  CHRISTOPHER. 

Born  in  Gerniantown,  Ohio,  in  1822,  and  in  1847  crossed  the 
plains  with  General  Joel  Palmer.  In  the  Cayuse  war  he  was  em 
ployed  in  the  commissary's  department.  Afterwards  became  a 
clerk  for  Petty  grove,  who  owned  the  only  store  in  Portland,  at 
that  time.  Went  to  California  during  the  gold  excitement.  Settled 
at  Dajton,  Yamhill  County,  in  1850,  and  began  general  merchan 
dising.  Married  December  31,  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Williams. 
They  have  one  child — Ella  E. — now  Mrs.  G.  E.  Detmering. 
Colonel  Taylor  has  borne  an  important  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  Oregon  State  Militia.  On  August  26,  1864,  he  was  com 
missioned  Assistant  Adjutant- General  on  the  staff  of  Major- General 
Palmer,  by  Governor  Gibbs;  and  on  May  24,  1883,  he  received  at 
the  hands  of  Governor  Moody,  the  commission  of  Major-General  of 
the  State  Militia. 

TOWNSEND,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  in  1834;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  at  Dallas.  Present  residence,  King's  Valley,  and  occupation, 
farming.  He  married  Sophroma  Price  at  Salt  Creek,  Polk  County, 
in  I860,  and  their  children's  names  are — John  M.,  and  W.  L. 

TOWNSEND,  IRA  S. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri  in  1829,  and  lived  in  that 
State  and  Illinois  until  1847,  in  which  year  he  crossed  the  plains  to 


688  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Oregoii.  Took  up  a  donation  claim  near  Perrydale,  in  Polk  County, 
where  he  still  resides.  Visited  the  California  mines  in  1848.  Was 
first  lieutenant  in  Captain  Hayden's  company  in  the  Yakinia  war. 
Has  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature,  in  1868  and  1878.  Was 
married  in!853  to  Miss  B.  F.  Smith,  and  has  two  sons — James  H., 
an  attorney  at  Dallas,  and  George  N. 

WAIT,  AARON. 

Born  in  Whately,  Massachusetts,  December  26,  1813.  After  two 
years  passed  in  the  study  of  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Michigan  in  1841.  On  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  at  Oregon 
City  and  commenced  practice.  In  the  Cay  use  war  he  acted  as 
assistant  commissary  general,  and  at  the  same  time  edited  the  Oregon 
Spectator,  newspaper.  After  the  admission  of  Oregon  as  a  State, 
lie  was  elected  one  of  the  three  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and  acted 
as  chief  justice  of  the  same  for  four  years.  In  1 873  he  moved  with 
his  family  to  Canby,  Clackamas  County;  owns  about  six  hundred 
acres  of  land  near  Canby,  and  over  three  thousand  acres  elsewhere 
in  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  He  was  first  married  to 
Mary  N.  Springer,  and  next  to  Catharine  Quivey;  his  children  are 
—Columbia  L.  (deceased),  Charles  N.,  Mary  C.  (deceased),  'Annie 
E.,  Katie  C.  (deceased),  and  Mary  L.  (deceased). 

WALLER,  G.  T. 

Born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  September  24,  1830,  and  came 
across  the  plains  in  1847  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk  County, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  For  six  years  after  his  arrival  he  gave 
his  attention  to  stock-raising,  but  in  1854  began  the  mercantile 
business  in  Eola.  Went  to  Monmouth  in  1876,  and  October  17, 
1882,  the  present  mercantile  association,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
was  formed.  This  gentleman  was  married  to  Mary  J.  Doty,  June 
25,  1857,  and  their  children  are — Oliver  F.,  Emma  C.,  Larin  W., 
Ada  A.,  Minnie,  Lula,  Allan  J.,  and  Allie  (deceased). 

WALLER,  H.  M. 

Lives  in  Monmouth,  Polk  County;  was  born  in  Indiana, 
September  9,  1817;  entered  the  ministry  while  quite  young  and 
taught  school  at  the  same  time;  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk 
County  since  his  arrival  in  Oregon ;  assisted  to  organize  the  first 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  689 

church  of  the  Disciples  of  Christ  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  is  still 
actively  engaged  in  the  ministry.  Owns  farm  and  city  property. 
On  August  18,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Davidson. 
Six  children — Melissa  J.  (deceased),  Mary  J.,  Melissa  Ann,  Thomas 
C.,  Etta  M.,  and  Ida. 

WALLING,  JESSE  D. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1816;  moved  to  Illinois  and  thence  to  Iowa, 
where  he  was  residing  in  1847.  Came  across  the  plains  in  that 
year  in  a  large  company  led  by  Captain  Davidson.  On  Christmas 
of  the  same  year  settled  in  Spring  Valley,  Polk  County,  taking  a 
donation  claim,  which  is  still  possessed  by  his  family.  In  1849 
Mr.  Walling  went  to  California  and  mined  for  a  short  time.  Was 
married  in  Illinois  in  1839,  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Wise,  a  native  of  New 
York.  The  children  resulting  from  this  union  numbered  fourteen, 
of  whom  thirteen  survive.  Mr.  Walling  died  in  1870.  His  widow 
resides  on  the  donation  claim  in  Spring  Valley. 

WALLING,  NELSON. 

Born  in  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  February  13,  1832,  and  came 
w^ith  his  father,  Gabriel  Walling,  to  Oregon  in  1847,  settling  near 
Oswego,  in  Clackamas  County.  Nelson  Walling  died  at  his  home, 
a  mile  east  of  Amity,  December  3,  1884. 

WARREN,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Nova  Scotia  in  1817,  of  English -Scotch  parentage.  Mr. 
Warren  left  home  at  a  very  early  age,  and  thenceforward  sustained 
himself  by  his  unaided  exertions.  He  found  his  way  to  Baffalo, 
and  afterwards  resided  for  a  time  in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  He  left 
the  latter  State  in  1847  bound  for  Oregon,  and  came  by  ox-team  to 
this  coast.  In  1848  he  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Mr.  Warren 
was  married  in  Missouri  to  Miss  Nancy  Palmer,  who  died  in  1859 
leaving  five  children.  He  pursued  farming  until  1857,  when  he 
was  chosen  sheriff  of  Yamhill,  and  held  that  office  seven  years. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  successively  a  member  of  the  Lower 
House  of  the  State  Legislature,  receiver  of  the  land  office  at  Oregon 
City,  in  which  he  remained  ten  years,  recorder  and  mayor  of  Mc- 
Minnville,  and,  finally,  State  Senator.  Mr.  Warren  wras  married  a 
second  time,  in  1865  to  Mrs.  Nellie  Schrader. 


#90  HISTORY   OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WATSON,  JAMES  M. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1889.  On  his  arrival  in  Oregon,  he  settled  in 
King's  Valley,  where  he  still  resides,  engaged  in  farming.  He  mar 
ried  Mary  M.  Bryant  in  1874,  and  their  children's  names  are- 
James  E.,  and  Mary  A. 

WATTS,  FRANCIS  AUSTIN. 

Born  November  17,  1846,  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois;  was 
brought  to  Oregon  by  his  parents  the  next  year,  who  settled  at 
Peoria,  Linn  County.  Was  married  in  June,  1872,  to  Ernma  Gil 
bert.  Children — Linnie  M.,  and  Lawrence  R.  Was  a  merchant 
in  Shedd  until  late  in  1884. 

WHEELER,  JASON. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1823;  resided  for  a  time  in  New  York,  leaving 
that  State  in  1844,  and  living  for  the  three  subsequent  years  in 
Michigan.  In  1847  came  to  Oregon  across  the  plains.  Served  in  the 
Cayuse  war  under  General  Gilliam,  and  took  part  in  various  conflicts 
with  the  Indians,  especially  at  Wells'  Springs,  where  he  received  a 
wound  in  the  thigh.  Settling  in  Linn  County,  Mr.  Wheeler  be 
came  sheriff  in  1848,.  The  next  year  he  went  to  California  and 
mined  for  a  time,  but  returning  to  Oregon  by  sea,  the  vessel  was 
wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  Rogue  River,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  the  survivors  were  enabled  to  find  their  way  overland  to  a 
place  of  safety.  In  1850  Mr.  Wheeler  married  Eliza  I).  Claypoole. 
Their  family  contained  five  children — Melissa  J.,  Ellen  N.,  Delia 
A.,  Frank  P.,  and  Mary  F.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1878-79.  His  occupation  is  farming,  and  his 
residence  is  at  Albany. 

WHEELER,  LEONARD  M. 

Born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  February  7,  1826,  and 
came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon  when  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
Resides  at  Lebanon,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Married  Isabel 
Miller,  and  their  children  are — George  F.,  James  M.,  Nettie, 
Douglas  M.,  and  A.  C. 

WHITE,  LUTHER, 

Is  a  farmer  and  stock -grower,  residing  at  Brownsville,  Linn 
County;  was  born  in  Ohio,  January  20,  1815;  settled  near 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  691 

Brownsville  immediately  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon.     In   1843   he 
was  married  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Mansfield,  and  their  children  are- 
Rosa  B.,  Margaret,  and  Robert,   and  eight  others  deceased.     Mr. 
White  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1851-52. 

WHITNEY,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  England  in  1808;  came  to  America  when  twenty-two, 
and  resided  in  turn  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Indiana,  and 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1847.  Located  at  Butteville  and 
died  there  June  1,  1878. 

WILCOX,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

Born  in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1847, 
settling  at  Salem.  Lives  now  at  Ballston,  and  is  a  farmer.  He 
married  Miss  Mary  E.  Dixon  in  1856.  Children — Alice  M.,  W.  T., 
Sarah  E.,  Jacob  H.,  Hubert  T.,  I.  C,,  and  Felix  M. 

WILCOX,  SANFORD  E. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1827;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near 
Wapatoo  Lake,  Washington  County,  where  he  still  has  his  resi 
dence,  on  a  donation  claim;  his  occupation  is  farming.  He  mar 
ried  Mary  A.  Butts  in  1852,  and  their  children's  names  are — John, 
Louis,  Dudley,  Olive,  Melva,  and  Mary.  Mr.  Wilcox  is  county 
commissioner  of  Washington  County. 

WOODS,  GEORGE  L. 

Caleb  Woods,  the  father  of  Governor  Woods,  is  a  native  of 
Madison  County,  Kentucky,  and  was  born  in  1806.  He  came  to 
Oregon  in  1847,  bringing  his  family.  Resides  mainly  in  Yamhill 
County.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  McBride,  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
Mrs.  Woods  died  in  1871,  and  two  of  their  four  sons  are  also  dead. 
Of  the  survivors,  George  L.  Woods  has  attained  distinction,  becom 
ing  Governor  of  Oregon  and  earning  celebrity  in  law  and  politics. 
He  was  born  in  Boone  County,  Missouri,  in  1831  or  1832,  and 
after  accompanying  his  parents  to  this  State  lived  on  his  father's 
donation  claim  at  North  Yamhill.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Doctor  Hudson  and  L.  L.  Rowland,  both  excellent  teachers,  and 
studied  law  by  himself.  He  was  quickly  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
showing  great  aptitude  for  his  profession,  lie  speedily  attained  a 


692  H1STOKY  OJT  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

leading  place  among  the  professional  men  of  the  State.  Being  a 
ready  and  fluent  talker  and  cogent  debater,  he  was  enabled  to 
exert  much  influence  upon  political  affairs,  and  took  an  important 
part  in  the  discussion  of  public  questions.  For  a  time  he  practiced 
at  Walla  Walla  and  The  Dalles,  and  was  elected  Governor  of 
Oregon,  and  served  four  years.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  his  term 
of  office  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  Governor  of  Utah 
Territory,  and  held  this  position  also  for  four  years.  lie  is  now 
(1885)  practicing  law  in  San  Francisco.  Governor  Woods  is  a 
forcible  speaker,  whose  qualities  as  an  ex  tempore  debater  have  been 
his  principal  distinction. 

YOCUM,  THOMAS  J. 

Born  in  Illinois,  November  2,  1828;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
at  Deer  Creek,  Yamhill  County.  Kesides  now  at  Bellevue,  in  the 
same  county.  Married  Elizabeth  Tharp,  in  Polk  County,  January 
16,  1851.  Children — Sarah  J.,  Mary  Ann,  Emily,  Malvina, 
Samuel,  Rebecca,  and  Albert  J. 

1848. 

BALL,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  in  1812.  Coming  to  Oregon,  he 
settled  in  Polk  County.  His  residence  is  at  Ballston,  a  station  of 
the  Oregouian  Railway,  which  received  its  name  from  him.  Mr. 
Ball  served  two  terms  as  county  commissioner.  He  owns  several 
hundred  acres  of  the  finest  and  best  soil  in  the  county.  He  married 
Miss  A.  Howland  in  January,  1838.  Children — William  II.,  Samuel 
H.,  Isaac  J.,  Thomas  M.,  Mary  J.,.Lavinia,  Margaret  A.,  Anna  P. 
M.,  and  Lida. 

BAUER,  ANDREW. 

Born  in   Germany  in   1810;  settled   in   Ohio  in   1834,  and   in 

Marion  County,   Oregon,  in   1848.      Occupation,  farming.     Died 

January  24,  1884.     Married  Theresa  Smeltzer  in  1837.     Children 

—John,  Ferdinand,  Eliza  (Mrs.  Busky),  and  Mrs.  W.  T.  Chambers. 

Mrs.  Bauer  died  in  1869. 

BENNETT,  LEVI. 

Born  in  Carroll  County,  Illinois,  March  19,  1834;  came  to  Ore 
gon  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County,  residing  now  at  Amity.  He  is 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  693 

a  farmer.  August  15,  1855,  he  married  Mary  M.  Stephens,  who 
was  born  in  Indiana,  October  12,  1840.  Their  children  are- 
Cyrus  J\\,  John  H.,  Lillian  R.,  R.  J.,  and  Marietta  ("deceased). 

BLAIN,  L.  E., 

A  son  of  Wilson  Blain,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1842.  He  re 
ceived  a  common  school  education,  and  on  coming  of  age  engaged 
in  merchandising  at  Albany,  in  partnership  with  S.  E.  Young.  In 
1872  he  went  into  business  for  himself  in  a  clothing  store,  which 
he  still  carries  on.  Married,  in  1865,  Miss  Mary  Miller. 

BLAIN,  WILSON. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1813;  graduated  from  Missouri  University,  and 
afterwards  studied  theology,  and  was  ordained  as  a  Presbyterian 
minister  in  1838.  Came  to  Oregon  as  missionary.  Became  editor 
of  the  Spectator  newspaper,  and  served,  also,  three  years  in  the 
Legislative  Council.  Located  at  Union  Point,  Linn  County,  in  1850, 
and  organized  a  church,  of  which  he  was  pastor,  and  likewise  taught 
the  pupils  of  an  Academy  at  the  same  place.  Was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Wilson,  by  whom  he  had  six  children — three  sons  and 
three  daughters.  The  sons  now  live  in  Albany.  Mr.  Blain  died 
February  22,  1861. 

BRANSON,  BENJAMIN  B. 

Born  in  De  Witt  County,  Illinois,  September  4,  1830.  His  first 
place  of  residence  in  Oregon  was  at  Grande  Ronde,  Polk  County; 
he  now  lives  at  Mill  Creek,  in  the  same  county,  and  is  a  farmer  and 
stock-grower.  He  married  Eliza  E.  Dickey,  in  Yamhill  County, 
September  15,  1854,  and  their  children's  names  are — Sarah  A.,  Jo 
sephine,  Evanda,  Eliza  J.,  Ephraim  N.,  Elnora  S.,  Ida  M.,  Benja 
min  B.,  Orby  N.,  Susie  G.,  Lena  T.,  and  Gertrude. 

BRISTOW,  w.  w. 

Born  in  Kentucky;  came  to  Oregon  in  1848  with  his  parents* 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  settled  in  Lane  County.  Was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  served  the  people  in  a 
variety  of  other  positions.  Was  elected  State  Senator  in  1872. 
Died,  December  9,  1874. 


$94  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BURNS,  DAVID  N., 

Is  part  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  at  Dallas,  Polk  County, 
where  he  resides.  He  was  born  in  Kendall  County,  Illinois,  in 
1835,  and  caine  to  Oregon  at  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  settled  in 
Yamhill  County.  He  married  Martha  J.  Tetherow  in  Polk  County, 
January  1,  1865. 

BURNS,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  1833.  Coming  to  Oregon, 
he  settled  in  Polk  County.  Resides  now  in  the  Luckiamute 
Valley,  and  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  He  married  Susan 
Hicklin  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  in  1853.  She  died 
January  15,  1875.  Married  Cornelia  Crichton  in  Polk  County, 
October  30,  1878.  Children— Eliza  E.,  Clarinda  E.,  Emma  F., 
Arthur  L.,  John,  Milton  M.,  Columbus,  Rachel,  Alice,  and  Ruby  M. 

BURNS,  W.  E. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1840;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Yamhill 
County;  present  residence,  Luckiamute  Valley,  and  occupation, 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Drusilla  M.  Johnson,  in 
Oregon,  in  1866,  and  their  children's  names  are — William  J.,  Myta 
J.,  and  Ada  F. 

CYRUS,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  August  22,  1848;  the  son  of 
William  Cyrus,  of  Scio.  Resides  on  his  farm  twelve  miles  east  of 
Albany.  Is  agent  for  the  Jefferson  warehouse  company.  Was 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  in  1882,  and  was  returned  in  1884. 
Married  in  1872  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Beard,  who  died  in  1877,  leaving 
one  child — Minnie  Florence.  Married  again  in  June,  1880,  to  Miss 
Mary  C.  Crabtree,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children — Chloe,  Amy, 
and  an  infant. 

GRAHAM,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1822;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  lives  near 
Oregon  City.  Married  Miss  S.  Larkins,  and  by  her  had  one  child 
— James  K. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  695 

GRAHAM,  JAMES  K, 

Born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois  in  1847;  the  son  of  George 
Graham;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  lives  near  Oregon  City. 
Married  Hannah  M.  Wingfield,  and  their  children  are — George  K., 
Ilorton  N.,  Clara  A.,  and  Hardin  W. 

HAGEY,  MATTHIAS. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1822.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
at  French  Prairie,  Marion  County.  Present  residence,  Silvers, 
Polk  County,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married  Sarah  A. 
DeHaven  in  Iowa  in  1845,  and  their  children's  names  are — Eliza 
A.,  Andrew  W.,  Sarah  C.,  Peter  H.,  Mary  E.,  George  D.,  Alice, 
and  Joseph. 

HAGOOD,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Virginia,  May  15,  1815.  Lived  in  Missouri  prior  to 
coming  to  Oregon,  which  he  did  in  1848.  Lived  in  Washington 
County  until  1853,  then  removed  to  Polk  County,  and  has  lived 
there  since.  His  occupation  has  been  principally  farming,  and 
now  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  Also  owns  a  house  known 
as  the  "  Traveler's  Rest."  Married  in  1842  to  Miss  Mary  Stone. 
Has  now  seven  living  children  and  one  deceased.  His  residence 
and  post-office  address  are  Dallas. 

HENDRICKS,  THOMAS  G. 

Born  in  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  in  1848,  and  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  the  same  year.  They  settled  in  Lane 
County,  and  both  survived  until  1878.  The  son  lived  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  twenty -two  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to 
Eugene  City,  and  was  employed  at  first  as  clerk,  but  eventually 
succeeded  his  employers  in  their  business,  which  he  now  carries  on. 
Is  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  State  University. 
Served  three  years  as  county  superintendent  of  schools.  Was 
elected  State  Senator  in  1880. 

HESS,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1829;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1845, 
and  lived  in  California  until  coming  to  Oregon.  He  then  settled 
at  East  Chehalein,  Washington  County,  and  was  employed  as  a 


696  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

farmer  and  mechanic  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1878.  He 
married  Catherine  Lee  in  1853,  and  she  now  lives  at  Dundee,  Yam- 
hill  County.  Their  children's  names  are — Samuel,  Mrs.  L.  Hess, 
Eugene  L.,  John  F.,  William  F.,  Mrs.  P.  I.  Martin,  Alice  and 
AdaF. 

HOOKER,  D.  D. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1826;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Luckia- 
nmte  Valley,  where  he  still  resides.  Occupation,  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  married  Annie  N.  Lewis,  in  Oregon  in  1861,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Mary  M.,  Olive  O.,  Cyrus  D.,  Annie  A., 
Emily  E.,  Darius  D.,  Ira  J.,  Jennie,  and  Myrtle  I. 

JONES,  SAMUEL  T. 

Is  a  farmer  and  lives  at  Miller's,  Linn  County.  Owns  four  hun 
dred  and  eighty  acres  of  land.  Born  in  Kentucky,  June  2,  1826. 
For  his  first  wife  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Miller ;  his  second  wife  was 
Sarah  J.  Holmau.  His  children  are — Mary  E,.,  and  Joseph  A. 

KELLY,  PENUMBRA. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1845,  and  when  three  years  old  was  brought 
to  Oregon  by  his  parents,  who  located  at  East  Portland  the  next 
year.  He  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Marquarn.  Resides  two  miles 
from  East  Portland.  Has  been  in  politics,  representing  Multnomah 
County  three  or  more  times  in  the  Legislature,  and  is  now  United 
States  Marshal. 

LEE,  JOSEPH  D. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  July  27,  1848.  Was  educated 
at  the  LaCreole  Academy,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  was 
spent  on  a  farm,  or  as  clerk  in  his  father's  store  at  Dallas.  In 
1870,  he  was  admitted  as  partner  in  the  store,  which  partnership 
continued  until  1876,  when  he  purchased  his  father's  interest  and 
has  since  had  entire  control,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  mer 
chants  of  Dallas.  In  1878,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket,  the  rest  of  the 
ticket  being  defeated.  In  1880,  he  was  elected  State  Senator  from 
Polk  County,  and  1884,  joint  State  Senator  from  Benton  and  Polk 
counties.  Mr.  Lee  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  of 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  697 

the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  Lodges.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  LaCreole  Academy  and  the  Willamette 
University.  Was  married  May  19,  1872,  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Witter, 
and  they  have  four  children — Lyman  H.,  Annie  Lorene,  Joseph 
R,  and  Althea  E. 

LEWIS,  ISAAC. 

Lives  in  Dallas,  Polk  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation; 
he  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1822;  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Polk  County;  went  to  California  in  1849,  but  re 
turned  in  1850,  and  bought  a  place  at  Dallas,  where  he  still  lives. 
In  1850  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eleanor  S.  Whiteaker.  They 
have  two  children — Mary  A.  and  Lucy  E. 

McKINNEY,  EDWARD  E. 

Born  in  Marion  County,  Oregon,  in  1848;  occupation,  merchant; 
place  of  residence,  Turner.  Wife's  previous  name,  Virginia  Condit. 

POMEROY,  FRANK  F.,  Jr. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1848;  now  resides  at  Cornelius,  Washington 
County,  and  near  the  place  of  his  birth.  Owns  a  farm  of  160  acres 
and  tills  it.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Jake,  in  1871,  and  has  six 
children — Elmer,  John,  Ida,  Lulu,  Edgar,  and  an  infant. 

PORTER,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Lincoln  County,  Missouri,  in  1812;  rnov»ed  to  Illinois  in 
1836;  thence  to  Oregon  in  1848,  with  his  wife,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
N.  Coffey,  and  four  children — W.  G.,  Elizabeth  N.,  John  H.,and  Syd 
ney  R.  W.  G.  Porter  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  1841 ;  died 
in  Marion  County,  Oregon,  in  1880.  The  other  children  were  also 
born  in  Pike  County,  and  are  married  and  live  in  Marion  County, 
Oregon.  Sarah,  their  mother,  died  soon  after  arriving  in  Oregon, 
in  the  fall  of  1848.  The  father  married  her  sister,  Martha,  in  the 
fall  of  1849,  by  whom  he  has  three  grown  children — Henry  C., 
Sarah  L.,  and  Mary  Jane.  All  are  now  living  in  Marion  County, 
Oregon.  ,  Henry  C.  is  married,  and  has  a  five-year-old  daughter. 

PURVINE,  A.  j. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1833,  and  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents 
in  1848.  They  settled  in  Marion  County.  Mr.  Pur  vine  has  been  a 


698  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

resident  of  Polk  County  since  188*2,  and  cultivates  his  farm  near 
Zena.  He  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Dougherty  in  1857,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children — Jordan,  Cyrus,  and  Charles.  Mrs.  Purvine 
died  in  1864,  and  he  married  Miss  Pauline  Staiger,  in  1873,  by 
whom  he  has  had — Ida,  Albert,  Emma,  Gertie,  Monroe,  and  Fred- 

PURVINE,  j.  L. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1842;  the  son  of  John  Purvine.  Crossed  the 
plains  in  1848,  and  settled  in  Marion  County.  Is  a  farmer,  and 
resides  at  Zena,  Polk  County.  Married  in  Polk  County,  November 
24,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  V.  Walker,  who  has  borne  him  four  chil 
dren — Elnia,  Dudley,  Frank,  and  Lynn. 

SHELLEY,  ROSWELL. 

Mr.  Shelley  was  born  in  Iowa  in  the  year  1 846,  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1848.  His  first  home  in  Oregon  was  in 
Lane  County,  where  he  lived  until  1857  when  he  moved  to  Polk 
County,  and  that  has  continued  to  be  his  home  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  years  spent  in  Wasco  County.  .Dealt  in  merchandise  for 
several  years.  In  1882  was  elected  county  clerk,  and  was  placed 
in  nomination  again  m  1884  for  the  second  term  but  was  defeated. 
Owns  city  property  in  Dallas.  Married  Miss  Mary  L.  Tatom  in 
1878,  and  has  two  children — Ralph  D.,  and  Hugh  T. 

SWEGLE,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  New  Jersey  in  1821;  moved  in  1828  to  Illinois;  came 
to  Oregon  twenty  years  after.  Married  in  1847  to  Lucy  D.  Robin 
son.  Children — George,  Nancy,  Oliva,  Marion,  and  Albert  J.  In 
1860  located  in  Marion  County;  occupation,  farmer,  owning  several 
farms  in  that  county.  Lives  at  present  at  'the  Whitman  mission  at 
Waiilatpu,  Washington  Territory.  Is  one  of  the  foremost  wheat 
growers  in  the  Territory. 

WALKER,  w.  w. 

Born  in  Virginia,  July  23,  1814;  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Missouri  in  1829,  and  remained  there  until  1848,  when  lie  settled 
in  Spring  Valley,  Polk  County.  This  pleasant  and  fruitful  locality 
was  so  named  by  Mr.  Walker  in  1852.  The  gentleman  derives  his 
title  of  Major  from  the  circumstance  of  having  held  a  commission 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  699 

in  the  Missouri  state  militia.     In  this  country  he  held  offices  as  fol 
lows:     Was  commissioner  of  Polk  County  in  1849,  and  was  a  mem-, 
ber  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  in  1856.     Was  married  in  Mis 
souri,  in  1843,  to  Miss  Jane  MacKey.     They  have  five  children- 
Mary  V.  (wife  of  J.  L.  Purvine),   Susan  M.  (wife  of  Dr.  Jeffreys), 
Nancy  (wife  of  H.  G.  Henry),  L.  (wife  of  J.  K.  Sears),  and  Dora. 
Major  Walker's  occupation  is  farming;    his  address  is  Zena,  Polk 
County. 

WATT,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1792;  served  in  the  war  of  1812;  came 
to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Amity,  Yamhill  County.  He  practiced 
the  trade  of  carpenter  to  some  extent,  but  gave  his  attention  to 
farming.  He  died  in  1854.  Was  married  in  1816,  to  Mary  Scott, 
by  whom  he  had  fourteen  children,  those  now  living  being — J.  V., 
A.  S.,  Adeline  (Mrs.  Fullquartz),  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Wren),  Isabelle 
(Mrs.  Breyman,  of  Salem),  Aurora  (Mrs.  Bowman,  of  Portland), 
and  Clara  (Mrs.  Morton). 

WKITEAKER,  BENJAMIN. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1796,  and  removed  to  Virginia  at  an 
early  age.  Went  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  in  1848;  settled  in  Polk  County.  His  occupation  was 
farming.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Hayter  in  1823.  Their  children 
numbered  eleven,  of  whom  David  J.,  Rachel,  Ellen,  Benjamin, 
Maria,  and  George  survive.  Mr.  Whiteaker  died-  — . 

WHITEAKER,  DAVID  J. 

Born  in  West  Virginia,  October  29,  1824;  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and  came  with  his  father,  Benjamin 
Whiteaker,  to  Oregon,  twelve  years  after.  Went  to  the  California 
mines  in  1849,  and  returned  in  1850.  In  1851  and  1852  was  in 
the  Rogue  River  country.  Served  in  the  Yakima  war.  In  1859 
went  to  the  Upper  Columbia  region,  and  lived  many  years,  return 
ing  to  the  valley  in  1878,  and  settling  in  Polk  County.  Resides 
now  on  a  farm  near  Independence.  Married  Miss  Lucy  L.  Titus 
in  1871. 


700  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1849. 

BACKENSTOS,  EDWIN  D. 

Born  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  1844;  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel 
J.  B.  Backenstos,  U.  S.  A.  Came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  in 
1849.  Resided  subsequently  in  Portland,  and  held  several  public 
offices,  especially  that  of  city  treasurer.  Died  April  ^3,  1876. 

BOOTHBY,  R.  R. 

Born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  May  15,  1.812.  After  reaching 
man's  estate  he  traveled  over  a  number  of  States  before  settling, 
and  spent  several  years  as  engineer  of  steamboats  on  the  Ohio  and 
Illinois  rivers.  He  then  settled  in  Illinois  and  engaged  in  the  mer 
cantile  and  milling  business  until  1845,  when  he  went  to  Texas 
and  for  a  time  continued  in  the  latter  occupation.  Joined  the 
Texas  Rangers  and  fought  the  Indians.  In  1 848  he  returned  to 
Illinois  and  in  the  following  year  started  for  Oregon  across  the 
plains.  Settled  in  Polk  County,  but  several  years  later  moved  to 
Salem.  Was  married  in  1835  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Waller,  and  has  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  are  alive — Jane  C.,  Harrison  B.,  Emily  C., 
Mary  E.,  Caroline  C.,'  Pamelia  A.,  William  W.  and  Maria  (twins), 
George  T.,  and  Reason  R.  Mrs.  Boothby  died  at  Seattle,  May  21, 
1863,  and  in  1877  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Margaret  McFadden. 
Mr.  Boothby  is  at  present  a  resident  of  Monmouth.  Has  thirty  - 
seven  living  grandchildren,  and  six  great-grandchildren. 

BUTLER,  J.  B.  V. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1809,  and  after  extensive  traveling 
in  various  parts  of  the  United  States- — his  marriage  to  Miss  Eliza 
beth  Engles  taking  place  meanwhile — he  crossed  the  plains  to  Ore 
gon  in  1849.  He  lived  for  a  short  time  in  Oregon  City;  then  went 
to  Portland,  where  he  was  a  merchant  until  1855,  and  from  there 
moved  to  Polk  County,  and  opened  a  store  at  Eola,  which  he  kept 
four  years.'  In  1859,  he  went  to  Monmouth,  and  died  in  October, 
1879. 

BUTLER,  N.  L. 

Residence  and  address,  Dallas;  occupation,  attorney.  Born  in 
Pike  County,  Missouri,  August  27,  1844. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  701 

CAMPBELL,  HECTOR. 

Born  in  Chester,  Hampden  County,  Massachusetts,  July  11, 
1793.  Joined  the  Baptist  denomination  in  1831,  together  with  his 
wife  who  was  of  the  same  age.  They  came  to  Oregon  in  1849. 
Mr.  Campbell  had  been  twice  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  his 
native  State,  and  belonged  to  the  Oregon  Territorial  Legislature 
in  1830.  Was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
Oregon.  Died  in  Clackamas  County,  June  15,  1873. 

CAPLES,  LAFAYETTE, 

Is  a  farmer,  and  lives  two  miles  west  of  Forest  Grove.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1844;  came  to  Oregon  at  an  early  age  arid  lived 
near  Portland.  He  married  Charlotte  Noland  in  1864,  and  Lenora 
Raines  in  1880.  He  has  five  children. 

CHENOWETH,  F.  A. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1.819;  moved  to  Grant  County,  Wisconsin,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1842.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on 
the  banks  of  the  Columbia  River.  Was  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  Washington  Territory  in  1854,  and  was  ap 
pointed  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Territory  in  the  same 
year  by  President  Pierce,  and  held  the  office  four  years.  Was  a 
member  of  the  Oregon  Legislature  in  1866,  and  speaker  of  the 
house.  Was  district  attorney  of  Benton  County.  Present  resi 
dence,  King's  Valley,  Benton  County,  and  occupation,  lawyer. 
Married  Hannah  Logan  in  1842,  and  for  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth 
A.  Finley,  in  Oregon  City,  in  1850.  Children — Somerville,  Heber 
L.,  Mary  L.,  Ross,  Lindus  B.,  Ella,  and  Lloyd. 

CORNELIUS,  OLIVER  H.  P. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1849;  his  parents  came  to  the  State  in  1845. 
He  is  a  druggist  by  occupation,   and  resides  at  Turner,   Marion 
County.     Wife's    previous    name   was    Viola    Howe.     Children- 
George  L.,  and  Arthur. 

DEADY,  MATTHEW  P. 

Born  in  Talbot  County,  Maryland,  May  12,  1824.  Removed  to 
Ohio  in  1837,  and  lived  on  a  farm  for  several  years,  afterwards 
working  as  blacksmith  and  attending  an  academy  at  the  same  time. 


702  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Began  the  study  of  law  in  1845,  and  in  1847  was  admitted  to  the 
Ohio  bar.  Crossed  the  plains  in  1849,  located  in  Yamhill  County, 
and  began  to  practice  law.  In  1850  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature.  In  1851  he  defeated  David 
Logan  in  the  election  for  the  Territorial  Council,  of  which  he  was 
the  presiding  officer  for  two  sessions.  He  held  the  position  of  As 
sociate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Oregon  from  1853  until 
1859.  About  1854  he  removed  to  Douglas  County,  and  took  up  a 
donation  claim  near  Winchester.  Here  he  settled  and  occupied 
himself  in  agriculture  as  well  as  his  legal  pursuits.  The  people  of 
that  part  of  the  country,  his  former  neighbors,  still  have  recollec 
tions  of  his  studiousness  and  his  entire  devotion  to  the  higher  prin 
ciples  of  his  profession.  Judge  Deady  was  chosen  a  delegate  from 
Douglas  County  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  of  which  he  was 
elected  president.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  State,  he  was 
elected,  without  opposition,  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  but  being  at  nearly  the  same  time  appointed  Judge  of  the 
United  States  District  Court,  he  chose  the  latter  position,  and  im 
mediately  removing  to  Portland,  he  assumed  its  duties,  which  he 
has  ever  since  discharged  with  great  and  increasing  reputation.  His 
services  to  this  State  have  been  great  and  arduous.  In  1862  he 
prepared  the  present  code  of  civil  procedure,  and  later  the  code  of 
criminal  procedure,  both  of  which  are  now  in  force.  He  has  given 
much  time  to  the  organization  and  support  of  educational  and  other 
useful  institutions.  He  is  president  of  the  Portland  Library  Asso 
ciation,  and  president  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University 
of  Oregon,  at  Eugene  City.  He  has  done  much  excellent  and 
valuable  literary  work,  outside  of  the  preparation  of  his  legal  de 
cisions,  which  are  unsurpassed  in  clearness  and  value.  Many  his 
torical  subjects,  principally  relating  to  this  State,  have  been  adorned 
by  his  pen.  All  his  acts  have  honored  and  benefited  his  adopted 
State,  and  he  stands,  to-day,  Oregon's  first  citizen. 

DENNY,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  when  twenty-four 
years  of  age  and  settled  in  Washington  County.  Later  on  he  resided 
for  a  time  in  Yamhill  County;  then,  in  1879,  he  removed  to  his 
residence  in  Polk  County.  Married  Miss  Eleanor,  daughter  of 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  703 

Amos  Harvey,  in  1856.     They  had  five  children,  namely — Austin, 
Amos,  Lucy,  Robert  (deceased),  and   Edith.     Mr.  Denny  died  in 

1884. 

FIELDS,  AMBROSE. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  February  2,  1792;  was  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion,  and  died  at  Oregon  City,  March  17,  1872.  His  wife's  previous 
name  was  Annie  Nour.  Children — Mary  A.  (deceased),  Nelson 
(deceased),  William  S.  (deceased),  Mary  J.,  Minerva  L.,  Catherine 
E.,  Joseph  A.  (deceased),  Sarah  N.,  and  Thomas  R. 

GIBSON,  DAVIESS. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1812;  the  son  of  Samuel  Gibson.  The  fath 
er's  birth  took  place  in  South  Carolina  about  1780,  and  he  served 
in  the  war  of  1812.  The  son  left  home  when  twenty-one,  went  to 
Illinois  and  lived  there  nineteen  years.  Crossed  the  plains  to  Ore 
gon  and  then  went  to  the  California  mines  in  1849.  Returned  to 
the  "States,"  via  Panama,  the  next  year,  and  in  1852  organized  a 
company  of  emigrants,  of  whom  his  father  was  one,  and  set  out  for 
Oregon.  The  old  gentleman  died  on  the  way,  aged  72.  Daviess 
Gibson  settled  in  Polk  County,  and  has  remained  on  his  original 
claim  ever  since.  Has  been  assessor  of  his  county  (1860).  Married 
Sophronia  Ingalls  in  1839.  Children — George  I),  (three  years  a 
Union  soldier),  Albert  B.,  Alrnira  B.,  Cass,  Mary  D.  (deceased), 
Lyman  D.,  and  Sarah.  The  Gibson  farm  is  in  Polk  County,  five 
miles  northwest  of  Salem. 

HARDING,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania;  came  to  Oregon  about  Christ 
mas,  1849,  having  mined  a  little  previously  in  California,  which  he 
left  on  account  of  sickness.  In  1850-51  he  served  in  the  Territorial 
Legislature  at  Oregon  City,  and  subsequently  became  District  Attor 
ney,  and  Territorial  Secretary  until  the  State  organization.  Still 
later  he  became  auditor  of  the  claims  growing  out  of  the  Cayuse 
war,  and  finally,  in  18(32,  he  was  chosen  United  States  Senator,  and 
held  that  position  three  sessions.  Soon  after  Mr.  Harding  abruptly 
(juit  politics  and  sought  retirement  upon  his  farm.  He  now  resides 
in  the  suburbs  of  Salem,  and  devotes  his  time  mainly  to  tilling  the 


704  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

soil  and  to  reading.     His  services  to  the  State  have  been  very  great, 
and  hardly  excelled  by  those  of  any  living  man. 

HAYDEN,  BENJAMIN  B. 

Born  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  September  11,  1822; 
married  to  Hulda  Gibson,  who  was  born  in  Lincoln  County, 
Missouri,  in  1832.  Their  children  are — Dora,  Estella,  William, 
Benjamin  N.,  George  B.,  and  Samuel  Lee. 

HEMBREE,  J.  J., 

Is  now  proprietor  of  the  livery -stable  at  Lafayette.  He  was 
born  in  this  State  in  1849,  and  becoming  a  printer,  worked  fifteen 
years  at  the  case.  He  served  in  the  United  States  army  from  1864 
to  1866.  Was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Emnia  Perkins,  and  they 
have  one  child — George  A.  Mr.  Hembree  edited  and  published 
the  Lafayette  Courier  from  1873  until  1879. 

LANE,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  North  Carolina,  December  14,  1801.  Lived  in  his 
earlier  years  in  Kentucky.  Married  Polly  Hart  in  1821,  and  set 
tled  in  Vanderburg  County,  Indiana,  and  for  twenty-five  years  led 
the  life  of  a  farmer,  representing  his  county  in  the  Legislature  for 
many  sessions.  When  the  Mexican  war  began,  he  was  chosen 
colonel  of  the  second  regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  was  com 
missioned  as  brigadier -general.  He  took  part  in  General  Taylor's 
campaigns,  and  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista  achieved  distinction, 
and  received  a  severe  wound.  Subsequently,  while  commanding 
independently  a  corps  of  men  destined  to  reinforce  General  Scott, 
he  defeated  the  Mexicans  in  several  engagements.  Before  the  war 
closed  he  had  become  major -general  of  volunteers.  He  returned  to 
Indiana,  but  receiving  the  appointment  of  governor  of  the  new  Ter 
ritory  of  Oregon,  he  set  out  immediately  for  the  Pacific  shore.  (See 
pages  327,  328.)  He  came  to  California  by  way  of  Santa  Fe  and 
the  Colorado  River,  accompanied  by  a  military  escort,  and  arriving 
in  San  Francisco  in  February,  1849,  then  taking  passage  to  the 
Columbia  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  arrived  at  Oregon  City  on  the 
evening  of  the  second  of  March,  1849.  (See  page  328.)  The 
duties  of  his  office  were  discharged  with  uncommon  tact  and  justice 
until  August  of  the  same  year  when,  a  new  administration  having 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  705 

come  into  power,  his  successor,  Governor  Gaines,  was  appointed. 
General  Lane  now  spent  some  time  as  a  miner  in  Northern  Califor 
nia.  In  1851  he  was  chosen  Delegate  to  Congress.  In  1853  he 
distinguished  himself  in  the  Rogue  River  war,  and  received  a  severe 
wound  at  the  battle  of  Evans'  Creek.  (See  pages  353-360.)  The 
subsequent  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Table  Rock  was  brought  about 
largely  through  his  influence  with  the  hostiles.  Until  the  admission 
of  Oregon  to  the  Union,  General  Lane  served  with  fidelity  as  Dele 
gate  to  Congress,  and  on  the  admission  he  was  chosen  United  States 
Senator.  In  1800  the  Democratic  National  Committee  at  Balti 
more,  nominated  him  for  the  office  of  Vice-President,  on  the  ticket 
with  John  C.  Breckenridge.  The  details  of  the  ensuing  canvass 
are  not  yet  forgotten,  terminating,  as  they  did,  in  the  election  of 
Lincoln,  and  the  grand  tragedy  of  the  civil  war.  General  Lane 
threw  his  influence  at  first  in  favor  of  the  South,  but  refrained  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  attempt  to  disrupt  the  Union.  He  re 
tired  to  his  home  near  Roseburg,  in  Southern  Oregon,  and  never 
again  entered  political  life.  The  remaining  years  of  his  existence 
were  spent  peacefully  on  his  farm  and  in  the  bosom  of  his  family. 
He  died  in  April,  1881. 

LINVILLE,  WILLARD  S. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  May  19,  1849,  at  Blooni- 
ington,  now  called  Parker's  Station,  son  of  Harrison  Linville. 
He  was  raised  on  a  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen, 
when  he  entered  his  father's  store  as  clerk,  and  has  con 
tinued  in  the  mercantile  business  ever  since.  He  was  Govern 
ment  clerk  on  the  Malheur  Reservation  in  1873-74.  In  1878 
he  was  Republican  candidate  for  clerk,  and  in  a  Democratic 
county  lacked  only  a  few  votes  of  election.  Was  a  candidate  again 
in  1880.  Resides  in  Independence.  Was  married  to  Miss  Hannah 
C.  Nash,  January  8,  1871,  and  they  have  had  five  children — Clara 
(deceased),  Mildred,  Albert  B.,  Mabel  C.  (deceased),  and  Ethel  E. 
Mrs.  Linville  died  March  14,  1884,  of  intermittent  fever. 

LYMAN,  HORACE. 

Professor  Lyman  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1815,  the 
descendant  of  a  long  line  of  Puritan  ancestors,  from  whom  have 


700  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

sprung  many  distinguished  persons  who  have  made  themselves 
famous  in  various  walks  of  life,  and  among  whom  a  marked 
tendency  to  the  ministerial  profession  is  discoverable.  Professor 
Lyman  was  educated  at  Williams  College,  class  of  1842,  and  after 
wards  attended  the  theological  school  at  Andover,  Massachusetts. 
He  came  to  Oregon  in  1849,  and  located  first  at  Portland,  estab 
lishing  its  first  Congregational  Church,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
church  of  that  denomination.  Concluding  his  work  in  Portland, 
he  went  to  Dallas,  in  Polk  County,  and  continued  his  ministration 
in  connection  with  teaching.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  having 
originated  the  since  well-known  La  Creole  Academy,  which  owes 
its  establishment  to  the  efforts  of  the  Professor,  assisted  by  certain 
citizens.  Removing  from  Dallas,  Professor  Lyman  located  in 
Forest  Grove,  and  became  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Tualatin 
Academy,  and  continued  in  that  chair  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years, 
at  the  expiration  being  appointed  to  that  of  history  and  rhetoric. 
This  he  resigned  in  1879,  and  retiring  permanently  from  the 
arduous  occupation  of  teaching,  he  has  since  live<^  at  his  home  in 
Forest  Grove.  Professor  Lyman  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
class  of  educated,  refined  New  Englanders,  who,  reared  in  comfort 
and  amid  peaceful  surroundings,  have,  with  a  self-devotion  rare  as 
it  is  praiseworthy,  devoted  themselves  to  the  arduous  and  well-nigh 
thankless  task  of  instructing,  Christianizing  and  refining  the  chil 
dren  of  the  border.  Their  influence  cannot  be  over-rated.  It  ex 
tends  to  all  classes  of  society.  They  are  foremost  in  every 
Christian  and  moral  work. .  They  teach  the  youth;  they  throw  the 
restraints  of. religion  about  the  young  and  the  old.  As  mission 
aries  they  have  penetrated  to  the  noisome  abodes  of  savages;  as 
teachers  they  have  chosen  penury  and  a  residence  among  the  hard 
ships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life  in  preference  to  all  the  com 
forts  and  amenities  of  civilization.  Their  rewards  have  been 
ill-proportioned  to  such  sacrifices;  but  their  own  strong  and  en 
during  religious  convictions  point  to  a  higher  and  better  reward 
than  any  earthly  lot,  however  bright  and  glorious. 

MENES,  FRANCOIS. 

Captain  Menes,  commanding  the  French  bark  L Etoile  du  Matin 
(Morning  Star),  with  a  miscellaneous  cargo,  and  ten  priests,  seven 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  707 

nuns  and  three  lay  brothers,  consigned  to  Archbishop  Blanchet,  at 
Portland,  left  Havre  in  December,  1848,  and  arrived  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  about  the  middle  of  July,  1849.  No  pilot  ap 
peared  and  the  Morning  Star  attempted  to  cross  the  bar  without 
one.  She  caught  on  the  sands  and  remained  in  the  greatest  danger 
for  nine  hours,  but  finally  got  off  and  ran  into  Baker's  Bay,  with 
the  loss  of  one  seaman.  Captain  Menes  went  to  sea  no  more,  but 
settling  at  Oregon  City,  and  afterwards  at  French  Prairie,  he  finally 
died,  December  25,  1867. 

MORRIS,  H.  TAYLOR. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1849;  in  1863  enlisted  in  the  First  Oregon 
Volunteers  and  served  two  years,  being  in  several  engagements  with 
the  Indians.  Married,  1871,  Miss  Annie  Wessinger.  Children  two- 
Daisy  V.,  and  Ivy  L.  Mr.  Morris7  occupation  is  farming;  is  posses 
sor  of  a  valuable  farm,  two  miles  east  of  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County, 
which  is  his  postoffice  address. 

REED,  W.  H. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1836,  and  came  to  Oregon  when  thirteen  years 
of  age.  Participated  in  the  Indian  war  of .  1855-6.  Married,  in 
1859,  Miss  P.  Parrish.  They  have  two  children — Gr.  A.,  and  Nellie 
F.  Resides  in  Lebanon,  and  is  engaged  in  merchandising. 

TETHEROW,  G.  A. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1828;  moved  to  Illinois  in  1839,  and  came  to 
Oregon  in  1849.  He  settled  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he 
still  resides,  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was  married 
twice,  his  wives'  previous  names  being  L.  Zumwalt,  and  Sarah 
Nichols.  Their  children's  names  are — Josephine,  James  M.,  Willard 
T.,  and  Albert. 

THOMPSON,  D.  M. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1830;  moved  to  Iowa  and  thence  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Linn  County.  Married  Miss  Louisa  Burkhart  in  1855; 
they  have  two  children — Hattie,  the  wife  of  C.  E.  Templeton,  D.D.S., 
of  Portland;  and  Edward  G.,  lately  in  partnership  with  his  father 
in  harness -making  and  saddlery  at  Albany,  but  who  now  carries  on 
the  business  alone,  the  father  having  died  in  1879.  Edward  mar 
ried,  in  1884,  Miss  Amanda  Ii-win,  of  Albany. 


08  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


WALLER,  T.  O. 

Born  in  Morgan  County.  Illinois,  November  20,  1823;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1849  and  settled  in  Polk  County  on  a  donation  claim." 
The  first  store  in  Eola  was  built  by  him  in  1856.  From  there  he 
went  to  Dixie  where  he  remained  one  year,  and  thence  went  to 
Eastern  Oregon,  in  1874,  and  lived  there  four  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Amity,  but  left,  that  town  in  1880  for  Monmouth,  his 
present  place  of  residence.  His  business  at  present  is  with  the 
Farmers'  Mercantile  Association,  which  includes  Messrs.  Butler, 
Stump,  Bid  well,  and  two  Messrs.  Waller.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Maria  Livermore,  March  9,  1847,  and  five  children  were  born  to 
them,  two  of  whom  are  now  living  —  Clarence,  and  Henry  I).  Mrs. 
Waller  died  March  2,  1862,  and  he  married  in  July  5,  1879,  Mrs. 
Rachel  Atterbury,  daughter  of  Luke  Mulkey,  of  Monmouth. 

WHITLOCK,  WILLIAM,  Sr. 

Born  in  Kentish  Town,  England;  occupation,  merchant.  Wife's 
previous  name,  Honor  M.  Smith.  Children  —  William,  and  Edward 
H.  Mr.  Whitlock  died  in  Oregon  City,  June  18,  1884. 

WHITLOCK,  WILLIAM,  jr. 

Born  in  Victoria,  July  21,  1849.  He  is  now  county  clerk  of 
Clackamas  County,  and  resides  at  Oregon  City.  Wife's  previous 
name  was  Anna  H.  Miller.  Children  —  Edvvard  R.,  and  Grace  A. 

1850. 

ALFORD,  ALBERT. 

Born  in  Chariton  County,  Missouri,  in  1838;  came  to  Oregon 
with  his  parents,  who  located  in  Linn  County.  He  resided  in  that 
county  until  1869,  when  he  removed  to  Jackson  County,  and  still 
remains  there.  Is  commissioner  of  that  county.  Was  married  to 
Miss  Catharine  Brinker,  by  whom  he  has  four  children  —  Russell 
A.,  M.  L.,  Alice,  and  Amanda. 

ALLEN,  JOHN  C. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  October,  1825;  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1846,  having  set  out  for  Oregon,  but  coming  to  the  forks 
of  the  trail  the  caravan  changed  their  mind  and  went  to  California. 
Mr.  Allen's  father,  Isaac  Allen,  died  on  the  Humboldt,  in  Nevada. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  709 

He  was  a  native  of  East  Tennessee.  His  widow  married  Eli 
Brown,  and  died  in  January,  1884,  aged  89  years.  In  1846  J.  C. 
"Allen  served  in  a  military  company  acting  as  a  home  guard 
during  the  Mexican  war.  He  mined  for  gold,  and  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  Contra  Costa  County,  California.  In  1850  he  came 
to  ( >regon,  and  took  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  County,  and  lives 
now  on  an  adjoining  farm.  His  principal  occupation  in  Oregon 
lias  been  farming,  but  he  has  traveled  to  Eastern  Oregon  and  to 
the  Salmon  River  mines.  Married  in  1851,  Miss  Catharine 
McNary,  and  by  her  had  four  children — William  W.  (deceased), 
Isaac  A.,  John  W.,  arid  James  D.  Mrs.  Allen  died  in  1861,  and 
in  1864  he  married  Miss  Miriam  Harris.  Children — Lena,  Roy, 
Kate,  Elsie,  Charles,  and  Hugh.  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  held  seats  in  both  houses  of  the  State  Legislature. 

BAUGHMAN,  J.  H. 

Born  and  reared  in  Illinois;  settled  in  Marion  County  on  coming 
to  Oregon,  and  still  resides  there.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  legis 
lature. 

BELT,  ALFRED  M. 

Born  in  Flemingsburg,  Kentucky,  July,  1804.  His  father, 
Major  Joseph  Belt,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  a  soldier  of  the 
-war  of  181 2.  In  1840,  Alfred  Belt  moved  to  Platte  County,  Missouri, 
and  ten  years  later  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon.  He  settled  in 
Salem,  resided  there  until  1880,  then  removed  to  Independence,  and 
died  there,  August  18,  1881.  Was  a  physician  by  profession,  edu 
cated  by  a  private  tutor,  and  belonged  to  the  State  Medical  Society 
of  Oregon.  Held  the  office  of  Surgeon  General  during  the  Indian 
war  of  1855—50,  and  for  several  years  was  physician  to  the  State 
Penitentiary.  Was  a  prominent  Mason,  and  the  first  Grand  Master 
of  the  State.  In  1835  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Ward,  daugh 
ter  of  General  Thompson  Ward,  of  Kentucky.  Their  children 
were  ten  in  number. 

BRIEDWELL,   J.  W. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1829;  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  <-m<l 
spent  eighteen  months  in  the  mines.  Took  up  a  claim  near  King's 
Valley,  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business.  Is  in  the  same  occupa- 


710  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tion  now,  but  lives  near  Dallas,  Polk  County,  which  is  his  post- 
office.  He  owns  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  acres 
of  land,  part  of  which  he  farms.  Was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Eliza 
M.  Reynolds,  and  had  five  children.  Mrs.  Briedwell  died  in  1875, 
and  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Ball.  By  her  he  has  one  child 
living.  The  names  of  the  six  are — Milton  J.,  Mary  L.,  William 
E.,  Sarah  A.,  James  F.,  and  Elizabeth. 

BROADWELL,  JACOB  C. 

Born  near  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  March,  1827;  went  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1850,  and  in  the  same  year  to  Oregon.  Settled  in  Oregon 
City.  Removed  to  Linn  County  in  1883.  Present  address,  Shedd. 
Married  in  1865  to  Miss  Mary  A.  May.  Their  children  are- 
Charles  C.,  Ida  M.,  Silas  W.,  Ivan  J.,  Helen  L.,  Mary,  Edward, 
and  an  infant. 

BROWN,  JAMES  H. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Virginia,  in  November,  1796.  On 
his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Resided  in 
Willamina,  and  was  a  farmer.  In  1833  he  was  married  to  W. 
Husey,  and  their  children's  names  are — Mary  E.,  Sarah,  Margaretta 
J.,  James  H.,  Joseph  E.,  Nathan  A.,  and  Nancy  S.  Mr.  Brown 
died  in  Yamhill  County,  May  30,  1875. 

BROWN,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  York,  Pennsylvania  in  1821;  when  seventeen  moved  to 
Indiana;  spent  five  years  in  that  State  and  learned  the  carpenter 
trade.  Lived  a  while  in  Missouri,  and  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  Cali 
fornia,  first  spending  four  years — from  1846  to  1850 — in  the  search 
for  gold.  Was  State  Senator  from  1864  until  1872.  Resides  in 
Gervais,  Marion  County,  and  farms  extensively,  having  about  one 
thousand  acres  of  land.  Was  married  in  1844  to  Elizabeth  Allen; 
their  children  are — Columbus,  Carrie,  G.  A.,  Frank  M.,  Sarah, 
Albert  M.,  Nellie  D.,  Ernest,  Clyde  A.,  Mabel  C.,  Samuel,  and 
Nettie. 

BUSH,  ASAHEL. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1824;  when  sixteen  years  old,  he 
went  to  Saratoga,  New  York,  thence  returning  to  Massachusetts, 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  711 

and  finally  coining  to  Oregon  in  1850.  Read  law  in  Salem  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  never  practiced.  Was  clerk  of  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature  in  1850-51.  Became  a  newspaper 
editor  and  conducted  the  Statesman  in  the  period  of  its  greatest 
celebrity  arid  influence.  Was  prominent  in  politics  and  controlled 
for  a  time  the  destinies  of  Oregon.  Quitting  public  affairs  at  a 
later  date  he  devoted  himself  to  banking,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Ladd  &  Bush  added  largely  to  his  already  considerable 
wealth.  Mr.  Bush  was  the  first  State  Printer  of  Oregon,  and  held 
that  office  for  some  twelve  years  in  all.  Resides  at  Salem. 

BUTLER,  I.  M. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1831  and  was  reared  there.  Came  across  the 
plains  to  Oregon,  and  in  the  same  year  made  a  trip  to  California 
and  returned  to  this  State.  Went  to  Illinois  in  1851  via  the 
Nicaragua  route,  and  came  again  to  Oregon  in  1852.  Bought  a  claim 

o  O  o  O 

in  Polk  County,  which  he  still  owns.  Has  resided  in  Independence 
since  1868.  Was  in  the  grain  business  there  for  ten  years,  retiring 
in  1881  and  investing  in  an  opera  house.  Mr.  Butler  served  in 
Captain  Hayden's  company  in  the  Yakima  war.  Was  sheriff  of 
Polk  County  from  1860  until  1864.  Married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Webb 
in  1857,  and  has  two  children — Ella  (Mrs.  E.  W.  Cooper,  of  In 
dependence),  and  Bessie  May. 

BUTLER,  JUNIUS  J. 

Born  in  Iredell  County,  North  Carolina,  in  October,  1815.  In 
1836  moved  to  Missouri.  In  1850  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Yamhill  County,  and  now  lives  in  Bellevue,  same  county,  engaged 
as  carpenter  and  farmer.  He  married  Melinda  Toney,  in  Yamhill 
County,  in  1873,  and  their  children's  names  are — Amanda  J.,  Mary 
L.,  and  Philip  J. 

CAPLES,  J.  W. 

Residence  and  address,  Forest  Grove.  Born  in  Ohio,  January  1 8, 
1840 ;  came  to  Oregon  in  1850.  Was  in  Washington  Territory  twelve 
years,  engaged  in  general  merchandising;  went  to  Forest  Grove  in 
the  spring  of  1883,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  C.  Woods  in 
the  mercantile  business.  Owns  city  property  in  that  town.  Mar- 


712  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ried  Miss  Harriet  L.  Gilson  in   1866,  and  they  now  have  five  chil 
dren — Conrad,  Jesse,  John,  Arthur  and  Ora  Dell. 

CARMON,  WATERS. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1811;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1822,  and 
remained  there  until  1849.  Served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  In 
1835  was  married  to  Lavina  Buckniaii,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil 
dren.  She  died  in  1846,  and  three  years  later  Mr.  Cannon  went  to 
California,  and  the  next  year  came  to  Oregon.  In  1852  he  married 
Mrs.  Lucretia  Gurney,  by  whom  he  had  four  children.  Settled  on  a 
farm  near  Oswego,  in  1853,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  Sep 
tember  29,  1878. 

CARPENTER,  WILLIAM  R. 

Born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  in  1822;  lives  near  Gaston,  and 
is  a  farmer.  He  married  Vashti  Parsons,  in  1851,  who  died  in 
1863. 

CARTER,  WILLIAM  D. 

Born  in  South  Barre,  Vermont,  in  1828.  Learned  the  printer's 
trade  in  Montpelier,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1850.  Was  employed 
on  the  first  number  of  the  Western  Star,  which  was  issued  at  Mil- 
waukie  on  November  thirteenth  of  that  year,  and  removed  to  Port 
land  in  the  June  following,  and  called  the  Oregon  Weekly  Times, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  publishers  up  to  1857.  In  1858,  in 
connection  with  A.  G.  Walling,  he  began  the  publication  of  the 
Oregon  Farmer,  and  continued  it  for  about  five  years.  Mr.  Carter 
conducted  a  job  printing  office  from  1864  to  1869,  and  has  con 
tinued  to  work  at  his  trade  ever  since.  In  1857  he  married  Miss 
Louisa  A.  Uzafovage,  and  by  her  has  had  eleven  children,  nine  of 
whom  are  living. 

CHISHAM,  J.  M. 

Lives  in  Independence,  Polk  County,  and  is  a  wagon -maker  by 
occupation.  He  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Kentucky,  in  1820. 
After  extensive  traveling  through  various  States  he  finally  arrived 
in  Oregon.  In  1855-5.6  was  in  the  Indian  war  as  First  Sergeant  in 
Company  A,  of  Benton  County. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  713 

CLARKE,  S.  A. 

Born  on  the  Island  of  Cuba  in  1827;  arrived  in  Oregon  in 
September,  1850,  and  settled  at  Portland,  and  remained  there  two 
years;  then  removed  to  Salem,  where  he  still  resides;  he  is  a 
journalist  by  occupation,  and  gives  some  attention  to  fruit -culture. 
He  married  Harriet  T.  Buckingham  in  1852,  in  Portland,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Harriet,  Minnie  (deceased),  Sarah,  and  Wil 
liam  J.  Mr.  Clarke  is  now  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Willamette 
Farmer,  the  principal  agricultural  journal  of  the  Northwest.  In  its 
conduct  he  is  assisted  by  his  son,  William  J.  Clarke.  The  publica 
tion  office  is  in  Salem.  Mr.  Clarke's  journalistic  experience  has 
been  varied  and  considerable.  He  had  charge  of  the  Statesman  for 
several  years.  Mrs.  Clarke  came  to  the  State  in  1851.  She  is  a 
native  of  Norwalk,  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  1832.  She  crossed  the 
plains  with  her  relative  Hiram  Smith,  a  man  of  much  note  in  early 
times,  and  whose  life  was  spent  in  actively  developing  and  making 
known  the  resources  of  this  country.  His  widow  resides  in  Portland, 
Oregon,  and  performs  literary  work  for  publication  in  the  Wil 
lamette  Farmer. 

COOLEY,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Woodburn,  Marion  County,  in  1850.  Became  a  teacher 
and  followed  that  vocation  for  over  twelve  years.  In  1881  opened 
a  store  of  general  merchandise  in  Woodburn.  Is  justice  of  the 
peace  and  notary  public.  Married  Priscilla  Devoren,  in  1873.  They 
have  two  children — Dora  Ann,  and  Clarence  F. 

DAVIDSON,  ELIJAH. 

Was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1783.  Removed  to  Kentucky 
about  1818,  and  from  there  to  Warren  County,  Illinois,  in  1831, 
and  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and  died  at  Monmouth, 
Polk  County,  in  1870,  aged  eighty -seven  years.  His  first  wife  was 
Miss  -  -  Murphy,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children.  She  died 
in  1864.  Second  wife  the  relict  of  Dr.  James  McBride.  Mr. 
Davidson  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812. 

DAVIDSON,  ELIJAH  B., 

Son  of  Elijah  Davidson,  born  in  Kentucky  in  1819.     Removed 
with  parents  to  Warren  County,  Illinois,  when  twelve  years  of  age. 


714  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Came  to  Oregon  in  1 850,  and  spent  winter  near  Milwaukie.  In 
1851  took  donation  land  claim,  which  is  now  just  outside  the  East 
Portland  city  limits,  where  he  lived  until  1855,  then  removing  to 
Moninouth,  Polk  County.  In  1866  he  went  to  Josephine  County, 
where  he  now  lives.  His  occupation  has  always  been  that  of 
farming.  In  1 841  he  married  Miss  Salonia  Jones,  by  whom  he  has 
had  thirteen  children  as  follows — William  (deceased),  Mary 
(deceased),  Isaac  G.,  John  8.,  Elijah  J.,  M.  Lizzie  (deceased), 
Sarah  J.,  Moses  M.,  Margaret  M.  (deceased),  Carter  8.,  Saloma  B., 
Olivia  W.,  and  Jay  Ellsworth. 

DAVIDSON,  ISAAC  G. 

Son  of  Elijah  B.  Davidson,  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois, 
in  1845,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1850.  Has  fol 
lowed  the  occupations  of  farming,  teaching,  book-keeping,  and  for 
the  last  five  years  has  been  engaged  in  photographing.  In  the  line 
of  scenic  photography  he  takes  the  first  rank  in  the  State.  In  1869 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  O.  Riggs,  daughter  of  D.  L.  Riggs, 
of  Salem,  a  pioneer  of  1853.  By  her  he  had  six  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living.  Mrs.  .Davidson  died  in  1883. 

DAVIS,  JAMES  WARREN. 

Born  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  January  15,  1829;  removed  to 
Kansas  in  1835,  and  to  Missouri  a  few  years  after.  In  1855  was 
appointed  clerk  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court  at  Portland,  and  so  con 
tinued  until  1859.  For  a  time  subsequently  he  was  deputy  county 
clerk  of  Multnomah  County.  Died  in  Portland,  January  8,  1873. 

DEARDORFF,  CHRISTIAN. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1 805 ;  removed  in  early  life  to  Ohio,  and 
thence  to  Indiana.  Married  Miss  Matilda  Landes.  Moved  twice 
toward  the  west,  staying  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  from  1838  to  1850. 
Again  removed,  this  time  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains.  Located 
with  his  children  near  Milwaukie,  in  Clackamas  County,  and  re 
mained  there  until  his  death,  December  16,  1884. 

DOUGLAS,  LEVI. 

Born  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,  July  28,  1832.  Came  to  Oregon 
in  1850.  In  1858  settled  near  Harrisburg,  Linn  County,  and  is 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  715 

now  proprietor  of  a  planing  and  feed  mill  in  that  town.  Was 
county  commissioner  in  1880-82.  Married  Miss  Mary  A.  Curtis, 
and  their  children's  names  are — James  T.,  William  S.,  Etta,  and 
Leonard. 

DRYER,  THOMAS  J. 

Born  in  New  York,  January  10,  1808;  acquired  experience  in 
newspaper  work,  went  to  California  in  1849,  and  was  employed  for 
a  short  time  upon  a  San  Francisco  paper.  Came  to  Oregon,  bring 
ing  printing  material,  and  on  the  fourth  of  December,  1850,  brought 
out  the  first  number  of  the  Oregonian,  as  a  weekly  newspaper. 
This  paper  he  conducted  until  1860,  with  success  and  celebrity. 
Mr.  Dryer  was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  also  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention.  On  Lincoln's  inauguration  he  be 
came  minister  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Returning  to  Portland 
several  years  later,  he  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for 
many  years.  Died,  March  30,  1879. 

FOUTS,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Brook  County,  Virginia,  in  1793;  was  a  carpenter  by 
occupation.  Married  Lydia  Ellis.  Their  children  were — Solomon 
H.,  Matilda  (deceased),  Seneca  (deceased),  William  H.  H.,  Charles 
and  Theodore  W.  Mr.  Fonts  died  at  Canemah  in  1877. 

GAINES,  ABNER  P. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  March,  1835;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
residing  at  Scio,  Linn  County.  Married  Mary  E.  Looney  and  their 
children  are — Archie  A.,  Ida  E.,  John  P.,  Kichard  L.,  C.  B.,  Hattie 
B.,  and  Wilbur  W.  Mr.  Gaines  was  United  States  Assessor  in 
1861-62. 

GIBBS,  ADDISON  C. 

Born  in  Cattaraugus  County,  New  York,  July  9,  1825,  and  was 
educated  at  Griffith  Institute,  and  at  the  New  York  State  Normal 
School.  He  spent  several  years  as  a  teacher,  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1849.  Came  to  Oregon  and  located  on  the 
Umpqua  River,  a  donation  claim,  where  stands  the  present  town  of 
Gardiner.  Participated  in  the  Indian  disturbances  in  the  Rogue 
River  in  1851.  Was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1851-52. 


716  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Was  code  commissioner  in  1853,  and  collector  of  customs  for  South 
ern  Oregon.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Portland  and  opened  an  office 
in  partnership  with  George  H.  Williams.  Was  nominated  as  gov 
ernor  in  1862:  arid  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority.  At  the 
close  of  his  term  he  was  nominated  for  IT.  8.  Senator  by  the  Re 
publicans,  but,  although  coming  within  one  vote  of  an  election,  he 
thought  it  prudent  to  withdraw,  giving  the  seat  to  H.  W.  Corbett. 
Governor  Gibbs  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Portland. 
He  married  in  New  York,  Miss  Margaret  M.  Watkins,  and  has 
six  children,  one  of  whom,  William  W.,  is  his  partner  in  the  law. 

GRIGGS,  A.  B., 

Whose  residence  is  Monmouth,  and  occupation  that  of  butcher, 
was  born  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1827,  and  worked 
at  the  blacksmithing  trade  in  that  State.  He  came  to  Oregon  in 
1850,  and  settled  in  Linn  County;  is  owner  of  a  farm  six  miles  from 
Lebanon  in  that  county.  In  1852  mined  in  Jackson  County.  Mr. 
Griggs  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Morris  in  1 849,  and  had  by 
her  six  children,  viz. — Amanda  M.,  Sarah  C.,  Fannie,  Mary  P., 
Addie,  and  John.  He  was  married  a  second  time,  to  Mrs.  R.  G. 
Gard  in  1881,  and  by  her  has  two  children — Clara  and  Lucy. 

GWIN,  JAMES  L. 

Born  in  Carter  County,  Tennessee,  in  1829;  was  taken  to 
Indiana  in  1835;  moved  to  Illinois  in  1840,  and  to  Oregon  in  1850, 
and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  His  present  residence  is  Monmouth, 
and  occupation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  married  Mary 
Boothby  in  1858,  and  their  children's  names  are — Mary  A.,  Reason 
L.  (deceased),  Ulysses  S.,  George  L.,  Albert,  Herman,  and  Frank. 

HALL,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1822;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1850;  lived 
in  California  first,  but  came  to  Oregon  the  same  year.  Married  in 
1853  to  Mrs.  Christian  Darrall,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living.  His  place  of  residence  is  Beaverton. 

HOLMES,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  in  May,  1850,  and  educated  at  LaCreole 
Academy.  Read  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1874. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  717 

Located  at  Salem.  Was  nominated  as  representative  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1880,  but  was  defeated.  Was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  for  the  third  judicial  district  in  188 2.  Married  Miss 
Josephine  Lewis,  of  Polk  County,  and  has  two  children — Jessie 
and  Clare. 

JOHNSTON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1828;  came  to  America  in  1840,  settling 
first  in  Illinois;  came  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and  located  on  the 
French  Prairie,  in  Marion  County.  Originally,  he  was  a  miller  by 
trade,  and  after  his  coming,  conducted  the  old  Catholic  mission 
mill,  called  now  McKay's  mill.  His  present  residence  is  four 
and  a  half  miles  south  of  Champoeg.  Occupation,  farming. 
Married  Mary  Kennedy  in  1859,  and  they  have  six  sons  and  five 
daughters — Ellen,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hinkle,  Thomas,  Robert  E.,  John, 
Agnes,  William,  Eliza,  Joseph,  Charles,  and  Cecilia. 

KEYT,  E.  C. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1828;  his  parents  removed  the  same  year 
to  Ohio,  where  the  son  was  raised.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled 
in  Polk  County,  and  has  since  resided  there.  Participated  in  the 
Yakiina  war  of  1855-6,  serving  under  Captain  Hayden.  Resides 
in  Perry  dale,  Polk  County.  Married  Mrs.  Amanda  Daly,  in  1863, 
by  whom  he  has  had  eight  children — Elizabeth  F.,  David  L.,  Nellie, 
Hattie,  Henry,  Edward,  Lena,  and  William. 

LAFOLLETT,  D.  H. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1824;  lived  in  the  Western  States  until 
1850,  when  he  started  for  Oregon  overland.  Two  years  later  he 
went  to  South  America,  but  returned  the  same  year.  His  subse 
quent  travels  have  been  extensive.  Mr.  Lafollett  resides  now  at 
Salem,  where  he  is  Master  of  the  Grange.  His  occupation  is  farm 
ing.  His  family  consists  of  his  wife  (formerly  Miss  Cynthiana 
Railsback,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1843),  and  five  children- 
Alexander  M.,  Iranda  G.,  Susan,  Olive,  and  Emma. 

LARGE,  FRANCIS. 

Residence,  Forest  Grove ;  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  fifth 
day  of  August,  1818;  came  from  Ohio  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1850; 


718  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

came  from  California  to  Oregon.  In  1852  settled  in  Yarnhill  County 
and  took  a  donation  claim;  moved  to  Forest  Grove  in  1883.  In 
July,  1853,  married  Miss  Z.  Baily.  Children — Elizabeth  D.,  and 
Charles  L. 

LEISY,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1822;  lived  in  Ohio  for  some  years;  set 
out  for  Oregon  in  1850,  arriving  in  the  fall.  Occupation,  farmer, 
owning  a  place  two  miles  from  Hillsboro,  Washington  County. 
Married,  in  1854,  Esther  Marsh.  Children — Rosella,  Henry  W., 
Netta,  Daniel  D.,  Flora,  Wealthy,  Isaac,  Perry,  and  Douglas. 

LOGAN,  DAVID. 

Born  near  Springfield,  Illinois;  was  the  son  of  Judge  Stephen 
T.  Logan,  once  a  law  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1850,  and  began  law  practice  at  Lafayette;  achieved  great  dis 
tinction  as  a  criminal  lawyer;  retired  from  practice  in  1871.  Ran 
for  Congress  three  times  as  Republican  nominee,  but  was  defeated 
each  time.  Died  near  McMinnville,  March  27,  1874. 

MANSFIELD,  DOMINIC. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1818;  started  from  Missouri  for  Oregon 
with  his  parents;  his  father  and  mother  died  on  the  route  within 
ten  days  of  each  other.  He  arrived  in  Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn 
County;  taught  school  until  1853,  then  went  to  farming  near 
Harrisburg.  In  1857  was  elected  assessor  of  Linn  County,  and 
served  three  years.  Moved  to  Albany  in  1860;  was  elected  county 
clerk  in  the  same  year.  After  the  term  expired,  was  in  mercantile 
business,  and  in  1873,  became  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
Farmer's  Warehouse  Company.  Married  Miss  Celia  E.  Pollard  in 
1853;  has  four  children — William,  Myra,  Anna,  and  Gertie. 

MARTIN,  J.  L.,  M.  D., 

Is  an  old  resident  of  Scio,  Linn  County,  having  practiced  medi 
cine  there  for  twenty-five  years;  was  born  in  Davidson  County, 
Tennessee,  July  14,  1822;  is  a  graduate  of  the  Willamette  Medical 
college.  Served  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Indian  war  of  1855-56 
in  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  in  the  command 
under  Colonel  Thomas  R.  Cornelius.  Was  examining  physician  for 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  719 

pension  applicants,  and  for  insurance  companies  a  number  of  years. 
Married  Fanny  Cusick  in  1864;  her  death  occurring  in  1868,  he 
was  married  a  second  time,  to  Catherine  Criggin,  nee  Brenner. 

McCORD,  JAMES  S., 

Is  a  resident  of  Oregon  City,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation;  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  New  York,  July  15,  1829.  Married  Olive 
E.  Brown,  and  their  children  are — William,  J.  W.,  Benjamin  C., 
George  8.,  Catharine  (deceased),  James  B.  (deceased),  Blanche  B., 
Archibald  H.,  Stella  A.,  and  Melvin  C. 

McCORMICK,  MATTHEW. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1825,  and  came  to  America  when  seven 
years  old,  settling  in  Rochester,  New  York;  coming  to  Oregon  he 
located  at  Milwaukie,  but  now  resides  on  his  donation  claim  three 
miles  south  of  Woodburn,  Marion  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  He 
served  in  the  Fourth  Infantry  under  General  Taylor  in  the  Mexican 
war,  but  was  wounded  at  Monterey  and  received  his  discharge. 
Married  Joanna  Clancy,  at  St.  Louis,  in  1847.  Children — John 
and  Charles. 

MCDONALD,  H. 

Birthplace,  Rhode  Island;  date  of  birth,  1825;  went  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1849.  Found  employment  at  first  as  contractor  and 
builder,  and  in  such  capacity  built  a  theatre,  and  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  San  Francisco.  In  1850  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Portland.  He  was  and  is  a  useful  citizen.  His  industry  erected 
many  buildings  and  works,  the  pioneers  of  their  kinds.  The  first 
school -house  in  Portland  was  constructed  by  him;  the  Willamette 
was  first  navigated  by  a  steamboat  built  by  him;  and  several 
public  buildings  and  the  first  water  works  were  created  by  his 
ingenuity.  Mr.  McDonald  was  married  in  1847,  in  Providence,  to 
Elizabeth  M.  Sampson.  These  are  the  names  of  their  children- 
William  H.,  Charles  H.,  EUa  Frances,  Lulu  Annette,  E.  S.,  John 
C.,  and  Lily  Anna  Resides  at  Forest  Grove. 

McLENCH,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Maine  in  March,  1825;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1850. 
Coming  from  Sari  Francisco  to  Oregon  he  brought  up  a  printing 


720  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

press  to  his  brother-in-law,  Samuel  R.  Thurston,  upon  which  the 
Oregon  Statesman  was  afterward  printed.  Was  made  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Oregon  State  Militia  by  the  Governor,  and  attached 
to  the  fifth  regiment.  Resided  a  year  or  more  in  Oregon  City,  but 
has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Polk  County.  Present  res 
idence,  Spring  Valley;  postoffice,  Lincoln;  occupation,  farmer. 
Was  married  in  August,  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Gray,  a  native  of 
Vermont,  who  arrived  in  Oregon  the  year  preceding.  Their  family 
included  four  children — Frank  G.,  Mary  E.  (wife  of  A.  E.  Watson, 
of  Polk),  Alice,  and  Sarah  M.  The  latter  is  deceased. 

MILLER,  GEORGE  A,, 

Is  a  farmer  residing  at  Scio,  Linn  County.  Born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  April  24,  1831.  After  reaching  America  he  proceeded 
overland  to  Oregon.  Married  Elizabeth  Harris,  and  their  children 
are — Malcolm,  Martha  B.,  Susanna  A.,  and  John  M. 

MILLER,  HENRY  B., 

Lives  at  Miller's,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  trader  and  general  busi 
ness  man.  His  place  of  birth  was  Mercer  County,  Illinois;  born 
October  7,  1848,  one,  of  a  family  of  twenty-four  children.  Married 
Frances  Summer ville,  and  their  children  are — Myrtle,  Edna,  and 
Ola. 

MILLER,  ISAAC  D. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Indiana,  August  26,  1828;  was 
one  of  a  family  of  twenty-four  children.  Came  overland  to  Ore 
gon  and  now  lives  at  Miller's,  Linn  County,  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-growing.  Has  held  public  positions;  served  as  sergeant  in 
the  Indian  wars  of  1855-56.  Married  Ellen  E.  Johnson,  and  their 
children  are — Ida  B.,  R.  E.,  Ned,  Eli  M.,  and  Isaac  D. 

MILLER,  JAMES  W. 

Is  a  resident  of  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  August  17,  1833.  Married  Rosa  A. 
Baker,  and  their  children  ai;e — Mary  J.,  Lee,  Henrietta,  Malcolm 
B.,  James  W.,  Katy  B.,  and  Rose  L. 

MILLER,  JOHN  F. 

Born  in  Maryland,  July  25,  1835;  occupation,  merchant ;  place 
of  residence,  Oregon  City.  Wife's  previous  name,  Mary  J.  Shat- 
tuck.  Children — Albert  L.,  Hattie  N.,  and  John  E. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  721 

MILLER,  MALCOLM, 

Is  a  farmer  residing  at  Scio,  Linn  County;  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia,  September  12,  1835;  married  Margaret  E.  Redman,  and 
their  children  are — James  N.,  Benjamin  W.,  Amanda  N.,  and 
Nettie  E. 

MILLER,  ROBERT  B., 

Is  a  resident  of  Scio,  Linn  County;  occupation,  farmer.     Born 
in  Nova  Scotia,  July  29,  1843;  settled  in  Linn  County  immediately 
on  his  arrival  in  Oregon.     Married  Martha  F.  Terry.     Children- 
William  C.,  Jeannette  F.,  Sarah  A.,  and  Maggie  A. 

MILLER,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  Salem  County,  New  Jersey,  in  September,  1806.  Was 
a  millwright  by  occupation,  and  died  at  Oregon  City,  July  4, 
1884.  Wife's  previous  name  was  Rachel  Hart.  Children — Mary 
E.,  John  F.,  Margaret  S.,  Thomas  M.,  and  Henrietta. 

MUDGE,  NATHAN  F. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  ;n  1827;  came  to  Oregon  and  lived  in  Or 
egon  City  until  1859;  then  went  to  Washington  Territory,  and  east 
of  the  Cascades,  where  he  was  employed  on  the  railroad.  Returned 
to  Oregon  in  1864.  Now  owns  a  farm  near  Hillsboro.  Married 
in  1853,  Miss  Elizabeth  Whealdon,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1847. 
They  have  three  children — Mary,  Sidney  W.,  and  Estella. 

NEALY,  NELSON. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1814;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  In 
dependence,  Polk  County.  Present  residence,  Luckiamute,  and  oc- 
pation,  farming. 

O' DONALD,  JONATHAN. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1826;  came  to  Oregon  when  twenty- 
four  years  of  age;  lived  mainly  in  Portland  and  Salem,  and  worked 
at  his  trade  of  carpenter  and  stair -builder.  Is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  O'Donald  &  Jackson,  carpenters  and  builders,  in  Salem.  Mar 
ried  in  1865,  and  had  four  children  by  his  first  wife — William  H., 
Emma,  Ella,  and  Elmer  E.  By  a  second  marriage  he  has  had— 
Anna  and  Frank.  Residence,  Salem. 


722  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

PAUL,  WILLIAM  A. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Missouri,  November  10,  1824,  of 
Scotch  and  English  parents.  His  ancestors  came  to  America  before 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  came  to  Oregon  and  has  since  resided 
on  his  farm  at  Lebanon.  Married  Hannah  J.  Elliott,  and  their 
children  are — George  M.,  Samuel  J.,  Mahala,  Mattie,  Hugh  G., 
Celia,  and  William  S.  Mr.  Paul  is  proprietor  of  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  land. 

PEEBLES,  JOHN  C. 

Born  January  23,  1826,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1838  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and  in  1850  came  to  Oregon.  On 
October  seventh  of  that  year  he  arrived  at  Oregon  City,  and  lived 
there  until  the  following  March,  when  he  removed  to  Marion 
County  and  settled  at  F  airfield,  his  donation  claim  embracing  the 
present  town  site.  In  1852  he  became  assistant  clerk  in  the  House 
of  Representatives;  in  1853  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legis 
lature;  in  18&4  he  was  elected  to  the  Council,  where  he  served 
three  years  and  was  afterwards  elected  a  member  of  the  Constitu 
tional  Convention,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  educa 
tion.  In  I860  he  was  elected  State  Librarian;  in  1862  was  elected 
county  judge  of  Marion  County,  and  re-elected  in  1866  and  again  in 
1874;  in  1880  served  as  chief  clerk  of  the  Senate.  Mr.  Peebles 
now  resides  near  Salem  on  a  farm  on  the  line  of  the  O.  <fc  C.  R.  R. 
He  was  married  in  1851  to  Miss  E.  J.  Mark,  of  Clackamas  County, 
and  they  have  five  children  now  living — two  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

PORTER,  R.  M. 

Born  in  Park  County,  Ohio,  August  7,  1826;  came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Washington  County,  that  being  his  home  since.  He 
owns  a  farm  near  Forest  Grove,  and  a  residence  and  other  property 
in  the  town.  Married  Miss  Caroline  Brown  in  1852;  she  died  in 
1859,  and  in  1860,  he  married  Mrs.  Laura  A.  Stokes.  He  has  four 
children,  namely — Ebenezer  M.,  Mary,  Tabitha,  and  Stella.  Mr. 
Porter  was  assessor  of  internal  revenue  for  Yamhill  and  Washing 
ton  counties  for  eight  years,  and  Deputy  U.  S.  Marshal  for  several 
years. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  723 

PORTERFIELD,  JAMES  E. 

Mr.  Porterfield  is  a  native  of  Tennessee;  his  first  place  of  resi 
dence  in  Oregon  was  at  Luckiamute,  Polk  County ;  his  present  res 
idence  is  at  Buena  Vista,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married 
Ruth  Watson  in  Missouri,  and  they  have  one  child,  named  Miles 
M.  Porterfield. 

PRICE,  W.  L. 

Mr.  Price  is  a  native  Oregonian,  having  been  born  in  Clackamas 
County,  in  1850.  His  present  residence  is  King's  Valley,  and 
his  occupation  is  farming  and  merchandising.  He  married  Sarepta 
Norton,  in  Benton  County,  in  1870.  Their  children  are — Emma 
L.,  John,  Dora,  Edna,  Willard,  and  Cleveland. 

RAMSBY,  R.  C. 

Mr.  Ramsby,  a  native  of  Ohio,  came  to  Oregon  in  1850,  being 
then  of  the  age  of  twenty -seven.  A  few  months  later  the  gold  fever 
took  him  to  California.  After  a  year  and  a  half  he  set  out  for  New 
York,  by  a  sailing  ship,  on  which  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be 
wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Central  America.  From  there  he  made  his 
way  to  New  Orleans  by  way  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  subsequently 
got  safely  to  Indiana.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Reynolds,  by 
whom  he  has  had  seven  children — E.  B.,  M.  D.,  S.  M.,  Athaliah, 
Jennie,  Clara,  and  C.  E.  In  1868  he  came  again  to  Oregon,  bringing 
his  wife  and  children.  Since  his  coming  he  has  followed  farming 
mostly,  with  several  spells  of  various  civil  offices,  notably  the  sheriff- 
ship  of  Marion  County,  which  he  held  in  1880-82. 

RAY,  C.  F. 

Born  in  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  in  1819;  came  to  Oregon, 
locating  first  at  Salem ;  resides  now  at  Ray's  Ferry,  near  St.  Paul, 
Marion  County.  This  ferry,  the  first  upon  the  Willamette,  was 
instituted,  according  to  Mr.  R.'s  belief,  in  1826,  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  Mr.  Ray  purchased  from  James  Force,  in  1850, 
the  first  and  only  mail  route  in  Oregon  Territory  which  run  upon 
wheels,  viz.,  the  route  from  Oregon  City  to  Salem.  He  afterwards 
extended  it  to  Corvallis.  introducing  the  first  Concord  coaches  in 
the  Northwest.  He  also  built  and  operated  the  first  livery  stable 
in  Salem.  He  married  Amelia  Eyre,  who  was  born  in  England  in 


724  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1834,  and  whose  parents  came  to  Oregon  in  1843.  Children — Mrs. 
Mary  F.  Apperson,  Mrs.  Eliza  Coyle,  Amelia,  Alice,  Ida,  William 
M.,  Walter  W.,  Inez,  John  T.,  Charles  P.,  Maud  L.,  and  Guy. 

REED,  CYRUS   A. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1825;  emigrated  to  California  in 
1849,  and  the  next  year  came  to  Oregon,  settling  at  Portland  and 
engaged  in  whatever  his  hands  could  find  to  do.  He  taught  school 
and  helped  put  up  the  first  steam  sawmill  built  in  Oregon.  Moved 
to  Salem  in  1852.  His  mercantile  operations  in  both,  cities  have 
extended  over  a  period  of  .sixteen  years.  Resides  now  in  Salem. 
Married  Lucinda  Coffin,  by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Married 
again,  in  1875,  to  Jennie  Clive,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  children. 
Colonel  Reed  w^as  a  representative  to  the  legislature  in  1862,  and 
in  the  same  year  was  appointed  Adjutant  General  of  the  State. 
Was  again  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1874  and  in  1878.  Built 
the  hotel  known  as  the  "Reed  House,"  in  1869-70,  and  has  carried 
out  very  many  public  and  semi -public  works. 

RICE,  JAMES  N. 

Born  in  Campbell  County,  Tennessee,  March  17,  1832.  Moved 
to  Missouri  at  an  early  age.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  in  Linn 
County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Has  represented  Linn  County  in  the 
legislature.  Participated  in  the  Rogue  River  war,  and  was 
wounded  at  the  Meadows  fight.  Married  Miss  Nancy  Robinett  in 
1857. 

RICKEY,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1802;  removed  successively 
to  Ohio,  Iowa,  and  Oregon,  arriving  in  the  latter  State  in  1850. 
Settled  in  Marion  County.  Died  January  24,  1875. 

RIGDON,  w.  T. 

Born  in  Powesheik  County,  Iowa,  in  1849,  and  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Oregon  the  next  year.  Settled  in  Marion  County, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  Has  taught  school;  was  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  in  1882;  and  is  an  enthusiastic  temperance  advo 
cate.  Married  Miss  Mattie  J.  Smith  in  1878.  Resides  in  Jefferson. 


JIISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  725 

RILEY,  J.  B. 

Born  iii  Vermont  in  1S27.  Went  to  Massachusetts  in  1846  and 
became  apprentice  to  a  cabinet-maker  near  Boston.  In  May,  1849, 
lie  took  passage  on  the  third  vessel  that  left  Boston  for  California, 
sailing  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and 
lived  ten  years  in  Oregon  City;  then  moved  to  The  Dalles,  where  he 
lived  three  years,  and  after  a  short  residence  in  Portland,  purchased 
a  hotel  in  Dayton,  a  business  he  is  engaged  in  at  present.  He  was 
married  in  1862  to  Miss  S.  Jacobs,  and  two  children  were  born  to 
them— Ella  M.,  and  William. 

SIMMS,  HENRY  H. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1828;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Willa- 
mina  Creek,  Yamhill  County,  where  he  still  resides,  engaged  in 
farming.  He  married  Elizabeth  Springer  in  Polk  County  in  1852, 
and  their  children's  names  are — Sylvander,  Susan,  and  Henry. 

SPRINGER,  B.  H. 

Born  in  Steuben  County,  New  York,  September  26,  1829,  and 
lived  successively  in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Came  from  the  latter 
State  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and  settled  in  the  Grande  Ronde,  Polk 
County,  in  1851,  remaining  there  until  1856,  when  he  removed  to 
Amity,  Yamhill  County.  His  principal  occupation  has  been  farm 
ing;  but  at  present  he  has  chosen  the  less  fatiguing  duties  of 
notary  public  and  conveyancer.  He  has  three  children — Barney 
I).,  Olive  (Mrs.  W.  R.  Smith),  and  George.  Their  mother  was 
Miss  Eliza  Warren,  whom  Mr.  Springer  married  on  May  17,  1855. 

STARKWEATHER,  W.  A. 

Born  in  Preston,  Connecticut,  in  1822;  taught  school  there  and 
in  Ohio;  went  to  California  in  1850,  and  in  the  same  year  came  to 
Oregon.  Took  a  donation  claim  near  Scio  in  1852  and  remained 
two  years,  when  he  removed  to  Clackamas  County,  and  resides 
there  still.  Elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1854  and 
many  times  since.  State  Senator  in  1878.  Married  Miss  Eliza 
Gordon  in  1853. 

WARREN,  A.  J., 

Lives  three  miles  east  of  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  Lexington,  Missouri, 


726  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

August  10,  1832,  and  married  in  1855  to  Miss  Eliza  Spalding,  a 
daughter  of  the  missionary  Spalding.  Their  children  are — 
America,  Lizzie  (deceased),  Minnie,  and  James  H. 

WATERS,  ABNER  W. 

Born  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  in  1833;  resided  subsequently 
in  Indiana  and  Iowa.  Coming  to  Oregon,  he  settled  at  Harrisburg, 
Linn  County,  took  a  donation  claim  and  also  dealt  in  merchandise. 
He  recruited  Company  F  of  the  First  Oregon  Volunteers,  and  served 
three  years  as  its  captain  during  the  civil  war,  commanding  at 
various  times,  Forts  Hoskins,  Vancouver,  Lapwai,  and  Walla 
Walla.  Raised  stock  in  Union  County  for  several  years;  managed 
the  Statesman,  newspaper  of  Salem,  for  two  years — 1874-76 — then 
held  for  four  years  the  office  of  U.  S.  Marshal.  Married  first  Miss 
M.  A.  McCully,  and  second  Miss  Sarah  McCartney,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  Multnomah 
County  in  1880. 

WATTS,  M.  M. 

Resides  two  and  &  half  miles  west  of  Forest  Grove,  and  is  a 
farmer.  He  has  made  his  home  there  since  his  arrival  in  1850.  He 
married  Nancy  A.  Knighten  in  1846. 

WHITE,  WILLIAM  L. 

Born  in  New  Kent  County,  Virginia,  in  1819.  Came  to  Oregon, 
October  29,  1850.  Occupation,  county  judge  of  Clackamas  County. 
Wife's  previous  name,  Mary  E.  Partlow.  Children — William  J., 
Anna  E.,  Rebecca  T.,  Allen  G.,  and  William  B.  The  first  and  last 
named  are  now  dead. 

WHITLOCK,  EDWARD  H. 

Born  in  Oregon  City,  December  3,  1850.  Occupation,  mer 
chant.  Wife's  previous  name,  Myra  B.  Hand.  Residence  and 
post-office  address,  Oregon  City. 

WILMOT,  R.  P. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1814;  moved  to  Missouri  in  1836,  and 
lived  there  until  coming  to  Oregon  in  1850.  Settled  first  in  Port 
land;  then  moved  to  Washington  County  in  1869,  and  has  lived 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  727 

there  since;  owns  a  farm  near  Beaverton,  on  which  he  lives. 
Married  Miss  Nancy  Stone  in  1836,  who  died  of  cholera  while 
crossing  the  plains  in  1850.  Was  married  again  in  1851,  to  Mrs. 
Nancy  McKay.  Had  seven  children  by  his  first  wife,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living,  and  three  daughters  by  the  second  wife,  all  deceased. 

WILSON,  ALFRED. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee  in  1826;  came  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and 
settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Present  residence,  Ballston,  Polk 
County.  Occupation,  farming.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Johnson 
in  1856.  Children — Melissa,  Vina,  Minnie,  Lillie,  Mary,  Lucinda, 
Alfred,  and  H.  Gr. 

WILSON,  BUSHROD  W. 

Born  in  Columbia,  Maine,  July  18,  1824.  Learned  the  printer's 
trade  in  New  York.  Followed  the  sea  for  several  years.  Came 
to  Oregon  via  Cape  Horn  and  California,  landed  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Umpqua  River,  and  walked  thence  to  Corvallis.  Was  county 
clerk  of  Benton  County  from  1864  until  the  present  time.  Was 
the  first  president  of  the  Willamette  Valley  and  Coast  Railway 
Company,  which  proposed  to  join  Corvallis  and  Yaquina  Bay  by  a 
railway — a  project  just  on  the  eve  of  completion  (1885)  by  the 
Oregon  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 

1851. 

BELL,  G.  G. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1825,  and  educated  in  Dennison  College.  Taught 
school  in  that  State  until  1851,  when  he  came  to  Oregon.  Served 
in  the  Mexican  war.  Has  taught  in  the  academy  at  Bethel,  Polk 
County.  Resides  near  Bethel  and  is  a  farmer.  His  postoffice  is 
McCoy.  Married  in  Ohio  to  Mary  A.  DeLong.  Their  children 
were — Julia,  Agnes,  Calista  (deceased),  Edward,  Lucy,  and  Olive. 

BINGMAN,  JAMES  K. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  June  28,  1829,  and  came 
to  Oregon  in  September,  1851.  Resides  now  at  Oregon  City,  and 
is  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Mr.  Bingman  has  been  married  twice, 
first  to  Mar}'  Paquet,  and  last  to  Jennie  Stevens.  His  children 
are  two — Mary  A.,  and  Ella  C. 


728  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BLANCHARD,  JOSHUA  P. 

Born  in  Montpelier,  Vermont,  April  28,  1820;  was  a  carpenter 
by  occupation;  married  Rebecca  Race;  children — William  A.  (de 
ceased),  Evangeline  (deceased),  Lydia  A.  (deceased),  Mary  E.,  May, 
Emma  J.  (deceased),  Abraham  L.,  Nora  (deceased),  Joshua  P.,  and 
Sarah  E.  Mr.  Blanchard  died  at  Canemah,  Clackanias  County, 
May  16,  1884. 

BOISE,  REUBEN  P. 

Born  in  Blanford,  Massachusetts,  in  1819.  Graduated  from 
Williams  College,  class  of  1843.  Was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848 
and  practiced  two  years,  coming  then  to  Oregon  and  settling  at 
Portland.  Was  chosen  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  first  and  second 
districts  in  1852.  Was  one  of  the  commissioners  who  prepared  the 
Oregon  code  in  1854.  In  1854  was  re-elected  prosecuting  attorney, 
and  also  elected  to  the  Territorial  Legislature.  Was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1857,  and  in  the  same  year  was  ap 
pointed  Supreme  Judge  of  the  Territory.  When  Oregon  was  ad 
mitted  he  was  elected  Chief  Justice  of  the  new  State,  and  when  his 
term  expired  in  1864,  he  was  chosen  to  the  supreme  bench.  Re 
turned  to  the  practice  of  the  law  in  1870  until  1876,  when  he  was 
again  elected  to  the  supreme  bench.  In  1880  became  judge  of  the 
third  judicial  district.  The  judge  owns  an  immense  farm  in  Polk 
County,  and  has  held  the  position  of  Master  of  the  State  Grange  of 
Oregon  as  well  as  being  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove,  the  LaCreole  Academy  at 
Dallas,  and  the  Willamette  University  at  Salem. 

BRANSON,  ELY  T. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1829;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk 
County.  His  present  residence  is  Sheridan,  Yamhill  County,  and 
occupation,  farming.  He  married  Sarah  C.  Branson,  in  Polk 
County,  in  1864,  and  their  children's  names  are — William  A., 
Edward  B.,  Calvin  E.,  Maud,  and  Lela. 

BURKHART,  C.  P. 

Born  in  Hawkins  County,  Tennessee,  February  24,  1819;  in 
1828  went  to  Kentucky;  from  thence  to  Illinois  in  1830,  and  six 
years  later  moved  to  Iowa.  Was  married  in  1844  to  Elizabeth 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  729 

Jane  Doughty;  by  her  has  had  six  children — John  H.,  Mary 
Elizabeth,  C.  C.,  Emily  L.,  and  Frank  A.  He  came  overland  to 
Oregon  with  his  family,  and  settled  in  Linn  County,  near  Albany, 
where  he  yet  lives,  and  became  a  farmer;  was  elected  county  com 
missioner  in  1874,  and  served  one  term;  in  1876  was  appointed 
commissioner  to  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  but 
failed  to  attend;  his  wife  and  himself  were  awarded  medals  and 
diplomas  for  the  best  exhibition  there  of  wheat,  rye,  and  oats. 
Mr.  Burkhart  is  a  life  member  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Grange;  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  con 
struction  of  the  Santiani  ditch  which  provides  Albany  with  water, 
and  has  erected  a  warehouse  and  other  works  for  the  benefit  of  the 
community. 

BURKHART,  J.  H. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1849.  In  1876,  entered  the  real  estate  busi 
ness  and  still  conducts  it  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  C.  Burk 
hart,  at  Albany,  and  now  has  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land, 
three  saw  mills  and  some  other  property.  Married  Miss  Ella  R. 
Miller  in  1876. 

CANON,  W.  R. 

Born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  July  31,  1821;  was  raised 
upon  a  farm;  went  to  Illinois  in  1845,  and  came  from  that  state  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn  County.  Was  cattle-drover  and  farmer 
at  first,  but  now  keeps  a  livery-stable  in  Albany.  Participated  in 
the  Yakima  Indian  war.  Married  in  1864  Miss  Ann  Gary,  and 
they  have  two  children — Laura  Belle,  and  Ida  Estelle. 

CARSON,  JOHN  C. 

Born  in  Center  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1825,  and  removed  to 
Ohio  in  1832.  Was  educated  in  Ashland  Academy,  Ohio.  Stud 
ied  medicine,  and  in  1850  went  to  California.  Ill  health  took  him 
to  Oregon,  and  he  lived  in  Portland,  following  the  business  of  con 
tractor  and  builder.  In  1857  he  erected  a  sash  and  door  factory 
in  Portland.  Has  been  a  councilman  of  the  city  for  many  terms. 
Represented  Multnomah  County  twice  in  the  legislature.  In  1854 
he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Talbot,  who  died  in  1859;  and  in  1860 
he  married  Mrs.  Eliza  Northrop,  of  Portland.  Has  five  children. 


730  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CHADWICK,  STEPHEN  FOWLER. 

Born  in  Connecticut;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  New 
York  bar.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  first  in  Douglas  County, 
and  practiced  his  profession  among  lawyers,  a  singularly  large  pro 
portion  of  whom  were,  or  have  since  become,  celebrated.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1857;  and  in  1864, 
and  1868,  a  Presidential  Elector.  In  1 870  he  was  elected  Secretary 
of  State,  and  served  eight  years,  the  last  two  of  which  he  performed 
also  the  duties  of  Governor  of  Oregon,  because  of  the  retirement 
of  Governor  Grover,  who  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator.  He  held,  back 
in  the  fifties,  many  judicial  offices,  which  need  not  here  be  enumer 
ated.  At  present  he  is  located  in  Salem,  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  Married,  in  1856,  Miss  Jane  Smith,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Governor  Chadwick  is  a  notable  Mason,  having  filled, 
with  distinction,  many  ofiices  in  that  society,  including  that  of  Grand 
Master,  and  has  taken  the  thirty -third  degree. 

CHAMBERS,  W.   N. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1851;  settled  at  Salem  in  1868; 
engaged  at  first  in  a  livery  and  sale  stable,  but  is  now  in  the  hack 
business.  Married,  in  1876,  to  Katie  C.  Bauer. 

CHANDLER,  MRS.  NANCY. 

Born  in  Ohio 'in  1827;  came  to  Oregon  in  1851,  and  settled  in 
Polk  County.  Resides  near  Ballston.  She  married  P.  Sargent  in 
1844.  Mr.  Sargent  dying,  she  married,  in  1863,  J.  M.  Chandler, 
who  is  also  deceased.  Her  children  are — W.  J.,  William,  Mary, 
C.,  Martha,  J.  M.,  Joel,  C.  T.,  George,  Charles,  Henry,  Albert,  and 
Emma. 

COLEMAN,  D.  C. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1828;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1849. 
and  entered  the  mercantile  business  in  California  with  his  brother, 
W.  T.  Coleman.  Came  to  Portland  in  1851,  and  remained  there 
until  1858.  He  mined  considerably  in  different  places;  in  1869 
went  to  Yanihill  County,  and  to  Sheridan  in  1876,  and  still  resides 
there.  Married  Miss  Mary  Warren  in  1853,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children;  she  died  in  1868.  In  1875  he  married  Martha  Sargent, 
by  whom  he  had  one  child,  named  Pearl. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  781 

CONDIT,  SYLVANUS, 

Son  of  Philip  Condit;  came  to  Oregon  in  1851,  and  in  1854 
married  Sarah  A.  Brown.  Their  children  are — Alice  Ann,  Samuel, 
Mary  C.,  and  Lawrence.  Mr.  Condit  was  county  commissioner 
from  1878  to  1884.  Postoffice  address,  Turner,  Marion  County. 

CONE,  G.  A. 

Born  in  Vermont,  and  subsequently  settled  in  Iowa,  from  which 
State  he  moved  to  Oregon.  Settled  at  Butteville,  Marion  County, 
and  resided  there  until  his  death,  April  7,  1881.  His  occupation 
was  merchandising.  Five  sons  survived  him. 

COSHOW,  o.  P. 

Lives  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  merchant  and  farmer. 
Was  born  in  Indiana,  July  4,  1831,  and  married,  in  1853,  to  Miss 
Sarah  E.  Cochran.  Their  children  are — William  L.,  Sophronia  A., 
Robert  H.,  James  M.,  Mary  E.,  Oliver  P.,  Sarah  E.,  Ida  A.,  George 
H.,  and  Kate  E. 

CRANSTON,  SAMUEL  B. 

Born  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  October  19,  1828;  came  over 
land  to  Oregon  and  now  lives  at  Linkville,  Klamath  County,  where 
he  is  attorney -at -law.  Lived  for  some  years  in  Lane  County,  where 
he  held  several  public  offices;  was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  then 
became  United  States  assistant  assessor,  under  the  administration  of 
Abraham  Lincoln;  resigned  in  18H4,  having  been  elected 
member  of  the  State  Senate  from  Lane  County.  Removed  to 
Linkville  in  1874,  and  was  appointed  register  of  the  United  States 
land  office  in  1875,  which  position  he  held  until  1877.  His  wife's 
previous  name  was  Octavia  O.  Irwin,  and  their  children  are — Jose 
phine  R.,  John  F.,  Elizabeth  M.,  and  Henrietta  F. 

DAVIS,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Kentucky,  April  30,  1831;  in 
1843  he  moved  to  Illinois;  in  1850  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
after  living  a  short  time  in  California,  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Washington  County.  His  present  residence  is  in  Yarnhill  County, 
and  occupations,  farming  and  blacksrnithing.  In  1857  he  married 
Caroline  Yocum,  and  their  children's  names  are — Olive,  Jefferson, 
Lucy,  Henry  W.,  Horace  L.,  John  H.,  Orlando  G.,  and  Walter  L. 


732  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

DAVIS,  JEFFERSON. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Kentucky,  November  23,  1826; 
in  1845,  moved  to  Illinois;  in  1850,  emigrated  to  California  and 
one  year  later  came  to  Oregon.  He  settled  at  Deer  Creek,  in  Yam- 
hill  County;  now  reside  at  Bellevue,  engaged  as  a  carpenter  and 
farmer.  In  1853  he  married  Miss  Kittle  Robinson,  and  their  chil 
dren's  names  are — Mittie  M.,  Eugene  I.,  and  Orlando. 

DAVENPORT,  T.  W. 

Born  in  Columbia  County,  New  York,  in  1826;  removed  to  this 
State  with  his  parents  and  became  a  farmer.  Located  in  Marion 
County.  Was  elected  county  surveyor  in  1864  and  1866,  and  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1868  and  1870.  AVas 
nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Independents  in  1874,  but  was 
beaten.  Was  elected  State  Senator  in  1882.  Married  in  1852  to 
Miss  Flora,  daughter  of  R.  C.  Geer,  of  Marion  County.  She  died 
in  1870.  Married,  in  1872,  Mrs.  N.  E.  Wisner,  of  Linn  County. 

DENNY,  A.  H. 

Born  in  Indiana,  February,  1823;  resided  there  until  1851,  then 
coming  to  Oregon.  '  First  settled  near  Portland,  but  removed  in 
1855  to  the  farm  at  McCoy,  Polk,  County,  on  which  he  now  resides. 
Married  in  Indiana  in  1851  to  Almira  King,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  following  survive — Lucius,  Cephas,  Samuel 
C.,  Julius  G..  Thomas,  and  Ziba. 

DIXON,  JESSE. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1831;  was  taken  to  Illinois  in  1835;  re 
mained  there  until  1851.  Came  to  Oregon  in  company  with  George 
Churchill,  P.  Hampton,  and  others,  and  walked  all  the  way  across 
the  plains.  Established  himself  first  in  Yamhill  County,  but  went 
to  Southern  Oregon  and  mined  near  Jacksonville  for  a  time.  Has 
been  engaged  in  business  affairs  during  the  subsequent  years.  Re 
sides  now  in  Lafayette  and  carries  on  a  mercantile  business.  Was 
married  in  1854  to  Louisa  A.  Milliken.  They  have  had  three  chil 
dren,  two  now  dead. 

DOWELL,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Albeuiarle  County,  Virginia,  in  October,  1826;  studied 
law  at  the  University  of  Virginia;  went  to  California  in  1850; 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  733 

came  by  sea  to  Oregon  the  next  year.  Resides  in  Jacksonville. 
Occupation,  lawyer.  Married  Miss  Anna  Campbell  in  1861,  and 
they  have  three  children — Fannie,  Anna,  and  B.  F. 

DRAKE,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of 
Panama;  settled  first  in  Oregon  City,  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  Mr.  Smith,  in  a  foundry.  In  1855  he  volunteered  in  Com 
pany  C,  under  J.  K.  Kelly,  and  served  in  the  Yakima  war,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Oregon  City,  but  moved  from  there  to  Salem 
in  1 860,  and  entered  into  a  partnership  with.  John  Nation,  which 
lasted  two  years;  then  became  full  proprietor  of  their  iron  works, 
and  in  1864  took  J.  H.  Moores  into  partnership,  which  lasted  four 
years.  Mr.  Drake  does  a  large  business  in  the  iron  trade,  and  has 
sixteen  men  constantly  employed. 

EDWARDS,  JOSEPH. 

Mr.  Edwards  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  which,  unfor 
tunately  for  Oregon,  has  sent  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  west 
ward  emigration.  Mr.  E.  was  born  in  1827,  and  came  across  the 
continent  in  1851,  being  then  a  single  man.  He  settled  in  the 
pleasant  vale  of  the  Luckiauiute  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
still  pursues  with  success.  His  somewhat  large  family  are  the  re 
sults  of  his  union  with  Missouri  Ritner,  the  marriage  taking  place 
in  Polk  County  in  1855.  Their  children's,  names  are — Charles  L., 
William  H.,  Mary,  Martha,  Esther,  Richard,  John,  Sarah,  Joseph, 
Lewis,  Henry,  and  Alvin. 

ENNIS,  ALLEN. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1830;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  in 
Washington  County;  his  present  residence  is  Buena  Vista,  and  oc 
cupation,  merchant.  He  married  Margarette  Smith,  in  this  State  in 
1863,  and  their  children's  names  are — B.  P.,  Ennis,  Mary, 
William  A.,  John  L.,  Charles  A.,  Sydney  B.,  and  James  H. 

FAILING,  JOSIAH. 

Born  in  1806  on  his  father's  farm  in  Canajoharie,  Montgomery 
County,  N.  Y.  His  ancestors  were  of  German  descent,  his  great 
grandfather  having  come  from  the  Bavarian  Palatinate  and  settled 


734  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

in  the  Mohawk  Valley  in  1703.  Josiah  Failing  removed  to  New 
York  City  when  a  young  man  and  there  married  Miss  Henrietta 
Ellison,  who  survived  him.  In  1851  they  removed  to  Portland, 
and  Mr.  Failing  engaged  successfully  in  mercantile  affairs,  retiring 
therefrom  in  1864  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  partner,  Henry 
Failing.  In  1853  Josiah  Failing  was  mayor  of  Portland,  and  in 
1864  and  1868  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Con 
ventions.  He  distinguished  himself  greatly  in  his  advocacy  of  com 
mon  schools,  and  has  been  styled  "  The  Father  of  the  Schools  of 
Portland."  In  his  honor  the  Failing  School  has  been  named.  He 
died  at  his  residence  in  Portland  on  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1877. 

FAWK,  JAMES. 

Born  in  England  in  1816;  came  to  America  in  1842,  and  lived 
in  Louisiana,  Illinois,  and  Missouri  prior  to  coming  to  Oregon. 
On  his  arrival  in  this  State  he  took  a  donation  claim  on  Salt 
Creek ;  now  lives  on  a  farm  near  Eola,  in  Polk  County.  Married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Robinson  in  1839,  and  has  four  children — Mary, 
John,  Henry,  and  Wallace. 

FLICKINGER,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1830;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Luckiamute  Valley,  and  still  resides  there.  Occupation,  farming. 
He  married  Martha  M.  Pyburn  in  Oregon  in  1851,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Alfred,  Caroline,  Lillie,  Annie,  and  Martha. 

FRAZAR,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1813;  married  in  1839  to  Frances  A. 
Bradford,  wTho  died  in  1884;  present  residence,  Portland.  Was 
Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  during  Lincoln's  administration. 

GEARIN,  JOHN  M. 

Born  in  Uinatilla  County,  Oregon,  August  15,  1851;  was  edu 
cated  at  the  Catholic  college  at  Santa  Clara,  California.  Studied 
law,  was  admitted,  and  in  1875  and  1876  was  elected  city  attorney 
for  Portland.  Served  in  the  legislature  of  1874,  and  in  1884  was 
elected  district  attorney  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  District. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  735 

GEARY,  EDWARD  R.,  D.D. 

Born  in  Boonsboro,  Maryland,  April  30,  1811,  and  graduated 
from  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania,  in  1834.  Studied  theology, 
and  about  1840,  entered  the  ministry,  becoming  pastor  of  a  church 
at  Fredericksburg,  Ohio,  in  which  he  officiated  for  thirteen 
years.  Settled  in  Yamhill  County,  Oregon,  in  1851,  and  was  ap 
pointed  clerk  of  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court;  afterwards  became  county 
clerk  and  superintendent  of  schools  for  Yamhill  County,  and  after 
wards  clerk  to  General  Palmer,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs. 
In  1857  he  succeeded  el.  W.  Nesmith  as  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs  for  Oregon.  He  preached  in  Linn  County  for  a  time,  but 
moved  to  Eugene  City  in  187(>,  and  became  pastor  of  the  Presbyte 
rian  church.  Has  taken  thirty -two  degrees  in  Masonry.  Is  a  re 
gent  of  the  State  University.  Married  twice,  first  to  Miss  Harriet 
Reed,  and  after  her  decease,  to  Miss  N.  M.  Woodbridge.  Has 
seven  children. 

GEORGE,  M.  C. 

Born  in  Noble  County,  Ohio,  in  1849.  His  parents  brought  him 
across  the  plains  in  1851,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Lebanon,  Linn 
County.  He  was  educated  at  the  Santiam  Academy,  the  Willam 
ette  University,  and  the  Portland  Business  College.  Was  nomi 
nated  by  the  Republicans  of  Linn  County  for  Representative  to  the 
Legislature  in  1870,  but  was  defeated.  Taught  at  the  Jefferson  Acad 
emy  and  was  principal  of  the  Albany  public  schools  for  a  year  or  two. 
Was  again  defeated  as  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature  in  1872. 
Married  Miss  Mary  Eckler  in  1872.  Read  law,  and  in  1875  was 
admitted  to  practice.  Became  State  Senator  for  Multnomah  County 
in  1876.  In  1880  received  the  nomination  for  Congressman  by  the 
Republicans,  and  was  elected  by  fourteen  hundred  majority. 

HALL,  B.  F. 

Born  in  Indiana;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Multnomah 
County.  Married  Emily  Hickland,  and  had  by  her  two  children. 
Mr.  Hall  died  in  I860. 

HARGER,   LINUS  W. 

Was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1838;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon 
he  settled  near  Forest  Grove,  Washington  County.  His  present 


36  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

residence  is  West  Chehalem,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married 
in  1871,  Miss  Pambrun  who  is  a  daughter  of  P.  C.  Pambrun,  who 
was  sent  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  locate  Vancouver  as  a 
trading  post,  in  1825.  Mr.  Pambrun  also  had  charge  of  Fort 
Walla  Walla  at  the  time  Whitman  and  the  missionaries  came  there, 
and  Mrs.  Harger  was  born  at  the  latter  place  in  1837. 

HICKS,  TELITHA  (SIMPSON). 

Mrs.  E.  P.  Hicks  nee  Miss  Telitha  Simpson,  died  at  Abiqua, 
November  1,  1884.  She  was  born  on  the  plains  July  3,  1851, 
reaching  Oregon  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year,  settling  in 
Marion  County,  and  was  subsequently  married  to  E.  P.  Hicks. 
Her  husband  and  two  children  survive  her. 

HICKS,  URBAN  E. 

Born  in  Boone  County,  Missouri,  May  14,  1828;  served  five  years' 
apprenticeship  at  the  printers'  trade  in  Paris,  Monroe  County,  and 
Hannibal,  on  the  Mississippi  river.  Married  Miss  Eliza  Jane  Lee- 
dom,  in  1850,  in  Schuyler  County;  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1851  set  out  for  Oregon,  overland.  Settled  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Cowlitz  river,  taught  school,  and  in  1852,  came  to  Portland; 
worked  a  short  time  at  his  trade ;  located  on  a  claim  three  miles  east 
of  East  Portland;  moved  to  Salt  Creek,  Polk  County,  and  from 
there  to  Puget  Sound,  in  1853,  where  his  wife  died,  leaving  one  son, 
Dr.  Frank  P.,  of  Astoria.  Married  Miss  India  Ann  Hartsock  in 
1855,  by  whom  he  has  one  son  living — G.  Gwin.  Took  part  in  the 
Indian  war  of  1855-6,  going  out  as  first  lieutenant  and  afterwards 
promoted  to  captain ;  was  assessor  and  county  clerk  of  Thurston 
County,  and  assistant  clerk  of  the  first  Territorial  Council  of  Wash 
ington  Territory;  \vas  at  different  times  elected  by  the  legislature, 
Territorial  Librarian,  Territorial  Auditor,  and  Quartermaster  Gen 
eral;  was  also  deputy  U.  S.  Marshal.  Mr.  Hicks  has  had  a  varied 
experience  in  the  newspaper  business,  having,  in  1861-62,  published 
the  Vancouver  Telegraph;  in  1864-65,  published  the  Washington 
Democrat, ,at  Olympia;  moved  his  plant  to  Salem,  Oregon,  and  in 
connection  with  A.  Noltner  and  C.  B.  Bellinger,  in  1865-66,  pub 
lished  the  Democratic  Review;  went  to  Portland  and  was  city  editor 
of  the  Daily  Oregon  Herald;  started  the  East  Portland  Era  in 
1871,  and  in  1874,  was  engaged  as  editor  of  the  Vancouver  Register. 
He  now  resides  in  Portland. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  737 

HIGGINS,  S. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1806;  was  raised  in  that  State  and  Massa 
chusetts,  and  came  to  Oregon  at  the  mature  age  of  forty-five.  Took 
up  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  County  and  still  resides  thereon.  Oc 
cupation,  farming.  Married  in  Maine  in  1849,  Miss  Susan  Mc- 
Clench.  They  have  six  children — Sarah  L.,  Susan  A.,  John  S., 
Ephraim  C.,  Ellen  A.,  and  Mary  Ida. 

HUMASON,  ORLANDO. 

Born  in  Truuibull  County,  Ohio,  in  1827,  removed  to  Texas 
in  1849,  and  proceeded  to  California,  by  way  of  Mazatlan,  in  the 
next  year.  The  following  year  he  came  to  Oregon  and  was  em 
ployed  by  Asahel  Bush,  as  printer.  Settled  soon  after  in  Yamhill 
County  and  cultivated  a  farm.  Was  elected  to  the  Territorial  Leg 
islature  in  1852,  and  a  year  later  removed  to  Eastern  Oregon  where 
he  resided  until  his  death  on  September  8,  1875.  His  principal 
occupation  was  the  practice  of  the  law. 

HYDE,  PERRY. 

Born  in  Laurel  County,  Kentucky,  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Harrisburg,  Linn  County ;  has  been  in  the  stock  and  mer 
cantile  business  most  of  the  time,  but  has  recently  retired.     Was 
married  to  Miss  Eliza  Tyler,  by  whom  he  has  six  children,  namely 
—Marion,  Mary,  John,  America,  Oliver  and  Caroline.    . 

JOHNSON,  LEWIS. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1815;  when  nine  years  old  removed  to  Illinois; 
lived  in  succession  in  that  State,  Indiana,  and  Missouri  until  1851. 
Arrived  at  Portland,  Oregon,  in  that  year  and  remained  a  twelve 
month;  pursued  merchandising  in  Washington  Territory  for  the 
five  years  following;  was  in  Yamhill  County  for  the  ensuing  three 
years,  and  in  1861  removed  to  Salem.  Married  Rachel  Youst  in 
1836.  Their  children  comprised — Jane  M.  (deceased),  C.  A. 
(deceased),  Mary  E.,  Henry  C.,  Maria  E.  (deceased),  Angie,  A. 
B.  (deceased),  Reuben,  and  Rachel.  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  a 
Member  of  the  State  Legislature  (in  1857),  and  was  justice  of  the 
peace  while  in  Washington  Territory.  He  now  resides  in  Salem. 

KELLY,  JAMES  K. 

Born  in  Center  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1819,  and  was  reared 
upon  a  farm.  Was  educated  in  Princeton  College,  and  afterwards 


738  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  V ALLEY. 

studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Practiced  several  years, 
and  went  to  California  in  1849,  mined  for  a  time,  but  came  to 
Oregon  soon  after,  and  settled  in  Oregon  City.  Was  chosen  Code 
Commissioner  in  1853,  and  also  belonged  to  the  Territorial  Council, 
being  for  two  sessions  president  of  that  body.  In  the  Yakima  war 
he  took  an  active  part,  and  was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  of 
the  Oregon  Volunteers.  In  1857  he  was  a  member  of  the  Consti- 

O  x 

tutional  Convention,  and  in  1860  was  State  Senator.  In  1864  he 
suffered  defeat  as  nominee  for  Congress,  and  two  years  later  Avas 
beaten  by  Geo.  L.  Woods  in  the  contest  for  the  Governorship. 
Was  elected  United  States  Senator  in  1870,  and  in  1878  became 
Chief  Justice  of  Oregon. 

LADD,  WILLIAM  S. 

Born  in  Vermont  in  1827.  Was  a  teacher  in  his  youth,  and 
afterwards  freight  and  passenger  agent  on  a  railway.  Came  to 
Portland  in  1851,  and  soon  after  obtained  a  clerkship  with  a  mer 
cantile  house,  rising  to  the  ownership  thereof  very  quickly.  In  1859, 
in  partnership  with  C.  E.  Tilton,  he  established  the  first  banking 
house  in  Oregon,  and  has  retained  control  of  it  ever  since,  besides 
entering  into  many  other  enterprises,  through  which  he  has  amassed, 
perhaps,  the  greatest  fortune  in  the  State.  Is,  or  has  been,  a  mem 
ber  of  the  banking  firm  of  Ladd  &  Bush,  of  Salem,  as  well  as  a 
director  in  very  many  enterprises  of  importance — such  as  the  Salem 
Flouring  Mills,  the  Oregon  City  Woolen  Mills,  the  Oswego  Iron 
Works,  various  local  railroad  companies,  wagon  road  companies, 
and  other  concerns.  Has  been  mayor  of  Portland.  Married  Miss 
Caroline  A.  Elliott  in  1854. 

LAME,  JOSEPH  H. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Indiana,  in  1824;  carne  to  Oregon 
and  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  Portland  for  two  years.  Moved 
to  Linn  County  in  1858,  and  has  since  resided  there.  His  occupa 
tion  is  merchandising  and  dealing  in  wheat.  Is  of  the  firm  of 
Koontz  <fe  Lame.  They  have  a  large  warehouse  and  handle  from 
sixty  to  seventy-five  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  per  year.  Mr. 
Lame  married  in  1848,  Mary  Brown.  Children — Oryntha,  Maria, 
Viola,  Frederick,  and  Ethel — all  living.  Mr.  L.7s  mother,  now 
eighty-four  years  old,  resides  with  him. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  739 

MARVIN,  ALBERT  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1840;  came  to  Oregon  when  eleven  years  of 
age;  lived  first  in  Portland,  removing  to  Salem  in  1853,  and  has 
lived  there  ever  since.  Is  at  present  steward  in  the  Chemeketa 
Hotel,  Salem.  Married  in  1873  to  Lucinda  Coffin. 

MATTOON,  CHARLES  H. 

Born  in  Madison  County,  New  York,  in  1826;  in  1851  he  came 
to  Oregon  and  settled  on  the  Tualatin  Plains,  near  Forest  Grove. 
Until  about  1870  he  followed  school  teaching  and  book  canvassing. 
In  1870  was  ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  for 
twenty  years  served  as  clerk  of  the  Central  Baptist  Association— 
the  largest  Baptist  association  north  of  California — and  for  two 
years  was  statistical  secretary  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the 
North  Pacific  Coast,  comprising  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho. 
For  two  years  was  a  professor  at  McMinnville  college.  Now  re 
sides  in  Corvallis,  where  he  is  proprietor  of  a  notion  and  variety 
store.  In  1860  he  married  Miss  Mary  N.  Smith,  who  died  in 
January,  1878.  In  1884  he  married  Miss  Ellen  E.  Folsom.  He 
has  three  children — Leslie  M.,  Frank  S.,  and  Laura  E. 

MCCAIN,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Carroll  County,  Indiana,  March  30,  1842.  Lived  on  his 
parents'  farm  in  Polk  County  until  1867,  when  he  studied  law, 
and  in  1868  was  admitted  to  practice.  Practiced  in  Dallas,  Polk 
County,  removing  to  Lafayette  in  1871.  Married  Miss  E,  C.  Sulli 
van  in  1868. 

MEAD,  M.  M. 

Born  in  West  Virginia  in  1822;  moved  to  Ohio  and  afterwards 
to  Missouri;  participated  in  the  Mexican  war;  was  married  in  1849 
to  Minerva  Greenstreet.  Their  children  are — Ellen,  James  E.,  Ol 
iver  C.,  and  A.  W.  Residence,  Salem. 

MEAD,  JAMES  E. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1851,  and  at  the  age  of  six  months  was 
brought  across  the  plains  to  this  State.  Is  now  a  police  officer  of 
the  city  of  Salem. 


740  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

MILLER,  C.  M. 

Born  in  Lancaster  District,  South  Carolina,  February  11,  1818; 
came  to  Oregon  and  lived  at  various  times  in  Clackamas,  Marion, 
and  Lane  counties,  prior  to  settling  in  Harrisburg,  where  he  is  now 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  Was  married  in  1834,  and  his 
wife  died  in  1874,  leaving  him  one  child,  named  James  F.  He 
married  again,  in  1875,  to  Almira  Cummens. 

MILLER,  JOHN  F. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  Kentucky,  and  reared  there.  Removed 
to  Missouri  in  1841,  and  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war, 
enlisted  in  the  Chihuahua  Rangers,  a  portion  of  Doniphan's  com 
mand.  Participated  in  various  lights,  and  on  the  conclusion  of  hos 
tilities,  returned  to  Missouri  and  was  married,  March  25,  1849,  to 
Miss  Zerelda  Jackson.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on  a  donation 
claim  in  Jackson  County.  Commanded  a  company  of  volunteers 
and  fought  the  Indians  with  vigor  in  the  Indiar  war  of  1853,  par 
ticipating  in  the  battle  of  Evans'  Creek,  when  General  Lane  was 
wounded.  Did  escort  duty  on  the  plains  later  in  the  year,  protect 
ing  incoming  immigrant  trains.  Captain  Miller  represented  Jack 
son  County  in  the  legislature  in  1853-54,  and  afterwards  became 
Indian  Agent  at  Grand  Ronde  Reservation.  Moved  to  Salem  in 
1862,  and  was  instrumental  in  building  the  Willamette  Woolen 
Mills.  AVas  nominated  for  Governor  in  that  year,  against  A.  C. 
Gibbs,  but  was  defeated;  in  1866  he  was  beaten  by  G.  H.  Williams 
in  the  race  for  U.  8.  Senator.  His  family  residence  is  at  Salem,  but 
he  has  stock  interests  in  Klamath  County  which  requires  his  pres 
ence  there  the  most  of  the  time.  General  Miller  commanded  the 
Oregon  militia  in  the  Modoc  war,  being  then  General -in -chief  of  the 
State  militia. 

MOODY,  Z.  F. 

Born  on  May  27,  1832,  in  Granby,  Massachusetts;  in  1848  he 
removed  to  Chicopee,  in  the  same  State,  where  he  remained  the  en 
suing  three  years.  In  March,  1851,  he  started  for  Oregon  via  the 
Isthmus,  with  a  company,  among  whom  was  Hon.  Samuel  R. 
Thurston,  the  first  Delegate  to  Congress  from  Oregon  Territory. 
He  came  direct  to  Oregon  City,  arriving  on  the  twenty -first  of 
April,  1851.  From  this  time  until  1853  he  was  engaged  on  the 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  741 

United  States  Surveys  as  one  of  the  u  .Freeman  Party  "  —so-called 
after  James  E.  Freeman,  \vho  stuck  the  first  pin  in  the  United  States 
Surveys  in  Oregon,  established  the  central  point  of  the  Willamette 
Meridian,  and  extended  this  meridian  to  the  Canyon  Mountains. 
In  1853  Mr.  Moody  removed  to  Brownsville,  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  1856  he  was  appointed  In 
spector  of  the  United  States  Surveys  in  California.  After  com 
pleting  his  duties  as  such  he  went  to  Illinois  where  he  remained 
four  years,  during  a  portion  of  which  time  he  was  the  surveyor  of 
Morgan  County.  lie  was  in  Washington,  I).  C.,  when  Fort  Suniter 
was  fired  upon  in  1861,  and  em-oiled  as  one  of  a  company  formed 
to  protect  the  city  until  the  arrival  of  the  regular  troops.  In  1862 
lie  returned  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  The  Dalles  where  he  entered 
the  mercantile  business.  In  1863  he  removed  his  business  to  Uma- 
tilla,  continuing  there  until  the  fall  of  1865.  In  1866  he  built  the 
steamer  Mary  Moody,  on  Pend  d'Oreille  Lake,  and  organized  the 
"  Oregon  and  Montana  Transportation  Company."  From  1867  to 
1869  he  was  trading  at  Boise.  In  the  latter  year  he  removeg!  to 
The  Dalles  and  became  agent  for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  Express. 
Resigned  in  1873  and  secured  a  contract  for  carrying  the  mail  be 
tween  Portland  and  The  Dalles,  running  a  steamboat  line  between 
those  places.  Withdrew  therefrom  in  1875  and  resumed  business 
at  The  Dalles.  Was  elected  State  Senator  from  Wasco  County 
in  1872  but  did  not  take  his  seat.  In  1880,  was  elected  repre 
sentative,  and  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  Was  nominated 
for  Governor  in  April,  1882,  and  elected  over  his  Democratic  com 
petitor,  Joseph  S.  Smith,  by  fourteen  hundred  majority. 

MULLIGAN,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1830;  came  to  America:  was  in  Missouri  in 
1845;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Portland.  Lives  now  in  the 
Grand  Ronde,  Polk  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Married  Mary  J. 
Ward  in  Idaho.  Children — John,  Robert,  Eddie,  Ruth,  Carrie, 
Joseph,  Ollie,  Grace  and  Ive. 

MURPHY,  JOHN  MILLER. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1839;  came  to  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1851, 
across  the  plains,  with  Barnes'  company  of  immigrants.  Camped 
three  weeks  in  a  tent  on  the  Portland  levee  about  where  the 


742  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Oregonian  office  stands,  awaiting  a  shipment  of  "  California  houses,1' 
to  obtain  a  permanent  domicile.  Succeeding  year  moved  to 
Olympia,  Puget  Sound;  returned  to  Oregon  in  1856,  and  served 
apprenticeship  at  printing  in  the  Times  and  the  Standard  offices. 
In  June,  1861,  started  the  Vancouver  Chronicle,  at  Vancouver,  W. 
T.  In  November  same  year  established  the  Washington  Standard, 
Olympia;  in  1862  married  to  Eliza  J.  McGuire,  in  Portland.  Still 
publishes  the  Standard.  Has  held  office  of  Territorial  Auditor 
three  terms. 

NICHOLS,  MATTHEW. 

Born  in  Caroline  County,  Maryland,  in  1821 ;  went  to  Illinois  in 
1845,  and  came  from  there  to  Oregon.  He  settled  in  the  Luckia- 
mute  Valley,  still  resides  there,  and  his  occupation  is  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  married  Leah  Tregoe,  and  their  children's  names 
are — Isaac,  Margarette,  Leah,  George,  John,  Sarah,  Winta,  and 
Lucinda. 

ODELL,  W.  H. 

Bern  in  Carroll  County,  Indiana,  in  1830,  and  was  raised  on  a 
farm.  His  parents  came  to  Oregon  and  located  in  Yamhill  County; 
the  son  was  educated  at  the  Oregon  Institute,  Salem.  Married  Mrs. 
E.  F.  Thurston.  The  couple  conducted  the  Santiam  Academy  for 
three  years  (1860-63).  From  1864  to  1871  he  was  deputy  U.  S. 
Surveyor,  and  in  the  latter  year  became  U.  S.  Survey  or- General  for 
Oregon,  holding  that  office  until  1874;  in  1876  was  an  elector  on 
the  Hayes'  presidential  ticket.  Became  editor  of  the  Statesman 
newspaper  in  1877,  and  retained  it  until  1884;  is  now  (1885)  post 
master  at  Salem. 

OLDS,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Branch  County,  Michigan,  July  16,  1830.  Came  to 
Oregon  twenty -one  years  later,  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County, 
and  now  resides  at  Lafayette,  in  the  same  county.  Mr.  Olds' 
occupation  is  that  of  farmer.  Ha  married  Nancy  E.  Shuck  in 
Lafayette,  dn  November  10,  1859.  Her  native  State  was  Iowa, 
and  her  birthday  Jane  27,  1840. 

OLDS,  JAMES  H. 

Born  in  Ohio,  May  29,  1830;  came  to  Oregon  in  1851,  but  re 
turned  and  came  out  again  next  year.  First  settled  in  Washington 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  743 

County,  but  after  four  years,  removed  to  Lafayette,  Yamhill  Coun 
ty.  Occupation,  farmer  and  hotel  keeper.  Married  Nancy  A.  Par 
ker,  of  Ohio,  Sept.  13,  1852.  Children— E.  M.,  Kate  G.,  D.  V., 
Mrs.  Delia  Klosterman,  and  Peter  P. 

OLNEY,  CYRUS. 

Born  in  Ohio;  grew  to  manhood  there  and  studied  law  in  Cin 
cinnati  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar;  removed  to  Iowa  and  for  four 
years  was  circuit  judge.  Came  to  Oregon,  stopped  first  at  Salem, 
and  then  in  Portland,  where  he  acquired  property.  In  1853,  was 
appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Oregon,  his  colleagues 
being  Judges  Deady  and  Williams.  Resigned  in  1857  and  removed 
to  Clatsop  County.  Was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven 
tion.  Went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  expecting  to  remain,  but 
returned  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Astoria.  Wras  a  member  of 
the  legislature  in  I860  and  in  1870.  Was  twice  married  and  had 
seven  children,  but  survived  them  all.  Judge  Olney  died  at  Astoria 
December  21,  1870. 

PATTON,  THOMAS  McF. 

Born  in  Carrol  ton,  Ohio,  March  19,  1829.  Was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1850,  the  year  before  his  arrival  in  Oregon.  Settled  in  Sa 
lem  in  1851,  but  lived  a  year  or  so  in  Jacksonville,  Oregon,  where 
he  held  the  office  of  county  judge.  In  I860  and  1866  he  was  chief 
clerk  of  the  house  of  representatives  at  Salem,  and  in  1861  was 
clerk  to  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs.  In  1872,  he  repre 
sented  Marion  County  in  the  legislature.  In  1876  he  was  appointed 
appraiser  of  merchandise  for  the  Willamette  District,  holding  that 
position  until  18*4,  when  he  was  appointed  United  States  Consul 
to  Japan,  and  proceeded  to  that  country.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Miss  Fannie  Cooke,  daughter  of  E.  N.  Cooke.  They  have  three 
children. 

PEARCE,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  England  in  1826;  came  to  America  in  1845";  lived  first 
in  Massachusetts,  then  moved  to  Illinois;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  1 850  and  lived  in  California  until  coming  to  Oregon  in  the  year 
following.  Has  lived  in  Polk  County  since,  engaged  in  farming 
and  mechanical  work,  and  for  many  years  has  been  notary  public 


744  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  justice  of  the  peace.  Since  1881  has  been  manager  of  the 
Storage  and  Shipping  Company's  Warehouse  at  Eola.  Married 
Miss  Naomi  Livermore  in  1852,  and  has  nine  children  living — 
George  J.,  William  T.,  Charles  L.,  Vine  W.,  Lot  L.,  Richard  E., 
Orville  G.,  Martha  N.,  and  Clara  E.,  and  one — Sarah  E. — deceased. 

POPE,  THOMAS  A. 

Lives  in  Oregon  City  and  is  a  merchant  by  occupation;  he  was 
born  in  New  York  City  in  1842;  married  Laura  E.  Warner,  and 
their  children  are — George  A.  (deceased),  Etta,  and  Laura. 

POWELL,  FRANKLIN  S. 

Born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1830;  crossed  the  plains 
with  his  father,  J.  A.  Powell,  in  1851.  Settled  in  Linn  County; 
in  1871  removed  to  Polk  County  where  he  has  since  resided  at  his 
farm,  two  miles  northwest  of  Monrnouth;  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  four  years ;  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Normal  school  and  also  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  married 
in  Illinois  to  Miss  Louisa  Peeler  in  1851,  and  they  have  six  children 
—James,  a  physician  of  Lebanon,  Linn  County,  John  II.,  a  farmer, 
Marintha,  Perry  (X,  Ira  C.,  Jay,  and  two  deceased. 

POWELL,  J.  A. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1807;  removed  to  Illinois  when  eighteen  years 
of  age.  Studied  for  the  ministry,  and  coming  to  Oregon,  became 
a  pioneer  preacher  for  the  Christian  Church.  Traveled  extensively 
in  Western  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  Owned  a  farm  on 
the  Santiam,  Linn  County.  Married  in  Illinois  in  1828  to  Miss 
Savilla  Smith,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  nine  now  living- 
Theresa  S.  (died  on  the  plains),  Franklin  S.,  Augustus  S.,  Stephen 
D.,  Jemima,  Lorena,  Mary,  Henry  Clay,  Josephine  B.,  and  Sarah 
A.  Mr.  Powell  died  in  1880. 

RICE,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1828;  removed  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
King's  Valley,  Benton  County,  where  he  still  resides;  occupation, 
farming  and  stock-raising.  Married  Martha  J.  Miller,  in  Illinois, 
in  1849.  Children— Sarah  A.,  Albert  N.,  Mary  L.,  Charles  E., 
John  E.  (deceased),  Malinda  E.,  Francis,  and  a  deceased  daughter. 


HISTOEY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  745 

RICHARDSON,  ENOCH. 

Born  in  Illinois  iii  1816;  caine-to  Oregon  in  1851.  Resides 
now  at  Perrydale,  Polk  County.  Is  a  farmer.  Married  Miss  Jane 
Mackey  in  1838.  Children — J.,  James  W.,  Sarah  E.,  Isaac,  and 
Alexander. 

RICHARDSON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Monroe  County,  Illinois,  January  28,  1797.  During  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  in  1812,  he  enlisted,  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  to  return  his  father  from  service;  for  his  services  he  drew  a 
land  warrant  and  received  a  pension  from  the  government.  He 
also  served  one  year  on  his  own  account,  during  which  time  he  went 
with  an  expedition  to  relieve  Fort  Edwards,  in  Illinois,  which  was 
besieged  by  the  British  and  Indians.  He  was  married  to  Orpha 
Thompson,  who  was  born  in  1802;  by  her  his  children  are — Milton, 
Thomas  J.,  William  W.,  George  W.,  Louis  C.,  Eliza  T.,  Obadiah 
W.,  John  W.,  Andrew  J.,  Enoch  N.,  James  W.,  and  Rebecca  G, 
His  second  wife  was  Plua  Bonney,  who  is  yet  living.  Mr.  Rich 
ardson  died  in  Linn  County,  April  16,  1873;  his  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  still  living,  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren,  num 
ber  eighty. 

RICHARDSON,  JOHN  W.' 

Born  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  January  1,   1833;  came  over 
land   to   Oregon  and   settled  in   Scio,   Linn   County,  his  present 
residence,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres.      His 
wife's  previous  name  was  Mary  A.   Conkrite.     Their  children  are 
— Melvina,  Almira,  Milessa,  Wallace,  Wilson,  and  Truman  B. 

RIGGS,  SILAS  T. 

Born  in  Scott  County,  Illinois,  in  1841.  Settled  on  Salt  Creek, 
Polk  County.  Is  a  farmer.  Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Bones  in  1864, 
and  had  Etta.  Married  again  in  1875  Miss  Sarah  Myre,  by  whom 
he  had  Clara  May. 

SMITH,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1805;  adopted  a  seafaring  life,  and  in 
1851  came  around  the  Horn  to  Portland,  in  the  brig  Francisco. 
Until  1860  he  made  frequent  trips  in  that  vessel  along  the  coast, 


746  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

but  in  that  year  retired  from  the  sea  and  settled  in  Portland.  His 
occupation  subsequently  was  dealing  in  lime.  Died  of  paralysis  at 
his  home  on  Taylor  street,  Portland,  April  5,  1879. 

• 

SMITH,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Ohio.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1851,  by  mule  team;  went 
to  California  in  the  same  year,  but  soon  returned  to  Oregon,  and 
bought  a  saw  mill  in  Marion  County,  where  Aurora  now  stands. 
In  1853,  built  a  grist  mill  which  was  destroyed  by  lire;  built  another 
the  same  year,  but  sold  it  in  1856,  and  moved  to  Yamhill  County 
and  lived  there  twenty  years.  Moved  to  Forest  Grove  in  1876. 
Mr.  Smith  owns  a  farm  in  Yamhill  County,  and  a  farm  and  city 
property  in  Washington  County.  Married  Miss  Ann  M.  White,  in 

1852,  and  has  two  children — Milton  W.,  a  lawyer  at  Portland,  and 
Henry  Clay,  a  doctor  in  that  city.     The  former  graduated  at  the 
Pacific  University,  and  the  latter  at  New  York.     Mr.  Smith  lives 
at  Forest  Grove,  and   has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council;  was 
president  of  it  four  years.     The  city  was  incorporated  in  1872,  and 
liquor  is  prohibited  from  being  sold  inside  of  the  city  limits. 

SMITH,  WILLIAM  P. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1818;  in  1841  went  to  Springfield,  Illi 
nois,  and  remained  until  1849,  when  he  went  to  California  and 
worked  in  the  northern  mines  for  two  or  three  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1851  went  into  Oregon  and  mined  on  Josephine  and  Canyon 
creeks  in  the  Illinois  Valley.  Settled  in  the  Willamette  Valley  in 

1853,  remaining  at  Corvallis  for  five  years.     Located  at  Halsey  in 
1872  and  is  residing  there  still;  occupation,  druggist. 

SPERRY,  JAMES  B. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1835,  but  removed  to  Iowa  in  1840,  remaining 
there  until  1851,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  to  this  valley.  Located 
in  Linn  County  and  remained  there  until  1877  when  he  removed 
to  Uniatilla  County.  He  took  part  in  the  Indian  war  of  1855-56  on 
the  Kogue  Kiver.  Was  assessor  of  Linn  County  from  18tO  until 
1872,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  Married  Miss  Re 
becca  Rice  inj.856,  who  died  in  1875.  In  1877  he  wedded  Miss  S. 
V.  Spencer. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  747 

STOTT,  J.  M.,  Sr. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1812;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Multnomah  County.  Lives  now  fourteen  miles  east  of  Portland,  in 
the  same  county.  Is  a  farmer.  Married  Elizabeth  Denny  in  1839, 
and  they  have  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 

STOTT,  RALEIGH. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1845  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Oregon  when  six  years  old.  They  settled  in  Washington  County, 
where  the  father  died  in  1880.  Judge  Stott  graduated  from  the 
Pacific  University,  class  of  1869,  and  studying  law,  was  admit 
ted  to  the  bar  in  1870.  Practiced  in  Yamhill  County  until  1873 
when  he  removed  to  Portland,  his  present  residence.  Was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  1874,  and  two  years  later  became  prosecuting 
attorney  for  the  Fourth  Judicial  District.  In  1880  -became  Circuit 
Judge  for  the  same  district.  Married  in  1876,  Mrs.  Susan  C.  Stout, 
widow  of  Lansing  Stout. 

SUMMERVILLE,  HENRY  B. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast 
in  1849,  and  lived  in  California  until  coming  to  Oregon  in  1851. 
Assisted  in  bringing  the  first  boat  up  the  Yamhill  River  to  Dayton. 
During  the  Indian  war  he  was  in  Captain  Goff's  company,  and 
was  with  I.  I.  Stevens  in  his  council  of  1856.  Now  has  a  com 
mission  store  in  Sheridan  where  he  resides. 

VANDUYN,  I. 

Born  March  6,  1837,  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  and  taken, 
when  a  child,  to  Missouri ;  with  his  parents  came  to  Oregon  in 
1851,  and  his  father,  Isaac  Vanduyn,  is  now  a  resident  of  Lane 
County.  Mr.  Vanduyn  occupied  himself  at  first  with  dealing  in 
stock,  but  in  1866  entered  into  business  with  W.  H.  McCully  and 
John  Somerville,  in  merchandising.  The  firm  dissolved  two  years 
later,  and  Mr.  Vanduyn  went  to  Eastern  Oregon  to  spend  two 
years  in  the  cattle  trade.  Later  he  returned  to  Independence  and 
traded  for  three  years,  then  forming  a  partnership  with  S.  W. 
Smith,  under  the  firm  name  of  Vanduyn  &  Smith,  which  still 
exists. 


748  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WAITE,  EDWARD  M. 

Born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts;  learned  the  printers1  trade; 
came  to  Oregon  and  procured  a  "sit"  upon  the  Oregon  Statesman, 
published  at  Oregon  City  by  Asahel  Bush.  In  1 869  entered  upon 
job  printing  in  Salem. 

WALTER,  RALPH. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1817;  parents  took  him  when  young  to 
New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  After  five  years'  residence  in 
the  later  State,  he  came  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains,  and  settled 
in  Marion  County  and  has  resided  there  since.  Located  in  Jeffer 
son  in  1871,  and  conducts  the  only  hotel  at  that  place.  Married  in 
Ohio  in  1840  to  Miss  Catharine  Wales.  They  have  nine  living 
children — Eliza  Amanda,  Mabel  J.,  Alpheus  A.,  Mary  B.,  Rudama, 
Frances  M.,  Sarah,  Estella,  and  Fred  D. 

WEHRUNG,  HENRY. 

Born  in  France  in  1828;  came  to  America  in  1848  in  conse 
quence  of  the  political  troubles  of  that  date.  Emigrated  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1850  and  in  1851  arrived  in  Oregon  and  opened  the  first 
furniture  store  in  Washington  County  and  is  still  engaged  in  that 
business.  Built  the  Tualatin  Hotel  at  Hillsboro  in  1854.  Was 
married  in  1856  to  Mary  C.  Emerick,  by  whom  he  has  had — Char 
lotte  E.,  Mary  C.,  William  H.,  and  George  A.  Mr.  Wehrung  pos 
sesses  two  stores  in  Hillsboro  and  a  farm  near  town. 

WHITE,  EUGENE  D. 

Born  in  Oregon  City  in  1851  and  was  educated  at  the  Pacific 
University,  Forest  Grove,  and  at  a  business  college  in  Portland. 
Was  in  mercantile  affairs  for  a  time,  afterwards  establishing  him 
self  as  agent  for  various  insurance  companies.  Married  Miss  Emma 
Giltner  in  187fi.  Residence,  Portland. 

WHITE,  HENRY  B. 

Mr.  White,  now  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Yamhill  County,  was 
born  in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  April  28,  1811.  He  removed 
to  Ohio  in  1817,  to  Indiana  in  1835,  to  Missouri  in  1840,  and  to 
Oregon  in  1851.  He  settled  first  in  the  Waldo  Hills,  Marion  County, 
but  removed  since  to  his  present  location  at  White's  Station,  Yam- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  740 

hill  County,  the  point  of  junction  of  the  broad  and  narrow  gauge 
railroads  of  the  West  side.  Here  he  farms  and  conducts  a  ware 
house.  He  married  Miss  Charlotte  S.  Pierson  in  La  Grange,  Indi 
ana,  March  24,  183(>.  Children — Emily,  Anise,  John,  Margaret 
and  Eliza  (twins),  Andrew  J.,  Robert,  William,  Mary  W.,  and 
Sarah  F. 

WILLIAMS,  GEORGE. 

Major  Williams  served  in  the  United  States  army  during  the 
civil  war  and  subsequently,  and  held  a  variety  of  military  offices. 
His  military  career  was  highly  successful.  Since  severing  his  con 
nection  with  the  regular  army  he  has  occupied  himself  and  his  for 
tune  in  financial  undertakings  of  importance.  He  is  at  present  the 
senior  partner  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Williams  <fe  England, 
bankers  of  Salem.  Major  Williams  acts  as  treasurer  of  the  State 
Insurance  Company,  whose  stock  is  held  entirely  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territory,  and  whose  officers  are  citizens  of  those  two 
sections.  They  are — President,  L.  L.  Rowland,  M.  D.;  Vice-Presi 
dent,  E.  11  McElroy,  Ph.  D.;  Treasurer,  Major  Greo.  Williams; 
Secretary,  H.  W.  Cottle;  Assistant  Secretary,  F.  S.  Cottle. 
The  company,  it  is  well  known,  is  entirely  an  Oregonian  organiza 
tion — a  home  production,  so  to  speak.  Its  business  is  confined  to 
assuming  risks  on  farm  buildings  and  crops,  and  the  largest  of  these 
risks  does  not  exceed  $2,500.  The  capital  stock  is  $100,000,  and 
now,  after  less  than  a  \rear's  business,  the  immense  amount  of  $80,- 
000  has  been  received  as  premiums,  etc.  Such  a  result  indicates 
the  esteem  in  which  this  new  and  substantial  company  is  held  by 
the  public. 

WOODWORTH,  C.  S. 

Born  in  Windsor  County,  "Vermont,  in  1819;  resided  in  that 
State  and  New  York  and  Illinois  until  1849;  then  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  and  spent  two  years  in  mining.  Settled  at 
Oregon  City  in  1851,  and  was  clerk  of  the  first  steamer  ever 
launched  in  the  State.  Settled  next  in  Salem  and  went  to  mer 
chandising.  Married  Miss  Sarah  Buckingham  in  1858,  ifhd  had 
W.  G.,  C.  B.,  and  Mary.  Is  now  agent  for  the  O.  R.  <fe  N.  Co., 
in  Salem. 


750  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

YOCUM,  FRANKLIN. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  July  30,  1820;  came  from  Illinois  to 
Oregon,  and  settled  at  Mill  Creek,  Polk  County,  where  he  still 
resides;  occupation,  farming  and  stock-raising.  Married  Nancy  J. 
Darnall  in  Illinois.  Children — Allyn,  Evaline,  Murilla  J.,  Eliza, 
Rebecca  H.,  Matilda  D.,  Lora  (deceased),  Olive  L.,  and  Harvey 
(deceased). 

YOCUM,  HATHAWAY. 

Born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1831.  Came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  at  Bellevue,  Yamhill  County,  but  now  lives  in  Polk 
County.'  Occupation,  farming.  Married  Miss  Mary  T.  March  in 
1852.  Children— Elizabeth  F.,  C.  C.,  Lavinia  C.,  Joseph  M., 
William  A.,  and  Eddie  T. 

ZIEBER,  A. 

Born  in  Maryland  in  1830;  was  a  member  of  the  last  Territorial, 
and  of  the  first  State  Legislature  of  Oregon.  Moved  from  Yamhill 
County  to  Portland  in  1862;  was  U.  S.  Marshal  under  President 
Johnson;  was  elected  sheriff  of  Multnomah  County  in  1866.  He 
was  for  a  time  in  the  dray  and  hack  business,  but  after  his  term  of 
office  expired,  he  sold  out  and  went  to  hotel  keeping,  and  has  re 
mained  in  it  since.  Is  now  a  resident  of  Forest  Grove.  Married 
Miss  Charlotte  Manor  in  1858,  and  has  five  children — Lydia,  Fred, 
Eugenia,  Albert  S.,  and  Thomas  E.  Mr.  Zieber  was  the  first  man  to 
join  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Oregon. 

1852. 

AGEE,  BENJAMIN  C. 

Born  in  Osage  County,  Missouri,  in  September,  1837;  left  that 
State  for  Oregon  April  6,  1852,  coming  in  an  ox -train  in  company 
with  his  parents,  ten  brothers,  and  four  sisters.  The  family  settled 
in  Yamhill  County.  Benjamin  Agee  removed  to  Douglas  County 
in  1869,  and  still  resides  on  a  farm  near  Roseburg.  Has  a  wife 
and  ten  children. 

ALBRIGHT,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Germany  October  10,  1811;  occupation,  butcher;  place 
of  residence,  Port  Townsend.  Wife's  previous  name,  Mrs.  Cynthia 
Mann.  Children — Frank  M.,  Edward  F.  (deceased),  Laura  V., 
Charles  A.,  and  Clara. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  751 

ALLINGHAM,  DAVID  W. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1826,  and  came  to  Oregon  twenty-six 
years  later.  Settled  on  Muddy  Creek  in  Linn  County,  hut  now 
resides  at  Silver's,  Polk  County.  Occupation,  farming.  Married 
Margaret  Davidson  in  1853.  Children — William  M.,  Carter  T., 
Ora  F.,  Arabella  Lee,  Loren  E.,  Otha  D.,  Arthur  Guy,  Dollie  V., 
and  Livia. 

AVERILL,  H.  J.  C., 

Is  a  surveyor  and  farmer,  and  lives  in  Brownsville,  Linn 
County;  has  served  fourteen  years  as  county  surveyor,  and  for 
eight  years  has  been  justice  of  the  peace,  still  continuing  to  hold 
that  office.  He  was  born  in  1809;  married  his  first  wife,  Miss 
Hulda  Warren,  in  1840;  she  died  in  1859.  His  second  wife's 
previous  name  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Jack.  His  children  are — William 
H.,  Alfred  A.,  Joseph  P.,  Henrietta  W.,  and  Ollie. 

BALLARD,  DAVID  W.,  M.D. 

Born  ill  Bridgeport,  Indiana,  February  2,  1824;  in  1852  arrived 
in  Oregon  and  settled  at  Lebanon,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine.  He  married  Jane  E.  Hooker,  in  June,  1 849,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Lonnor,  Oscar,  Florence,  Carrie,  Frank, 
Maud,  and  Ora. 

BELT,  B.  F. 

Druggist  by  profession,  and  was  born  in  Marion  County, 
Oregon,  in  1852,  and  was  reared  in  Salem.  In  1870  went  into  the 
drug  business  in  partnership  with  D.  W.  Cox,  in  Salern,  and  when 
that  partnership  was  dissolved,  formed  another  with  his  father,  Dr. 
A.  M.  Belt.  In  1872  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Payton,  by 
whom  he  has  five  children — Lizzie,  Maud,  Bessie,  Frank,  and 
Daniel. 

BERRY,  s.  j. 

Born  in  Central  Point,  Iowa,  in  1850;  the  son  of  J.  F.  Berry. 
Came  to  Oregon  when  three  years  of  age,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
educated  at  Monmouth  and  Salem.  Taught  school  in  the  Wrst 
side  counties  for  seven  years.  Married  Sarah  Morris  in  1875,  and 
has  two  children — Lei  a  and  Linn.  Resides  now  in  Sheridan. 


752  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BESSER,  LUZERNE. 

Born  in  Buffalo.  New  York,  in  October,  1833,  but  was  "raised" 
in  Illinois.  Married  Miss  Sarah  Lake  in  1852,  and  came  to  Oregon 
the  same  year,  locating  in  Portland.  Owned  and  conducted  various 
saw  mills  in  the  early  years,  with  various  degrees  of  success.  Held 
a  municipal  office  in  1868;  became  chief  of  the  police  of  Portland 
in  1879. 

BILYEU,  ANDREW  J. 

Born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  February  7,  1830.  Present 
residence,  Scio,  Linri  County;  occupation,  farming.  Married  Sarah 
A.  Terry  and  their  children  are — Martecia,  William,  E.  A.,  Au- 
rena,  Joseph  L.,  Lucetta,  Hugh,  Frederick,  and  Flo,  now  living. 

BILYEU,  j.  A. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1851  and  was  brought  to  Oregon  the  next 
year.  Settled  in  Linn  County,  and  was  a  farmer  for  some  time, 
then  a  stock  raiser  in  Washington  Territory.  In  18  84  he  pur  chased 
the  Scio  hotel  and  livery  stable  and  now  conducts  both.  Married 
Miss  A.  J.  Terry  on  December  31,  1875.  Their  children  are — C.  C., 
Ivy  Maud,  Annie  Pearl,  and  Nellie  E. 

BILYEU,  PETER. 

Is  a  farmer,  and  lives  in  Scio,  Linn  County;  was  born  in  Miller 
County,  Missouri,  August  5,  1837;  came  overland  to  Oregon.  Mar 
ried  Elizabeth  Brennan  in  1859,  and  their  children  are — Nancy  C., 
James  M.,  Evert,  Laura,  and  Brennan. 

BILYEU,  WILLIAM, 

Is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  resides  at  Scio,  Linn  County. 
Born  in  Tennessee,  January  15,  1832;  came  overland  to  Oregon. 
Married  Sarah  C.  Turner,  and  their  children  are — John  R,,  Sarah 
D.,  William  Mack,  Jacob  T.,  Rose  J.,  Elizabeth  H.,  Matilda  A., 
Charles  N.,  and  Otto.  Mr.  Bilyeu  was  in  the  Indian  war  in  185(3 
in  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory. 

BOOTH,   ROBERT. 

The  Reverend  Robert  Booth,  a  well-known  minister  of  the  Meth 
odist  persuasion,  removed  from  Lee  County,  Iowa,  to  Oregon,  in 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  753 

1852,  coming  across  the  plains.  He,  with  his  wife  and  family, 
located  near  the  Grande  Ronde  Reservation,  in  Yamhill  County; 
there  remained  until  1864,  when  they  removed  to  Sheridan,  and  in 
1867,  to  Douglas  County.  Mr.  Booth's  present  residence  is  Wilbur. 

BOWLBY,  WILSON,  M.*D. 

Doctor  Bowlby  settled  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  in  1852, 
and  has  continued  his  medical  practice  ever  since.  At  the  time  of 
his  arrival  there  were  but  two  physicians  in  the  vicinity,  those  be 
ing  Drs.  Belknap  and  H.  V.  V.  Johnson,  whereof  the  former  occu 
pied  a  farm  below  Hillsboro,  and  the  latter  was  located  at  Spring- 
town  (Middleton).  These  came  a  short  time  preceding  Doctor 
Bowlby's  arrival.  Doctor  Bowlby  was  born  in  F  airfield,  New  Jer 
sey,  in  1818;  acquired  his  medical  education  in  New  York  City; 
practiced  in  Indiana,  and  finally  left  for  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains 
in  the  usual  way.  The  Doctor  was  married  previously  to  Miss 
Lydia  Jones,  who  accompanied  him  to  this  State,  bringing  their 
three  children.  The  lady  died  in  1883.  Doctor  Bowlby  still  prac 
tices  medicine  at  Forest  Grove.  He  represented  Washington  County 
in  the  State  Legislature  in  1868,  and  was  elected  president  of  the 
Senate. 

BRIEDWELL,  JOHN  W. 

Born  in  Lawrence  County,  Indiana,  in  1831.  In  1844  moved 
to  Davis  County,  Iowa.  In  1852  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Yamhill  County,  and  now  lives  at  Amity.  He  is  proprietor  of  a 
warehouse  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Nancy  Ed- 
monson  in  Missouri  in  1851,  and  their  children's  names  are- 
Sarah  M.,  Mary  A.,  George  W.,  John  W.,  Edward  M.,  Ellis  E., 
and  Minnie  V. 

BROUGHTON,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  England,  January  4,  1827;  was  a  carpenter  by  occupa 
tion;  married  Sarah  N.  Willis,  and  their  children  were — Emma  J., 
Mary,  George,  Walter  (deceased),  Clara  S.,  Annie  E.,  Hattie, 
Nellie  F.,  Elmer  (deceased),  and  Fred  (deceased).  Mr.  Broughton 
died  at  Oregon  City,  January  7,  1876. 


754  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BROWN,  G.  M. 

Lives  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  butcher  by  trade. 
Was  born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  May  4,  1849;  married  Nancy 
C.  Weger,  in  1876,  and  their  children  are — Effie,  Bessie,  Laura,  and 
Clara. 

BUCHTEL,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  November  22,  1830;  moved  to  Il 
linois  in  1839.  Arrived  in  Portland  in  1852.  Engaged  in  steam  - 
boating  on  the  Willamette.  Opened  a  photograph  gallery  in  Port 
land.  Was  elected  sheriff  of  Multnoniah  County  in  1880.  Married 
Josephine  Latourette  in  Oregon  City  in  1853. 

CALDWELL,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1824;  his  first  residence  in  Oregon  was  in 
Yamhill  County.  His  present  residence  is  four  miles  north  of 
McMinnville,  and  occupation,  farmer.  He  married  Mary  E.  Hath 
away  in  1866,  and  their  children's  names  are — Melissa,  Malinda, 
and  M.  Floyd.  Mr.  Caldwell  served  with  Captain  Fowler's  com 
pany  under  Colonel  Ross  in  the  Indian  war  of  1853. 

CAMPBELL,  GEORGE  S. 

Was  born  in  Illinois  in  1840;  at  twelve  years  of  age  came  to 
Oregon;  settled  six  miles  south  of  Hillsboro  on  M  farm,  and  still 
resides  there;  is  a  farmer  and  blacksmith  by  occupation.  He 
married  Amelia  Jack  in  1880,  and  they  have  one  child  named 
Mintie. 

CAMPBELL,  W.  C. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1842;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  six 
miles  south  of  Hillsboro;  now  resides  at  Gaston,  a  blacksmith  and 
wagon-maker  by  occupation.  He  married  Margaret  W.  Hill  in 
1869,  and  they  have  one  child  named  George  O. 

CATRON,  JONATHAN. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1825;  settled  in  Yamhill  County  immedi 
ately  after  his  arrival  in  Oregon;  moved  to  Polk  County  in  1860; 
owned  a  farm-  near  Monmouth.  In  1853  he  married  Miss  Alvira 
Shelton  and  they  had  seven  children — Laura,  Walter,  Alice,  Edgar, 
Eugene,  Lulu  (deceased),  and  Lora. 


HISTORY.  OF  IMMIGRATION.  755 

CLARK,  JAMES  T., 

Is  a  resident  of  Lebanon,  Linn  County,  and  a  farmer.  Born  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1829;  married  Mary  E.  Young,  and  their 
children  are — Sciotha  E.,  Ollie  C.,  James  T.,  Mary  A.,  Viola  L., 
and  William  E. 

COLE,  CHAUNCEY, 

Is  a  joiner  and  farmer  and  resides  at  Scio,  Linn  County.  He 
was  born  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  June  19,  1813;  came  from 
Iowa  overland  to  Oregon;  now  owns  half  a  section  of  land,  a  dona 
tion  claim.  Married  Elizabeth  Kean,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Their 
children  are — Alonzo,  Margaret  Jane,  James  W.,  and  Charles  W. 

CONNETT,  ISAAC. 

Isaac,  William  L.,  and  Jasper  Connett,  brothers,  came  to  Oregon 
across  the  plains  in  1852.  The  first  named  was  born  in  1840;  the 
second  in  1849,  and  the  third  in  1852.  They  are  farmers  and  reside 
at  Buena  Vista,  Polk  County.  Isaac  Connett  married  May  E.  Cook 
in  1870,  and  has  Eva  A.,  Irena  M.,  Elsie  A.,  Rosetta  E.,  and  Bessie 
M.  William  married  Harriet  L.  Cook  in  1874,  and  has  Laui;a  B., 
Viola  M.,  Ira  W.,  Nettie  L.,  Effie  L.,  and  Delina  L. 

COOK,  JAMES  W. 

Born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1827;  in  1832  was  taken  to 
Branch  County,  Michigan;  in  1852  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
at  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County.  His  present  place  of  residence  is  at 
McMinnville,  and  his  occupation  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
married  Sarah  M.  Olds,  in  Lafayette,  November  1,  1854,  and 
their  children's  names  are — Meldora  R.,  Wilbur  M.,  A.  D.,  Lyman, 
and  Bessie  R. 

COOK,  S.  M. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1812.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Notie  Valley,  Lane  County,  but  resides  now  at  Jefferson,  Marion 
County.  His  occupations  are  farming  and  preaching  the  Gospel. 
He  married  Nancy  Rice  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  they  had 
Chloe  A.,  Martha  A.,  Osmore  A.,  Mary  E.,  Horace  II.,  Edward 
A.,  Ida,  and  Harriet  L. 


756  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

COOPER,  JOHN  R. 

Born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1837;  left  that  State  in 
1840,  and  resided  the  next  twelve  years  in  Missouri;  came  to 
Oregon  by  ox -train;  settled  in  Marion  County.  Served  in  the 
Rogue  River  Indian  war  for  six  months.  Married  in  1864  Miss 
Williams,  and  has  four  children — John,  Pearl  C.,  Rosella,  and 
Lillian.  Postoffice  address,  Independence. 

COREY,  G.  R. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1835;  came  to  Oregon  when  about  twenty 
years  of  age.  In  1856  he  served  in  the  Yakinia  war  in  Cap 
tain  Wilbur's  company  and  remained  in  service  until  the  company 
disbanded.  He  then  settled  in  Washington  County,  and  his  present 
residence  is  one  mile  south  of  Glencoe,  in  that  county,  and  he  is  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Mrs.  Cooper,  nee  Dobbins,  in 
1857,  and  their  children's  names  are — James,  Drusilla,  and  John  W. 

COSPER,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Ohio,  October  29,  1828;  came  to  Oregon  and  lived  a 
short  time  in  Yamhill  County,  but  in  1853  went  to  Polk  County 
arid  has  resided  there  since.  Has  been  engaged  in  various  occupa 
tions,  namely — farmer,  druggist,  grocer,  and  hardware  dealer.  Was 
a  volunteer  in  the  Yakima  war  and  rose  to  the  position  of  second 
lieutenant.  Was  elected  sheriff  in  1857  and  served  one  term. 
Married  Miss  Martha  J.  Frederick  in  1858,  and  seven  children 
were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  are  now  living — Harry  B.,  Union 
Meade,  Otis  John,  and  Emmett  D.  Deceased — Milton,  Frank,  and 
Amos  B.  Mr.  Cosper's  residence  and  postoffice  address  are  Dallas. 

COWLS,  J.  W. 

Born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  in  1823.  Came  to  Ore 
gon  in  the  winter  of  1852-53;  taught  school  in  Lafayette  and  near 
McMinnville  from  1852  to  1854;  his  wages  were  usually  $60  per 
month  and  board.  No  female  teachers  were  employed  here  at  that 
time,  and  when  he  began  teaching  there  were  only  two  schools  in 
the  county,  and  those  were  supported  mostly  by  subscriptions  paid 
at  the  rate  of  $8  per  quarter  for  each  pupil.  This  veteran  teacher 
taught  the  first  school  established  at  Monmouth,  Polk  County. 
Judge  Cowls  became  county  auditor  in  1855,  at  Lafayette,  but  con- 


HTSTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  757 

tinned  to  teach  school,  as  the  office  did  not  pay  much.  He  was 
married  in  18(>1,  to  the  widow  of  F.  B.  Martin,  a  member  of  the 
Territorial  Legislature  of  185*2  and  1853.  She  came  from  Platte 
County,  Missouri,  in  1845.  The  Judge  was  first  auditor,  then 
county  clerk  on  the  State  organization,  and  was  next  elected  count} 
judge,  an  office  which  he  held  for  eight  years.  In  1871  he  became 
state  senator,  but  resigned  after  one  session.  He  has  also  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  at  sundry  times,  and  has  enjoyed  pop 
ular  confidence  and  esteem  to  an  unusual  degree. 

COX,  ARTHUR  M. 

Born  in  Salem,  Oregon,  in  1852;  moved  to  Linn  County  in  1875; 
is  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  is  located  at  Harrisburg.  Married 
Miss  Annie  Paine  in  187(>.  Their  children  are — Howard,  Addie, 
Fred,  and  Nellie. 

cox,  ETHAN. 

Born  in  Chatauqua  County,  New  York,  May  11,  1819.  From 
New  York  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  from  there  to  Missouri.  In  1852 
he  came  to  Oregon  and  worked  for  some  time  as  painter  in  Portland, 
and  in  1858  moved  to  Polk  County,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Now 
owns  property  in  old  Independence,  and  is  engaged  in  manufactur 
ing  the  Champion  Fruit  Dryer,  which  was  invented  by  W.  C. 
Dougherty  in  Albany  in  1881,  and  for  which  Mr.  Cox  has  the  sole 
agency  for  Benton  and  Polk  counties.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Emeline  Ryner,  September  8,  1844,  by  whom  one  child  was  born, 
which  died  in  infancy.  Residence,  Independence. 

CRAWFORD,  GEORGE  F. 

Born  in  Grays*  m  County,  A7irginia,  in  1818;  removed  to  War 
ren  County,  Illinois,  in  1844;  studied  medicine  and  became  a 
physician,  and  practiced  for  some  time.  Coming  to  Oregon  he 
located  in  Albany,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  Was  chosen 
President  of  the  Farmers'  Warehouse  Company.  Has  twice  repre 
sented  Linn  County  in  the  Legislature.  Was  married  in  1845,  his 
wife's  former  name  having  been  Miss  Mary  Ellen  Gilmour.  Their 
children's  names  are — Georgians,  James  G.,  William  W.,  Orville, 
and  Helen.  Mr.  Crawford  has  extensive  property  interests  in  Linn 
County. 


758  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CRAWFORD,  R.  H.,  M.D. 

Lives  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  has  long  been  a 
resident  of  that  town,  having  the  honor  of  being  the  first  medical 
man  in  it.  Graduated  at  the  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati  in  1837. 
Served  eight  years  in  the  Oregon  State  Senate,  taking  his  seat  in 
1866.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Henry,  and  their  children  are — 
Thomas  H.  (city  superintendent  of  the  Portland  public  schools), 
Andrew  B.  deceased),  Robert  E.,  Elizabeth  R.,  and  Rovia. 

CRAWFORD,  THOMAS  H. 

Born  in  Clarksburg,  Indiana,  June  24,  1840;  son  of  the  preced 
ing;  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents  and  settled  near  Browns 
ville,  Linn  County.  Was  educated  at  the  Santiam  Academy  and 
the  Willamette  University;  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1863.  Pro 
fession,  teaching.  Married  Miss  Emily  B.  Crandall  in  1864,  who 
died  in  1882.  Residence,  Portland. 

CROSS,  L.  D. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1822;  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Died  in 
Oregon  City  in  1872.  Wife's  previous  name  Dorcas  Fairrnan. 
Children — Caleb  E., 'Jasper  M.,  Harvey  E.,  Thomas  M.,  Martha  J., 
Elinor  E.,  William  A.,  Truman,  Charles  W.,  and  Frank  A.,  of 
whom  two  are  deceased — Jasper  M.  and  Martha  J. 

CROWLEY,  SOLOMON  K. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1833,  the  son  of  John  Crowley,  one  of  the 
first  white  settlers  of  Northwestern  Missouri.  S.  K.  Crowley 
crossed  the  plains  in  1852,  and  traveled  considerably  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Was  in  the  California  mines,  and  bore  a  part  in  the  Indian 
troubles.  Settled  in  Polk  County  in  1855,  and  still  lives  there, 
farming  at  Oak  Grove.  Married  in  1855. Miss  Hannah  R.  Fulker- 
son,  by  whom  he  has  nine  children — Mary  V.  (Mrs.  W.  Fawk), 
James  M.,  John  F.,  Nancy  J.,  Solomon  H.,  Manson,  Ada  B.,  Effie, 
and  Ora  P. 

CURTIS,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Kentucky  January  7,  1813.  Settled  in  Linn  County, 
Oregon,  in  1852.  Was  married  August  6,  1835,  to  Miss  Annie 
Moore,  and  by  her  his  children  are— William,  Robert,  Elizabeth, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  759 

Ellen,   Mary  A.,   Almira,  James,  Eliza,  Laura  and   Katie.     Mr. 
Curtis  died  April  2,  1877. 

DAVIDSON,  C.  F. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1802  and  moved  to  Illinois  in  1830.  Set 
tled  on  the  Luckiamute,  Polk  County,  Oregon.  Occupation,  farm 
ing.  Married  Elizabeth  Shirley.  Children — Amanda  F.  (Mrs. 
Linnville),  Benjamin  F.,Mary  M.,  Margaret  (Mrs.  Allingham),  M. 
A.,  Arabella,  William  M.,  Martha  (Mrs.  Stump),  Isaac  N.,  and 
Emma  (Mrs.  Washburn).  Mr.  Davidson  died  in  1881.  His  widow 
still  survives. 

DAVIDSON,  HENRY. 

Born,  May  28,  1818,  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio;  moved  to  Michi 
gan,  and  in  1840  to  Indiana;  coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  at  Hal- 
sey,  Linn  County,  and  has  since  remained  there.  Is  a  farmer  and 
stock-grower.  Married,  in  1841,  to  Sarah  Montgomery,  while  in 
Fulton  County,  Indiana.  Their  children  are — Lucretia  (now  Mrs. 
Murphy),  William  M.,  Theodore  B.,  Francis  M.  (deceased;,  Thurs- 
ton,  and  Mary  E.  (now  Mrs.  Nelson). 

DAVIDSON,  ISAAC  N. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1842,  and  came  with  his  father,  C.  F.  David 
son,  to  Oregon,  and  has  since  lived  in  Polk  County.  Occupation, 
farming;  residence,  near  Buena  Vista.  Married  Miss  C.  E.  Denip- 
sey,  in  1865.  Children — Dell,  Nellie,  and  Chester. 

DAVIDSON,  WILLIAM  M. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1840;  came  to  Oregon  with  his  father,  C.  F. 
Davidson,  and  settled  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley.  Present  resi 
dence,  Buena  Vista,  and  occupation,  farmer.  He  married  Martha 
V.  Modie  in  Oregon  in  1873,  and  their  only  child's  name  is  Inez  C. 

DAVIS,  EDWARD  E. 

The  son  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Davis;  was  born  in  Louisa  County,  Iowa, 
in  1851;  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon.  Since  1865  has  lived 
at  Harrisburg,  Linn  County.  Married  Miss  Henrietta  Kline  in  1878, 
and  by  her  has  two  children — Wade  H.,  and  Lee  V. 


760  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

DAVIS,  H.  A.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Genessee  County,  New  York,  in  1822;  came  to  Oregon 
and  in  1838  settled  in  Linn  County;  now  resides  at  Harrisburg. 
Was  married  in  1850  to  Hester  Hook,  who  died  July  3,  1863.  By 
her  his  children  were — Edward  E.,  Arvilla,  Zophar,  Virgil,  and 
Homer.  He  was  married  again  in  1864,  to  Grace  Jones.  The 
doctor  was  educated  at  Rock  Island  medical  school,  now  known  as 
the  Iowa  State  Medical  University. 

DeLASHMUTT,  J.  K. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1814;  removed  to  Iowa  in  1836,  and 
coming  to  Oregon  in  1852,  settled  in  Polk  County.  He  was  elected 
county  commissioner.  Had  held  several  civil  and  military  offices 
in  Iowa.  Lives  now  at  Amity,  and  is  recorder  of  that  town.  Has 
now  retired  from  his  former  occupation  of  farming.  While  in 
Iowa  in  1837  he  married  Amanda  Harger,  who  died  in  1854;  by 
her  he  had  seven  children.  Married  in  1855,  in  Salem,  Phoebe 
Bennett,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  She  died  in  1862,  and  he 
took  for  his  third  wife  Mary  Petti  John,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil 
dren.  His  fourth  was  Emeline  Billings. 

DENNY,  O.  N. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1838.  Crossed  the  plains  in  1852  and  settled 
with  his  parents  near  Lebanon,  Linn  County.  Was  educated  at 
the  Willamette  University,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1862.  Located  in  Portland  about  1870  and  began 
practice.  Was  elected  police  judge  in  1871  and  1873.  In  1875 
was  appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue.  Was  appointed 
Consul  at  Tientsin,  China,  in  1877,  and  in  1879  was  promoted  to 
Consul -General  to  China. 

DORSEY,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1830;  came  to  Or 
egon  and  settled  in  Yanihill  County,  where  he  still  lives.  Is  a 
farmer.  Married  Miss  Adaline  Vaughn  in  1 856.  Children — David 
M.,  Joel  P.,  Fannie  A.,  Austin  B.,  and  Hattie. 

DRAIN,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1816;  went  to  Cal 
ifornia  in  1850,  but  returned  to  the  East  the  next  year.  Coming 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  761 

overland  to  this  State  he  setted  in  Marion  County  and  tilled  a  farm 
for  eight  years.  In  1854  he  became  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Council  and  again  in  1857.  On  the  admission  of  the  State  he  be 
came  state  senator  and  was  chosen  president  of  the  senate.  Re 
moved  to  Douglas  County  in  1860.  Residence,  Drain.  Occupa 
tion,  farming.  Married  in  1839  to  Miss  Nancy  G.  Ensley,  by  whom 
he  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom  three  live — John  C.,  Catharine 
A.  (Mrs.  Simon  Lane),  and  Charles  D. 

DURHAM,  D.  O. 

Born  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  December  26,  1829;  moved 
to  Illinois  in  1836;  came  to  Oregon  in  1852  and  settled  in  Wash 
ington  County.  His  present  residence  is  McMinnville,  Yamhill 
County,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married  Sylvia  D.  Clark 
July  29,  1843,  and  their  children's  names  are — Ezra  J.,  Walter  II., 
Jessie  E.,  and  James  E.  Mr.  Durham  was  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  Oregon  Legislature  in  1878-80,  from  Yamhill  County. 

EARNEST,  WILLIAM  B. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1813;  was  married  in  1840  while  still  a 
resident  of  that  State  to  Miss  Mary  Morris,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  that  State,  and  was  seven  years  his  junior.  The  couple  moved 
to  Missouri  two  years  later,  and  after  ten  years'  residence  in  that 
State,  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon.  They  settled  in  Spring  Valley, 
Polk  County,  upon  a  donation  claim,  where  Mrs.  Earnest  still  lives. 
Mr.  Earnest  died  in  1876.  Their  children  were — Jennie  (deceased), 
William  D.  (deceased),  Jasper  N.  (deceased),  Mary  E.  (Mrs.  Thomas 
Jennings),  and  two  others  who  died  in  infancy. 

ECCLESTON,  EZRA, 

Is  a  son  of  Dr.  H.  Eccleston,  and  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1833; 
came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents  and  for  some  time  was  a  farmer. 
Has  been  a  shoemaker  in  McMinnville  for  twenty  -one  years. 
Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Southard  in  1853,  and  has  six  children. 

ECCLESTON,  H.,  M.D. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1811 ;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled 
in  Lane  County,  and  practiced  medicine  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1875.  Married  Miss  Melinda  Richardson  in 


762  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Indiana,   who  is  also  deceased.      They  had  nine  children.      Dr. 
Eccleston  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Rogue  River  war  in  1855-56. 

EILERS,  GEORGE  H. 

Born  in  Germany  in  1824;  came  to  America  in  1846,  direct  to 
Texas,  and  joined  the  American  army;  served  in  the  quartermas 
ter's  department  during  the  Mexican  war;  was  in  St.  Louis  subse 
quently,  from  whence  he  started  to  cross  the  plains  to  California,  in 
1852,  with  a  band  of  cattle,  but  coming  to  the  Soda  Springs,  where 
the  Oregon  and  California  trails  separate,  he  chose  the  former. 
Took  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  County,  where  his  home  has  been 
ever  since,  excepting  three  years  following  1869,  when  he  was  in 
Montana.  Resides  near  McCoy,  and  is  a  farmer.  Was  county  com 
missioner.  Married,  in  1854,  Miss  Sarah  McReynolds. 

ELKINS,  w.  s. 

Born  in  Ohio,  May  1,  1837,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Ore 
gon  in  1852;  settled  with  them  in  Linn  County,  being  among  the 
first  settlers  there.  He  and  his  brother  built  the  Lebanon  flouring 
mills  in  1872,  and  were  in  that  business  until  1878,  when  they 
moved  to  Polk  County,  where  Mr.  Elkins  followed  merchandising 
for  seven  years.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1870; 
was  instrumental  in  building  the  Ciimberland  Presbyterian  church 
in  Lebanon,  and  is  an  elder  of  the  church;  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  Married  Miss  Addie  Burkhart,  in  1866,  who 
died  in  1867,  after  one  child  had  been  born  to  them,  which  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  Elkins  married  again,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Maggie 
Grant,  and  they  have  now  four  children — Nettie,  Eva,  Arthur  G., 
and  Attie.  Resides  at  Dallas. 

ENGLAND,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  1839;  came  to  Oregon  and  worked  in  the  mines  of 
Jackson  County  in  the  hard  winter  of  1852-53,  when  starvation 
was  imminent,  and  venison  was  the  miners'  only  article  of  food. 
In  the  following  years  was  in  the  carriage  business.  As  a  mer 
chant  his  career  was  successful,  and  turning  his  attention  to  bank 
ing,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Williams  &  England,  able 
and  successful  financiers,  of  Salem.  Mr.  England  is  a  director  of 
the  State  Insurance  Company,  of  Salem.  Married,  June  14,  1869, 
Olive  Stanton.  They  have  one  child,  E.  A.  England. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  7H3 

ENNIS,  JAMES  E., 

Is  a  farmer  and  stock-grower,  residing  in  Scio,  Linn  County, 
and  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  April  9,  1829;  came 
overland  to  Oregon.  His  first  wife,  Mary  Condit,  died  in  1862, 
and  the  second  wife,  Rebecca  J.  Richardson,  died  in  1884. 

FERGUSON,  J.  L. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1830;  remained  there  until  185^  and 
started  for  Oregon  and  settled  at  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County.  His 
occupation  is  farming;  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature 
(1876-77);  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Permania  Bird,  daughter 
of  John  Bird,  of  Lafayette,  by  whom  he  had — Ella,  Claude  C.,  R. 
B.,  J.  L.,  Maggie  J.,  and  Lynian  V.  Mr.  Ferguson  resides  near 
Lafayette,  and  carries  on  quite  extensive  farming  operations. 

FIELDS,  THOMAS  R. 

Born  in  Mason  County,  Kentucky,  March  22,  1837;  arrived  in 
Oregon   September    11,    1852.     Occupation,  merchant;  residence, 
Oregon  City.     Wife's  previous  name,  Clara  Stickler.     Children- 
Thomas  E.,  and  George  C. 

FINLAYSON,  J.  J. 

Born  in  Scotland  in  1820;  came  to  America  in  1841.  On  ar 
riving  in  Oregon  he  settled  in  Clackamas  County ;  removed  to  Linn 
County  and  became  a  farmer.  His  present  residence  is  Forest 
Grove,  where  he  has  recently  settled,  and  his  occupation  that  of  a 
blacksmith.  He  married  Ann  Taylor  in  1838  and  Elizabeth  Speedy 
in  1884,  and  his  family  consists  of  two  children — Catherine,  wife 
of  Judge  Powell  of  Albany,  and  Christopher,  now  in  Colorado,  and 
two  deceased,  all  of  whom  are  by  the  first  wife. 

FITZGERALD,  J.  J. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Iowa ;  came  to  Oregon  at  an  early  day 
and  settled  at  Portland.  His  present  residence  is  at  Buena  \7ista, 
and  occupation,  carpenter.  He  married  Alice  Thorp  in  Oregon  in 

1882. 

FRIZZELL,  JASON  P. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1848,  the  son  of  Porter  Frizzell,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  who  had  settled  in  Missouri  at  an  early  day.  The  family 


764  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

set  out  to  cross  the  plains,  but  the  father  died  of  cholera  on  the 
way,  and  four  other  members  of  the  family  perished  also.  The 
mother,  Mrs.  Lillie  Frizzell,  with  six  children,  made  her  way  to 
Oregon,  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  The  children's  names  were — 
Catharine,  William,  Joseph,  Almira,  Jason  P.,  and  Lafayette. 
Jason  P.  Frizzell  is  now  a  farmer  near  Perrydale.  lie  was  married 
in  1872  to  Louisa  Baskett.  They  have  two  children — Edith  and 
Ethel. 

GALLOWAY,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Hampstead  County,  Virginia,  August  20,  1798.  Lived 
subsequently  in  Missouri  and  Illinois,  and  while  at  Galena  married 
Miss  Mary  Heeney.  They  afterwards  removed  to  Wisconsin,  and 
Mr.  G.  served  in  the  Black. Hawk  war.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1852 
and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Mr.  Galloway  died  September  :>0, 
1884,  surviving  his  wife  but  two  weeks.  They  were  both  buried 
in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Paul's  Catholic  Church,  Marion  County. 
Their  family,  at  one  time,  numbered  six  daughters  and  five  sons, 
of  whom  three  of  the  former  and  all  of  the  latter  still  live.  Father 
Galloway,  as  he  was  called,  wras  a  man  of  the  deepest  piety,  arid 
possessed  the  respect  of  his  fellow-men  in  an  extraordinary  degree. 

GALLOWAY,   WILLIAM. 

Mr.  Galloway  is  the  youngest  son  of  Charles 'and  Mary  Gallo 
way.  He  was  born  in  Iowa  County,  Wisconsin,  June  10,  1845,  and 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Oregon.  Was  educated  at  the  com 
mon  schools  and  at  the  Willamette  LTniversity,  graduating  in  1868, 
with  honors.  Taught  for  a  time  in  the  North  Yamhill  Academy, 
and  then  studied  law  with  Judge  Curl  in  Salem.  On  October  18, 
1875,  he  married  Emma,  daughter  of  V.  Baker.  Mrs.  Galloway 
was  born  in  Dodge  County,  Wisconsin,  December  28,  1851.  Their 
children  are — Zilpha  Virginia,  and  Charles  Varranus.  Mr.  Gallo 
way  was  elected  to  the  assembly  in  1874,  and  again  in  1878  and 
1880;  held  the  chairmanship  of  several  important  committees,  etc. 
Resides  at  present  in  Bellevue  Precinct. 

GIBSON,  SAMUEL  D. 

Born  in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  in  1836;  came  to  Oregon  and  set 
tled  in  Polk  County;  still  resides  there;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Married,  March,  1807,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Foreman. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  765 

GOOD,  GEORGE  E. 

Born  in  Oregon  City  in  1852.  In  1869  went  to  work  in  a  print 
ing  office,  and  was  employed  1>y  the  Statesman  newspaper  for  a 
while.  From  1878  to  1883 'he  conducted  the  Polk  County  Itemi- 
zer;  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Salem  where  he  bought  out  the 
drug  store  of  E.  S.  Hubl>ell;  was  in  partnership  with  J.  M.  Smith, 
but  has  since  conducted  it  alone.  Married  Miss  Wilcox  in  1876 
and  has  three  children — all  girls. 

GOODMAN,  A.  J. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1847;  the  son  of  J.  II.  Goodman,  who 
brought  his  family  across  the  plains  in  1852.  The  father  now  re 
sides  in  Eugene  City.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1823.  A.  J. 
Goodman  went  to  California  in  1869  and  remained  three  years. 
Farmed  near  Eugene  City  for  a  time,  then  sold  his  place  and  went 
east  of  the  Cascades.  Bought  a  drug  store  in  Independence  in  1882 
which  he  sold  and  purchased  a  livery  stable,  which  he  now  conducts. 

GOWDY,  J.  T. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1835;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  settled  in 
Marion  County;  now  lives  three  miles  southwest  of  Dayton,  in  the 
occupation  of  farming.  Married  Annie  E.  Kemp  in  1860,  and 
their  children's  names  are — Arthur  C.,  Hattie  G.,  Lillian  E.,  and 
Martha  E. 

GRANT,  RICHARD  J. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1S25;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Luckiamute,  and  still  resides  there,  engaged 
in  farming.  He  married  Sarah  J.  Williams,  in  Davis  County,  Mis 
souri,  in  1846,  and  they  have — Mary  E.,  Nancy  M.,  David  A.,  and 
James  M.  Mr.  Grant  represented  Polk  County  in  the  Oregon  Leg 
islature  in  1868,  1870,  and  1878. 

GRAVES,  WESLEY. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1817;  moved  to  Illinois  in  1840,  arid  carried  on 
for  several  years  a  cabinet  manufactory;  crossed  the  plains  in  1852, 
and  locating  at  Corvallis,  carried  on  the  furniture  business,  and 
kept  a  hotel  for  a  time.  Mined  for  two  years  at  Boise  City;  went 
to  Salem  in  1864,  and  kept  the  Union  Hotel  for  live  years;  has  been 


760  HISTORY   OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

lessee  of  the  Heed  (Commercial),  and  Chemeketa  Hotels,  and  keeps 
the  latter  at  present.  Is  the  oldest  hotel-keeper  in  Oregon,  proba 
bly.  Was  married  in  Ohio  in  1840,  to  Eebecca  Shoemaker.  They 
have  had  a  large  family,  of  whom  but*  two  survive — Joanna,  and 
F.  A.  The  names  of  the  deceased  were — William,  Mary,  Martha 
J.,  George  R.,  and  Emma. 

GRAY,  G.  W.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Rush  County,  Indiana,  May  22, 1837.  Came  to  Oregon 
with  his  father,  who  settled  in  Linn  County.  Commenced  the 
study  of  dentistry  in  1861,  and  attended  the  Dental  College  in 
Cincinnati,  graduating  in  1865.  Returned  to  Oregon  the  same 
year  and  located  in  Albany,  where  he  has  since  practiced  and  has 
been  president  of  the  Oregon  State  Dental  Association.  Owns  a 
city  residence  and  two  farms  of  four  hundred  and  seventy -six 
acres.  The  doctor  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council.  Married 
Miss  Harriet  E.  Bonner  in  1865,  and  they  have  three  children- 
Arthur  D.,  Londa  B.,  and  Mary  Lena. 

HACKLEMAN,  T.  P. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  in  1852;  received  his  education 
at  the  schools  in  Albany  and  the  Christian  College  in  Monniouth. 
Studied  law  at  Ann  Arbor  law  school,  in  Michigan,  and  graduated 
in  1878.  Located  in  Albany  subsequently,  and  has  practiced  there 
since.  Married  Miss  Edith  Lyon  in  1877,  and  by  her  has  had 
three  children — Jessie,  Rollin,  and  Tharston. 

HADAWAY,  EDWARD  C. 

Born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  April  11,  1811);  in  1835  moved 
to  Baltimore,  Maryland;  in  1852  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at 
Dayton,  Yamhill  County,  where  he  still  lives,  engaged  in  farming. 
He  married  Elizabeth  J.  Roswell,  and  their  children's  names  are- 
George  A.,  Mary  E.,  Edward,  William,  Lewis,  Charles,  and  Abra 
ham  L.  Mr.  Hadaway  was  sergeant -at -arms  in  the  Oregon  House  of 
Representatives  in  1872,  1874,  and  1880. 

HANNUM,  LEWIS  L. 

Born  in  Hampton  County,  Massachusetts,  in  1827;  moved  to 
Ohio  in  1839,  to  Michigan  in  1844,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1852, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  707 

and  settled  in  Polk  County.  Present  residence,  Luckiamute  Val 
ley,  and  occupation,  carpenter  and  fanner.  He  married  Mary  Ritiier 
in  Oregon  in  1856,  and  their  children's  names  are — Julius,  Sarah 
H.,  Andrew,  Ann,  Lewis  L.,  Eva,  and  Una. 

HARRIS,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  in  1832;  on  coming  to  Oregon 
located  at  Portland.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
Washington  Territory,  and  was  clerk  of  Multnomah  County  in 
1872.  Represented  Multnomah  County  in  the  Legislature  of  Ore 
gon  in  1882.  Is  a  dealer  in  ice,  belonging  to  the  firm  of  Harris  & 
Salmon. 

HARREL,  DODDRIDGE. 

Lives  at  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Was  born  in 
Fayette  County,  Indiana,  December  18,  1818;  came  overland  to 
Oregon;  still  owns  the  farm  on  which  he  settled  on  his  arrival;  has 
served  in  public  offices.  Married  Miriam  Taylor,  who  was  born 
in  Knox  County,  Tennessee,  in  1820. 

HASTINGS,  A.  L. 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Tennessee,  in  1829;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  resides;  occupation, 
farm  in  2*. 

o 
HASTINGS,  J.  C. 

Born  in  Henry  County,  Tennessee,  in  1833;  came  from 
Arkansas  to  Oregon,  and  settled  in  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he 
still  lives;  he  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Merica  M. 
Woods  in  1857,  and  their  children's  names  are — Martha  J.,  Henry 
Gr.,  Burris  S.,  Joseph  L.,  Mary  A.,  John  F.,  and  Clara  O. 

HAWKINS,  J.  S. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire;  came  to  Oregon  in  1852.  Residence, 
Salem,  Marion  County. 

HAYES,  R.  B. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Tennessee,  in  1831,  and  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Missouri  in  1839;  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in 
1850,  and  removed  to  Oregon  two  years  after.  Is  a  farmer,  and 


7(>8  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

has  resided  on  his  land  in  Lane  County  for  many  years.  Has  been 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  four  times.  Married  Miss 
Lucy  Brown  in  1858. 

HAYES,  SETH  W. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1825;  came  from  Iowa  to  Oregon  in  1852,  and 
settled  near  the  present  site  of  Halsey,  Linn  County,  two  years  later. 
The  town  of  Halsey  was  laid  out  in  1871,  by  the  railroad  company, 
partly  upon  Mr.  Hayes'  land,  and  that  gentleman  owned  property  in 
it.  He  was  murdered,  on  November  1,  1876,  by  Kay  Neal.  The 
circumstances  of  the  killing  were  as  follows:  Mr.  Hayes'  ardent 
temperance  principles  and  prominence  made  him  obnoxious  to  cer 
tain  ill-disposed  liquor  dealers  and  their  supporters.  The  town  was 
incorporated  in  the  centennial  year,  through  the  joint  efforts  of  Mr. 
Hayes,  Jacob  Thompson,  and  others,  who  sought  to  extirpate  the 
whiskey  traffic.  Neal  sought  a  quarrel  with  Hayes,  and  taking 
him  at  a  disadvantage,  stabbed  him,  there  being  no  eye-witness. 
The  unfortunate  victim  lived  but  a  few  hours.  The  assassin  at 
tempted  to  escape,  but  was  taken  and  imprisoned.  When  he  was 
brought  to  trial  his  lawyers  set  up  a  plea  of  self-defense,  but  a  ver 
dict  was  rendered,  convicting  Neal  of  murder  in  the  first  degree. 
Sentence  being  pronounced,  the  murderer  was  executed  at  Albany, 
on  the  twenty-eighth  of  January,  1877.  This  homicide  constitutes, 
probably,  the  most  striking  event  in  the  history  of  the  county  of 
Linn.  Mr.  Hayes  was  twice  married,  and  his  children  numbered  six, 
of  whom  five  are  living,  viz. — Daniel,  S.  S.,  Frank  R.,  Gertrude,  and 
Irving.  The  second  Mrs.  Hayes  (formerly  Miss  Finlay)  is  now 
residing  on  a  portion  of  the  Hayes'  ranch  near  Halsey. 

HEDGES,  JOSEPH. 

Resides  in  Canemah,  Clackamas  County,  and  is  a  carpenter  ,by 
occupation;  he  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  in  1827. 
Married  Miss  Ellen  J.  Allen,  and  his  children  are — Mary  J.,  John 
B.,  William  A.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Arthur  E.  (deceased),  Joseph  E., 
Francis  R.,  Gilbert  L.,  and  Frederick  R. 

HENDERSON,  THOMAS  B. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1828;  in  1832  was  taken  to  Knox 
County,  Ohio;  in  1851  went  to  Missouri;  came  from  that  State  to 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  769 

Oregon  the  following  year,  and  settled  at  Amity,  Yainhill  County, 
where  he  still  resides.  His  occupation  is  that  of  a  blacksmith  and 
farmer.  He  married  Elizabeth  Van  Buskirk  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  in  1848,  and  their  children's  names  are — Urbanus  (deceased), 
Sylvia  A.  (deceased),  Elmus  U.,  Sarah  E.,  Miles  T.,  and  Mar 
garet  V. 

HENRY,  ANSON  B. 

Born  in  Cattaraugus  County,  New  York,  in  1836.  Settled 
near  Lafayette,  in  Yamhill  County,  and  tilled  the  soil.  Was 
superintendent  of  public  schools  for  a  time.  Married  Eliza  Easta- 
brooks  in  1857,  and  their  children's  names  are — Lavinia  E., 
Phoebe  C.,  Mary  E.,  Milton  A.,  Franklin  B.,  Robinson,  Alfred  F., 
Anson  B.,  Nellie  I.,  and  Charles  C.  Mr.  Henry  died  in  1882,  and 
his  widow,  May  30,  1884.  Mrs.  Henry  was  born  in  Bradford 
County,  Pennsylvania,  near  Towanda,  March  19,  1836.  AVith  her 
parents,  three  sisters  and  five  brothers,  she  came  to  Illinois  in  1844; 
thence  to  Oregon  in  1853,  overland. 

HIRSCH,  LEOPOLD. 

Born  in  Wurteinburg,  Germany,  in  1824;  came  to  America  in 
1845,  and  to  California  in  1851.  Resides  now  in  Salem.  Retired 
from  mercantile  business  in  1881.  Married  Lizzie  Voltmann  in 
1858.  They  have  three  children — Rosa,  Laura,  and  Sarah. 

HOLLAND,  HOMER  B. 

Born  in  Augusta,  Iowa,  May  31,X1827;  came  to  Oregon  in  Au 
gust,  1852;  residence,  Oregon  City,  Clackamas  County;  occupation, 
book-keeper  for  the  Oregon  City  Flouring  Mill  Company.  Mr.  Hol 
land  married  Viola  Phillips,  and  their  family  included — James  L., 
Howard  W.  (deceased),  Louisa,  and  R.  V. 

IRVINE,  j.  D. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  January  10,  1843,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  Marion  County,  Oregon,  in  1852.  He  was  a 
farmer  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  residence  in  Oregon,  but  in  1877, 
he  commenced  draying  in  Independence,  and  continued  in  that  busi 
ness  seven  years.  In  1872  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Fisher, 
and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  namely — Clara  W., 


770  HISTOKY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Charlie  G.,  Clyde  J.,  and  Claude.  The  two  last  mentioned  died  in 
1883,  of  scarlet  fever.  In  1884,  Mr.  Irvine  bought  a  grocery  store 
in  Independence,  in  which  he  is  now  engaged.  lie  was  a  member 
of  the  city  council  from  1880  to  1884. 

JAMES,  W.  H. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1846;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk 
County,  where  he  still  resides.  Occupation,  farming.  He  married 
Sarah  Hiashaw  in  Polk  County  in  18(39,  and  their  children's  names 
are — Adelia  J.,  David  W.,  Isabel,  and  Minnie  E. 

JEFFRIES,  F.  S. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1818;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Marion  County.  Lives  now  at  Amity.  Served  in  the  Mexican 
war,  attaining  the  rank  of  orderly  sergeant.  His  occupation  is 
agent  for  manufacturers  of  machinery.  He  married  Susan  R. 
Nichols  in  1849,  and  they  have  one  child,  Theodore  by  name. 

JETTE,  A. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  and  located  in  the 
mines  of  the  Rogue/  River  region.  At  present  is  a  merchant  of 
Champoeg,  Marion  County.  He  married  Margaret  Leard  in  1871' 
and  they  have  six  children. 

JOHNSON,  H.  V.  V.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Ne\v  York  in  1823,  and  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio; 
received  his  medical  education  in  Ohio  and  New  York,  after  which 
he  practiced  in  Indianapolis  for  seven  years.  Came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  on  a. farm  in  Washington  County.  Was  a  member  of  the 
Territorial  Legislature  for  that  county,  serving  from  1855  to  1858. 
Moved  to  McMinnville  in  1803,  being  the  only  doctor  there  for 
several  years;  now  owns  a  house  in  town  and  has  a  good  practice. 
Married  Miss  Mary  Bushnell  in  1850,  and  has  two  children — Julia, 
and  Frances  Isabella.  His  wife  died  in  18(u,  and  in  1808  he  mar 
ried  Mrs.  Julia  B.  Herrick,  a  sister  to  his  first  wife. 

JOHNSON,  Mrs.  P.  O. 

Born  in  Erie  County,  New  York,  in  1829;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  the  Luckiainute  Valley,  where  she  still  resides.  She  was 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  771 

married  to  John  Johnson,  in  Polk  County,  in  1854,  and  their  chil 
dren  are  named  respectively — Alcida,  Esther,  and  Fred.  J.  Mrs. 
Johnson  is  now  a  widow. 

JONES,  D.  M.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1839;  came  to  Oregon  with  his  father,  and 
settled  in  Marrion  County.  He  was  educated  at  the  Willamette 
University,  after  which  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools; 
then  took  the  medical  course  at  the  Willamette  University,  graduat 
ing  in  1868.  In  1875,  he  took  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica  in  the 
Willamette  University  and  held  it  five  years.  Moved  to  Albany  in 
1870,  where  he  has  practiced  since,  during  which  time  he  has  been 
in  the  lecture  field,  and  also  served  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the 
Albany  Herald,  in  which  he  was  part  owner. 

JONES,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1835,  and  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon 
in  1852,  and  settled  in  Oregon  City,  where  he  lived  for  two  years; 
then  went  to  Polk  County,  working  there  in  a  sawmill  ten  years, 
and  after  that  period  was  for  a  while  in  Eastern  Oregon  engaged 
in  the  same  occupation.  He  next  went  into  the  stock  business.  In 
1880  he  drove  cattle  to  Omaha  over  the  same  route  by  which  he 
came  to  this  coast.  During  his  residence  in  Polk  County,  and  at  the 
time  of  high  water  in  that  county,  his  property  was  all  destroyed 
and  his  stock  drowned.  Mr.  Jones  relates  that  his  house  floated 
three  miles  with  himself  and  family  in  it.  He  was  married  in  1854 
to  Miss  Lydia  Eetherford,  and  five  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
but  only  one  is  now  alive — William.  Resides  at  Dayton. 

KELLY,  ANDREW. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1833;  when  nineteen  years  of  age  came  to 
Oregon,  but  left  in  1854  and  went  to  California,  Peru,  and  Chili, 
returning  to  this  State  in  1861.  He  is  now  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Salem,  elected  in  1882.  Is  a  skilled  mechanic  in  wagon  and  car 
riage  making  and  blacksmithing.  Has  been  a  prominent  member 
of  the  fire  department,  having  filled  every  office  in  connection 
therewith.  Married  Miss  Lydia  Hawley,  and  their  children  are- 
George  (deceased),  Edward  (deceased),  Olive,  and  George  E. 


772  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

KOONTZ,  MARTIN  V. 

Born  in  1837,  in  Ohio,  of  German  extraction;  lived  successively 
in  Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1852, 
by  the  familiar  ox-train  method,  but  chiefly  on  foot,  because  the 
Indians  stole  the  horses  belonging  to  the  train  on  arrival  at  the 
Platte  River.  The  Koontz  family  took  up  a  donation  claim  in  Linn 
County  soon  after  their  arrival,  but  in  1868  the  son  went  to  Eastern 
Oregon  and  occupied  himself  in  various  ways  until  18(51),  when  he 
returned  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  and  went  into  the  employ  of 
Jacob  Thompson,  in  Halsey,  as  clerk.  In  1876  he  went  into  busi 
ness  on  his  own  account,  and  three  years  later  organized  the  firm  of 
Koontz  &  Lame,  dealers  in  general  merchandise  and  grain,  at  Hal 
sey.  Mr.  Koontz  married  Miss  Conkwright,  and  they  have  two 
living  children — Clyde  and  Edith. 

LEE,  A. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1843,  and  nine  years  later  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon.  He  settled  at  Forest  Grove,  Washington  County,  in 
1860,  and  still  resides  there.  Is  a  machinist  of  great  skill  and  ex 
perience,  and  finds  occupation  for  those  qualities  in  the  service  of 
the  firm  of  Lee  <fe  Stewart,  foundry  men  and  manufacturers  of  im 
plements.  Mr.  Lee  married,  when  twenty -two  years  of  age,  Nancy 
J.  Laughlin,  and  their  children's  names  are — Nellie,  John  A.,  Cora, 
and  Pearl. 

LESLEY,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1836;  when  sixteen  went  to  Indiana;  in  1852 
rame  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Salem;  married  in  1868  Miss  Eliza 
M.  Graves,  and  they  have  five  children — Frank,  Fannie,  Mary, 
Charles,  and  Minnie.  Mr.  Lesley  is  a  carpenter  and  carriage  builder 
by  trade,  but  has  entered  upon  agriculture  to  a  considerable  extent, 
owning  a  three  hundred  and  fifty  acre  ranch  near  Salem.  He  has 
moreover  distinguished  himself  and  added  to  the  resources  of  the 
valley  by  his  operations  in  carp  breeding,  and  lias  many  thousands 
of  these  fine  and  valuable  fish  in  his  ponds. 

LEWIS,  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1832;  came  to  Oregon  in  1852,  settling 
in  Yamhill  County,  where  he  still  resides.  Is  a  farmer.  Married 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  773 

Miss    Elizabeth   Johnson   in    1859.       Children — John    and   Leroy. 
Mr.  Lewis  was  chosen  county  commissioner  in  1878. 

LEWIS,  JAMES  W. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1848;  settled  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  and 
lias  resided  there  since  his  arrival  Resides  in  Oak  Grove  settle 
ment,  and  is  a  farmer.  Went  to  the  Idaho  mines  in  1862,  and 
remained  there  three  years.  Married  in  Polk  County  in  1866, 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Kiggs.  Children— Glenn  H.,  AVebb  C.,  and  A.  R. 

LEWIS,  W.  P. 

Born  in  1X12  in  East  Tennessee  and  reared  there.  Settled  in 
Polk  County  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon,  and  remained  there  until 
his  death.  His  occupation  was  conducting  grist  and  saw  mills. 
Served  a  term  as  treasurer  of  Polk  County.  Married  in  Tennessee 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Saddler,  by  whom  he  had  four  children — Nancy 
F.  (Mrs.  M.  Thompson).  Sarah  (deceased),  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  S.  T. 
Gilliam,  of  California),  and  William.  Mrs.  Lewis  died  in  Tennes 
see,  and  he  married  the  second  time. 

LONG,  GABRIEL. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  King's 
Valley,  where  he  still  lives,  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Ellen 

J  I  o     o  O 

J.  Fuller  in   1867,  and   they  have  two  children — Arnold  D.,  and 
Sarah  A. 

MACK,  WILLIAM  O. 

Lives  at  Canby,  Clackanias  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion;  he  was  born  in  Harpersfield,  New  York,  December  7,  1820; 
married  Louisa  Graham,  and  their  children  are — Estella  K.,  Oscar 
E.,  Victor  L.,  Arthur  L.,  llanion  W.,  Byron  L.,  Lawrence  V., 
Cecil  C.,  Ola  L.,  Morley  T.,  and  C.  11. 

MAGERS,  J.  E. 

Born  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  September  25,  1847;  came  to 
Oregon  with  his  father,  W.  B.  Magers.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Willamette  University,  after  which  he  taught  school  eight  years: 
was  professor  of  mathematics  in  MeMinnville  College  three  years. 
Studied  law  in  the  East,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870; 


774  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

returned  to  Oregon  and  practiced  law  in  Salem  the  following  year ; 
then  moved  to  McMinnville,  where  he  now  resides,  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  and  in  partnership  with  Henry  Warren  in  the 
insurance  and  real  estate  business.  Was  a  candidate  for  rep 
resentative  in  1882,  which  resulted  in  a  tie  vote.  Married  Miss  D. 
E.  Shrader  in  1879,  who  has  one  child — Fleta  Leone. 

MAGERS,  WILLIAM  B.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Brook  County,  West  Virginia,  May  2,  1819;  moved  to 
Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  in  1836,  and  to  Morgan  County  in  1839. 
On  coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  at  Oregon  City;  his  present  resi 
dence  is  on  Salt  Creek,  Polk  County;  his  occupation  is  physician 
and  surgeon.  He  married  Mary  J.  Barkhurst  in  Morgan  County, 
Ohio,  November  17,  1846,  and  their  children's  names  are — John  E., 
Sarah  E.,  William  I.  (deceased),  Charles  E.,  James  P.,  Francis  M., 
Mary  V.,  George  W.,  lone  J.,  Albert  Gr.,  Wesley  B.,  Minetta  M., 
and  Lemuel  E.  (deceased). 

MANIS,  WILLIAM  R. 

Born  in  McMinn  County,  Tennessee,  November  30,  1830.  His 
present  residence  is  Scio,  Linn  County,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farm 
ing.  Married  Ann  Terry,  by  whom  he  has  four  children — Mary 
F.,  William  M.,  James  M.,  and  Denver  E.  Mr.  Manis  enlisted  as 
a  volunteer  during  the  Indian  war  in  1855,  and  served  six  months 
in  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory. 

MAYFIELD,  W.  I. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1830,  and  came  to  Oregon  twenty-two  years 
later.  Lives  in  Portland  and  is  a  printer  by  occupation.  Married 
Elizabeth  Engle  in  1863,  and  Mrs.  Nettie  Gooch  in  1874.  Had 
two  children  by  the  former.  Was  a  soldier  in  the  Rogue  River 
war,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Hungry  Hill. 

McCOWN,  FERDINAND  O. 

Born  in  Kanawha  County,  Virginia,  in  January,  1839;  accom 
panied  his  father  to  Oregon  when  thirteen  years  of  age.  Partici 
pated  in  the  Yakima  war.  Studied  at  the  Willamette  University 
and  Portland  Academy,  and  taught  school.  Clerked  in  a  store  and 
read  law,  at  first  with  W.  C.  Johnson,  subsequently  with  O.  C. 


HISTORY   OF   IMMLttUATlOX.  775 

Pratt,  in  San  Francisco.  Lived  in  Nevada  and  was  tlieiv  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1X(>2.  "Returned  to  Oregon  the  same  year  and  opened 
an  office  at  Waconda.  Enlisted  in  the  First  Oregon  Infantry  and 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant.  In  1865  rose  to  the  rank  of 
captain,  and  commanded  Fort  Colville.  Was  mustered  out  of  serv 
ice  in  December,  18<>5.  In  the  same  year  he  married  Miss  Sarah 
Meldrum,  of  Oregon  City.  Has  practiced  law  in  Oregon  City  ever 
since.  Has  been  mayor  of  that  town  for  three  terms.  His  chil- 
are — Helena*  B.,  Jessie  S.  (deceased),  Meldrum  F.,  Cornelia  I.,  Mal 
colm,  Mabrey,  and  an  infant  girl. 

McCOWN,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Kanawha  County,  Virginia,  in  1812;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1852.  Occupation,  blacksmith  and  fanner;  present  residence, 
Waitsburg,  Washington  Territory.  Wife's  previous  name,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Jane  McCown.  Children — Ferdinand  O.,  James  L.,  Belle, 
William,  Alvin  (deceased),  and  Frank. 

McCULLY,  ASA  A. 

Born  in  New  Brunswick  in  1818;  moved  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
age;  lived  in  Iowa  many  years.  Crossed  the  plains  to  California 
in  1848,  with  an  ox-train.  Stayed  two  years,  returning  then  to 
Iowa,  and  in  1852  set  out  for  Oregon,  bringing  his  family  and 
locating  in  Linn  Count}',  where  he  founded  the  town  of  Harris- 
burg.  In  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  brought  out 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle.  In  18(>3  he  removed  to 
Salem,  where  he  became  president  of  the  People's  Transportation 
Company,  which  owned  the  AVillamette  River  steamers.  In  1860 
Mr.  McCully  represented  Linn  County  in  the  Legislature,  and 
after  locating  in  Salem  was  city  councilman  for  several  years. 

McKUNE,  ROBERT, 

Is  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  in  Sheridan,  where  he  has  lived 
since  1875.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1820;  moved  to 
Illinois  in  1842;  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1850,  and  t\v<> 
years  later  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk  County,  where  he 
lived  on  a  farm  until  moving  to  Sheridan.  Married  Miss  Sara.li  A. 
Buel  in  1857,  and  has  six  children — Lydia,  Walter,  Alice,  Jane, 
Emeline,  and  William. 


776  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

MILLER,  D.  A. 

Born  in  Genessee  County,  New  York,  in  June,  1818.  Occupa 
tion,  carpenter  and  contractor.  Mr.  Miller  died  in  February,  1874; 
his  widow  (nee  Miss  M.  J.  Martin)  resides  in  South  Salem.  Their 
children  were — Ezra  (deceased),  and  Miles  M. 

MILLER,  JACOB  P. 

Born  in  Fulton  County,  New  York,  July  31,  1808;  in  1845,  he 
went  to  Indiana,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1852.  He  settled  at  Mil- 
waukie,  Clackamas  County,  and  is  now  engaged  in  keeping  a  hotel 
in  that  town.  He  married  Catharine  Whitmore,  in  1834,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Margaretta,  Marietta,  George  H.  (deceased), 
Delia,  Thomas  (deceased),  and  Martha  (deceased). 

MILLER,  SEBASTIAN  E. 

Born  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  April  15,  1828.  Is  a  steamboat 
captain  by  occupation,  and  resides  at  Canemah,  Clackamas  County. 
Married  Sarah  E.  Power,  and  their  children  were — Melissa  and 
Clara;  the  latter  is  deceased. 

MOORES,  CHARLES  B/ 

Born  in  Benton,  Missouri,  August  6,  1849,  and  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Danville,  Illinois,  in  1851,  and  to  Oregon  the  next  year. 
Has  resided  in  Salem  the  greater  part  of  the  subsequent  time.  He 
was  educated  at  the  Willamette  University,  class  of  1870,  and 
served  the  O.  &  C.  R.  E,.  Co.  as  draughtsman  for  four  years.  Studied 
law  in  the  Universities  of  Pennsylvania  and  Michigan ;  returned  to 
Salem  and  practiced  law.  In  1880  became  chief  clerk  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and  is  at  present  private  secretary  to  Governor 
Moody.  He  married  Miss  S.  E.  Chamberlain  in  1881. 

MOORES,  I.  R. 

I.  R.  Moores,  Sr.,  served  in  the  Serninole  war  in  Florida  under 
Jackson ;  commanded  a  regiment  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  (whence 
his  title  of  colonel),  and  finally  took  part  in  the  Mexican  war. 
Arrived  in  Oregon  in  1852,  having  come  overland  at  the  head  of  a 
company  of  pioneers  organized  at  Danville,  Illinois.  Located  in 
Lane  County  near  Eugene  City,  and  afterwards  represented  the 
people  of  that  county  in  the  Legislature  and  in  the  State  Constitu- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  (  (  7 

tioual  Convention.  Died  in  1861  and  is  buried  at  Salem.  I.  R. 
Moores,  Jr.,  was  his  youngest  son.  He  was  born  near  Danville, 
Illinois,  February  14,  1831.  Was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  began  life  as  a  clerk.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali 
fornia  and  spent  two  years  there  mining,  without  much  success. 
Returned  to  Illinois  then  and  joined  his  father's  expedition  to  Ore 
gon.  They  set  out  in  March,  1852,  and  arrived  in  Portland  in 
December  following.  The  young  man  then  went  to  Yamhill  County 
and  spent  two  years  as  surveyor  in  partnership  with  William  Logan. 
Removed  in  1854  to  Salem,  where  he  maintained  his  residence  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Was  at  first  a  clerk  for  J.  N.  McDonald, 
and  in  1856  bought  out  his  employer  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  brother,  J.  H.  Moores.  Was  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Salem  and  was  the  chief  organizer  of  the  fire  department  of  that 
town.  Attained  the  thirty -second  degree  in  Masonry.  Was  for  seven 
teen  years  treasurer  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  Was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1862  and  1864,  and  was  once  speaker 
of  the  house.  At  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war  he  became  colonel 
of  the  2d  regiment  of  Oregon  mounted  volunteers  (whence  his  usual 
title  of  colonel).  In  1866  Governor  Woods  apppointed  him  clerk 
of  the  State  board  of  land  commissioners.  He  was  one  of  the  orig 
inal  incorporators  of  the  Oregon  Central  Railway  Company,  of 
which  he  was  for  a  time  the  president.  In  1870  he  was  appointed 
land  commissioner  for  the  O.  &  C.  R.  R.,  and  held  that  position 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  July  25,  1884. 

MORELAND,  J.  C. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1844,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Oregon  six  years  later.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Clackamas 
County,  but  learned  the  trade  of  printer  in  Portland.  Read  law 
with  David  Logan  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1868.  Was  a 
member  of  the  city  council  of  Portland  from  1872  until  1875,  and 
was  city  attorney  from  1877  until  1882.  Married  Miss  Abbie  B. 
Kline  in  1867. 

MORELAND,  S.  A. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Tennessee,  November  1,  1836;  re 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1848,  and  to  Oregon  four 
years  after.  They  settled  in  Clackamas  County.  The  son  studied 


778  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

law  in  Portland,  where  lie  afterwards  became  justice  of  the  peace, 
city  assessor,  and  police  judge,  holding  the  latter  office  at  present. 
Has  been  occupied  in  journalism.  Conducted  the  Evening  Tele- 
grain  newspaper  in  1882,  and  edited  the  Oregonian  for  a  time,  in 

1880. 

MOSS,  STEPHEN  P. 

Born  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  1840,  and  was  brought  to  Oregon  by 
his  parents  when  twelve  years  old.  They  settled  in  Linn  County, 
and  the  son  was  reared  on  their  farm.  From  1868  to  1872  he  w^as 
in  California.  Returning,  he  settled  in  Lake  County,  and  raised 
stock.  Was  elected  county  commissioner  in  1870,  and  representa 
tive  in  1882.  Married  Sarah  E.  Robnett  in  1801,  who  died  in 
1868;  married  Miss  Margaret  S.  Casteel  in  1.870. 

MOVER,  J.  M. 

Lives  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  proprietor  of  the 
Woolen  Mills  in  that  town.  He  was  born  in  Schuylkill  County, 
Pennsylvania,  August  21,  1829,  and  is  married  to  Elizabeth  I). 
Brown.  Their  children  are — Edward  D.,  Hugh  B.,  and  Ethel  (de 
ceased). 

MURPHY,  JOHN  TURNER. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  October  27,  1843,  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon.  The  first  winter  after  their  arrival  was 
spent  in  Yamhill  County,  and  in  1853  they  moved  to  Polk  County, 
remaining  there  a  short  time,  and  going  the  same  year  to  Washing 
ton  Territory,  where  they  lived  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  they  returned  to  Polk  County,  locating  at  Monmouth, 
where  Mr.  Murphy  has  since  remained.  He  now  owns  a  farm  two 
miles  from  the  lovely  little  town  of  Monmouth.  He  was  married, 
March  6,  1870,  to  Miss  Ruth  J.  Rohrer,  and  they  have  four  chil 
dren,  namely — Chester  V.,  George  J.,  Linnie  G.,  and  William  D. 
Mr.  Murphy  has  his  home  in  Monmouth,  but  continues  to  work  his 
farm. 

MURPHY,  WILLIAM  P. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1831 ;  came  to  Oregon  when  twenty -one 
years  old.  Now  lives  at  Sa,lem.  Married  fii-st  Sarah  Taylor,  and 
afterwards  Sarah  E.  Stanton. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  779 

MYERS,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Tippecanoe  County,  Ohio,  in  1829.  On  his  arrival  in 
Oregon  he  settled  five  miles  northeast  of  North  Yamhill,  where  he 
still  resides,  on  his  farm.  lie  married  Mary  E.  Armentrout  in 
1854,  and  their  children's  names  are — Levi  M.,  Ardenny  L.,  Mrs. 
Effie  Grayson,  Leonora,  and  Aline. 

NEWBILL,  B.  H. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1843;  came  to  Oregon,  and  settled  in  Polk 
County,  where  he  still  resides.  Occupation,  farming.  Married 
Julia  Ellis  in  Polk  County,  in  1859.  Children — Sarah  S.,  Margaret 
E.,  Mary  J.,  Ora  E.,  and  Edward  Ray. 

NIXON,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1824,  and  went  to  Ohio  at  an  early  age. 
Left  Indiana  in  1852  for  Oregon,  and  settled  in  Linn  County. 
Was  married  in  1846  to  II.  Parrish.  Their  children  were— 
James  W.,  Orrilla,  J.  L.,  J.  H.,  and  Mattie.  Mr.  Nixon's  original 
occupation  was  that  of  blacksmith;  but  he  now  owns  and  conducts 
the  St.  Charles  Hotel  at  Lebanon,  Linn  County.  Was  county 
treasurer  from  1864  to  1867  inclusive. 

NOLAND,  N. 

Born  in  Missouri,  in  1842;  came  to  Oregon  with  his  father,  J.  S. 
Noland ;  lived  several  years  in  Southern  and  Eastern  Oregon,  prior 
to  settling  in  Washington  County;  his  present  residence  is  Corne 
lius,  and  occupation,  hotel  keeping.  Married  Miss  Melissa  J.  Daw- 
son  in  1867.  Children — Nettie  (deceased),  Alice,  Emma,  John, 
and  Lulu.  ,  • 

NORTHRUP,  EDWARD  J. 

Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  July  4,  1834.  Was  reared  to 
habits  of  business,  and,  in  1852,  came  to  Oregon,  and  became  a 
clerk  for  his  father's  firm  (Northrup  &  Symonds),  succeeding  to  the 
concern's  business  in  1856.  Retired  about  1878,  selling  out  to 
Thompson,  DeHart  &  Co.  Met  his  death  by  a  fall,  April  9,  1883. 
He  married  Miss  Frances  McNamee  in  1856,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living. 


780  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

OLDS,  D.  G. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1823;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  at 
Middleton,  and  still  lives  at  the  same  place;  he  is  a  blacksmith  and 
wagon  maker  by  occupation.  He  married  Eveline  M.  Eaton  in 
1849,  and  their  children's  names  are — Frank  M.,  Hattie  T.,  Fred 
E.,  and  Mrs.  Rose  L.  Brooks. 

OLDS,  NANCY  (JACOBS). 

Born  in  Branch  County,  Michigan,  in  1834;    came  to  Oregon  in 
185 '2,  and  settled  at  West  Chehalem.     Her  present  residence  is  at 
Lafayette,  and  occupation,  dressmaking;  she  was  a  school  teacher 
formerly.     Married  H.  8.  Jacobs  in  1855,  and  has  two   children- 
Mrs.  Ungerman  and  Charles  N.  Jacobs. 

PARKER,  ALLEN. 

Born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1828;  attended  school  until  he 
was  fifteen,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Iowa,  and  he  came  to  Or 
egon  when  lie  was  twenty-four.  Located  in  Linn  County  and  re 
sided  there  for  many  years,  as  a  farmer,  saw  mill  and  warehouse 
man.  AVas  elected  sheriff  of  Linn  County  in  1872,  and  mayor  of 
Albany  in  1876.  Removed  to  Benton  County  in  1878,  and  con 
ducts  a,  savv  mill.  In  1880  the  people  of  that  county  elected  him  a 
representative,  and  again  in  1882.  Married  Miss  Julia  A.  Umphrey, 
in  1852. 

PARRISH,  LEWIS  M. 

Born  in  Pittsylvania  County,  Virginia,  June  21,  1830;  removed 
to  Missouri  in  1832,  and  to  Oregon  in  1852,  settling  in  Portland. 
Served  in  the  Yakima  war  in  Captain  Hembree's  company.  Mined 
unsuccessfully  at  Oro  Fino  in  1861.  Began  dealing  in  real  estate 
in  1863.  Is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Parrish,  Watkins  tfe  Cor 
nell.  Married  Sarah  J.  Watkins  in  1859.  Their  children  are— 
L.  C.,  Anna  J.,  Mary  A.,  George  L.,  and  Lilly  M. 

PARTLOW,  WILLIAM  B., 

Is  a  resident  of  Oregon  City,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  he 
was  born  in  Indiana,  March  8,  1828.  Married  Miss  Frances  L. 
Chase,  and  their  children  are — James  W.,  Richard  S.  (deceased), 
and  Edgar  (deceased). 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  781 

PEARL,  JAMES, 

The  head  of  the.  somewhat  numerous  family  of  the  Pearls  of 
Linn  County,  who  now  comprise  four  living  generations,  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1807.  Mr.  Pearl  moved  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  the 
present  site  of  Halsey.  He  still  lives,  a  much -respected  old  gentle 
man,  the  proprietor  of  a  residence  in  the  town  named,  and  of  a 
large  farm  a  short  distance  away.  Mr.  Pearl  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Elizabeth  Berry,  the  second  time  to  Elizabeth  Wiseman. 
The  children  who  accompanied  their  father  to  Oregon  were — Joseph, 
John  (deceased),  Malinda  (deceased),  Isabella  (deceased),  and  Eliz 
abeth  A. 

PEARL,  JAMES  A. 

Born  September  10,  1849,  in  Missouri,  the  son  of  Joseph  Pearl. 
Was  married  in  1878,  to  Miss  S.  J.  Miller,  and  his  children  by  her 
are— Willie  R.,  Hallie  M.,  and  Lulu  D.  Was  again  married  July 
19,  1882,  to  Amanda  M.  Jesse.  Residence,  Halsey. 

PEARL,   JOSEPH, 

Son  of  James  Pearl,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1829,  and  came  with 
his  father  to  Oregon  in  1852.  Spent  the  first  years  of  his  residence 
in  Linn  County  in  cultivating  the  soil,  but  when  Halsey  was 
founded,  he  entered  upon  commercial  pursuits,  and  in  187(>  be 
came  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Black,  Pearl  &  Co.,  and  continued 
so  for  seven  years.  He  is  now  a  partner  with  his  son  James  A. 
Pearl  in  the  planing  mill  at  Halsey.  This  establishment  was  set 
up  in  1872  by  Allingham  ct  Connor,  but  has  passed  through 
several  changes  of  ownership.  It  is  a  concern  of  considerable 
capacity,  having  a  variety  of  machinery  adapted  to  fill  the  needs  of 
the  neighborhood.  It  is  driven  by  steam,  and  has  planing  and 
matching  machines,  scroll  saws,  etc.  Mr.  Joseph  Pearl's  children 
are — James  A.,  John  R.,  Orpha  J.,  Silas  H.,  Martha  A.,  Joseph 
W.,  Ida  C.,  Alice,  Fannie,  Olive,  and  Edmund  Cleve. 

PETTINGILL,  WILLARD. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1848;  went  to  Illinois  in  1851;  enlisted 
in  the  7th  Illinois  Volunteers  in  the  war,  was  wounded  at  Stone 
River  and  draws  a  government  pension.  Married,  in  1872,  JMi-> 
Mary  E.  Driggs;  their  children  are — Jennie  M.,  I.  J.,  Lewis  W., 
and  Elmer  E.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  soon  after  in  Sal<-in, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  upholstering  business. 


782  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

PHILLIPS,  GEORGE  W., 

Lives  in  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  owns  and  tills  a  farm  of  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres  on  Thomas  Creek.  Born  in  Guilford 
County,  North  Carolina,  October  24,  1838;  married  Martha  A. 
Tarpley;  children — William  M.,  Sarah  F.,  Emily  J.,  Ida  B.,  and 
George  W. 

PIERCE,  SAMUEL  A., 

Lives  in  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation;  born 
in  Ray  County,  Missouri,  in  1830;  married  Emily  J.  Turnage,  and 
by  her  has  six  children — Dora  E.,  William,  Martha  A.,  Riley,  Mary 
E.,  and  Andrew.  ^ 

POMEROY,  LYMAN. 

Is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  resides  at  Scio,  Linn  County;  he 
was  born  in  Orange  County,  Vermont,  April  22,  1833.  Married 
Sarah  A.  Breler,  who  died  in  1859;  in  18(>0  he  was  married  again, 
to  A.  S.  Breler.  His  children  are — Orange  S.,  Oscar  E.,  Dora, 
Elva  C.,  Amanda,  Clara,  Emma,  Effie,  Minnie,  Bertie,  Eugene  H., 
and  JVIertia. 

PORTER,  JAMES  A. 

Born  in  Russell  County,  Virginia,  in  1816.  Removed  thence  to 
Indiana  and  remained  there  until  he  came  to  Oregon.  In  the  same 
year  he  settled  on  a  donation  claim  on  Muddy  Creek,  Linn  County, 
on  which  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1880.  Mr.  Porter  married, 
in  1838,  Miss  Nancy  Knott.  Their  children  were — William  H., 
Elizabeth,  Melinda,  Thomas  L.,  James  C.,  and  Ella. 

POTTER,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  New  York.  Present  residence,  Oregon  City;  occupa 
tion,  liveryman  and  saloon  keeper.  Wife's  previous  name  Mary  G. 
Patterson.  Children — Clara,  Belle,  Emma,  and  Gilbert  C. 

POWELL,  ABRAHAM  THOMAS, 

Is  a  farmer  and  resides  at  Scio,  Linn  County.  He  was  born  in 
Jackson  County,  Missouri,  September  1,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
Rev.  Joab  Powell.  He  married  twice;  his  first  wife's  previous 
name  being  Amanda  A.  Carl,  by  whom  his  children  are— Pertbaiia 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  783 

C.,  and  Iva.  His  second  wife  was  Eveline  -  — ,  by  whom  lie 
lias  one  child  named  Lora. 

POWELL,  W.  S. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  lSo'2,  and  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Portland 
where  he  remained  seventeen  years.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  during 
the  Rebellion,  being  in  the  First  Oregon  Infantry,  and  captain  of  a 
company.  Was  in  the  service  eighteen  months,  stationed  at  various 
times  in  Eastern  Oregon,  Washington  Territory,  and  Idaho,  at  Avar 

O         '  o  »    ' 

with  the  Indians.  Mr.  Powell  is  now  proprietor  of  a  grain  ware 
house  situated  on  the  Yamhill  River,  and  also  has  an  interest  in  the 
Yamhill  Lumber  Company.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  C.  Hill 
in  1855,  six  children  being  the  fruits  of  this  union,  three  of  whom 
are  now  alive— Mary  L.,  Charles  A.,  and  Frankie  A.  The  de 
ceased  are — Delia  M.,  Harry  C.,  and  Anna  A. 

RAYMOND,  H.  C. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1825;  his  first  residence  in  Oregon  was 
at  Forest  Grove;  now-  lives  at  Gaston  and  is  a  merchant  by  occu 
pation  and  is  unmarried. 

ROBERTSON,  R.  M. 

Born  in  South  Carolina,  in  December,  1830;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Linn  County;  resides  at  Halsey;  owns  a  warehouse  and 
deals  in  grain.  Was  married  in  1861,  to  Nancy  McMicken,  a  pio 
neer  of  1851.  They  have  two  children — Lillie  M.,  and  Ina  L. 

ROLAND,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  Kentucky,  in  December,  1801.  Was 
married  to  Eliza  Barnes,  of  the  same  county,  in  April,  1829.  In 
October  of  that  year  they  moved  to  Illinois,  and  lived,  until  1850, 
in  Vermilion  County.  Coming  to  Oregon,  he  took  up  a  donation 
claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  one  mile  east  of  Jefferson, 
Marion  County;  here  he  resided  until  his  death,  on  March  9,  1871. 
Their  children  numbered  nine,  of  whom  eight  still  live;  their  names 
are — C.  B.,  Jacob  O.  (of  Lebanon,  dealer  in  harness  and  saddlery), 
David  S.  (tinsmith,  of  Portland),  Pauline  (Mrs.  Phillips,  of  Sprague, 
W.  T.),  George  W.  (a  farmer  of  Lane  County),  Melvina  (wife  of  J. 
Warwick,  of  Portland),  Esther,  and  John  W.;  the  latter  is  in  part 
nership  with  the  first  named,  keeping  a  store  in  Jefferson. 


784  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ROWLAND,  JACOB  O. 

Born  in  Vermilion  County,  Illinois,  March  17,  1832;  is  of 
German  and  Irish  extraction.  Came  overland  to  Oregon,  and  now 
lives  in  Lebanon,  Linn  County;  is  a  saddler  by  occupation.  He 
married  Sarah  Ralston,  and  their  children  are — Ella,  May,  and 
Harry.  Married  a  second  time  to  Laura  Noff;  by  her  his  children 
are — Willie,  Fred,  Edith,  and  Clarence. 

SAMPSON,  j.  K. 

Mr.  Sampson,  now  a  resident  of  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County, 
came  to  Oregon  in  1852,  arriving  in  Portland  on  the  twentieth  of 
August.  He  remained  but  six  weeks  in  that  town,  leaving  it  for 
Yamhill  County,  in  which  he  has  resided  nearly  all  the  intervening 
years.  He  has  been  identified  with  its  growth  and  progress  and 
has  built  up  an  estimable  name  as  a  citizen. 

SAYLOR,  A.  L. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1847,  and  was  taken  across  the  plains  with  his 
parents  in  1852.  They  lived  for  a  while  in  Portland,  and  in  1853 
went  to  Olyrnpia,  but  returned  to  Oregon  in  185(>  and  settled  in 
McMinnville,  Yamhill  County.  A.  L.  Saylor  was  educated  at  the 
Baptist  College  at  McMinnville,  and  in  1871  became  clerk  in  the 
store  of  J.  B.  Morris  <fe  Co.,  at  Sheridan,  remaining  with  them  four 
years,  and  then  went  into  business  for  himself  in  a  drug  store,  and 
was  also  postmaster  of  that  town.  Pie  removed  to  Dallas  in  1877, 
and  bought  out  the  drug  store  of  Dr.  Herndon,  of  Dayton,  where 
he  still  continues  in  the  same  business,  and  has  also  held  the  office 
of  postmaster  since  1878.  Was  publisher  of  the  Free  Press  -at 
Dayton  for  one  year,  and  now  runs  a  job  printing  business.  Mr. 
Saylor  enlisted  in  the  array  in  1864  and  served  twelve  months  in 
the  campaign  in  Idaho,  and  was  post  adjutant  of  Ouster  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  at  McMinnville  in  1884.  He  is  a  member  of  Lafayette  Lodge 
No.  3,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  Royal  Arch  Chapter  No.  20,  and  Pioneer 
Council  No.  1,  Royal  and  Select  Masters.  Was  married  in  1875  to 
Miss  Susan  Griffith,  and  they  have  five  children,  namely — George 
W.,  Edward  A.,  Susan  W.,  Lolo  W.,  and  Ella  May. 

SCHOOLING,  J.  P. 

Born  in  Boone  County,  Missouri,  December  27,'  1830.  When 
he  arrived  in  Oregon  he  settled  immediately  in  Linn  County,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  785 

is  now  a  large  land  owner  and  farmer.  Married  Miss  Martha  R. 
Fountain  in  1850.  Their  children  are — I.  B.  (deceased),  Joseph 
S.,  Eliza  el.  (deceased),  Jerry  A.,  Susan  E.,  and  William  A. 

SCOTT,  JOHN  T. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  February  18,  1809;  emigrated  to  Illinois 
when  quite  young,  and  came  to  Oregon  when  forty- three  years  old. 
Died  at  his  residence  in  Forest  Grove,  September  1,  1880.  He 
was  the  father  of  H.  W.  Scott,  editor  of  the  Oregonian  ;  Mrs.  A.  S. 
Duniway,  of  the  New  Northwest ;  Mrs.  G.  A.  Coburn,  of  the 
Telegram;  Mrs.  M.  F.  Cook,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Kelty,  Mrs.  McCord,  W. 
B.  Scott,  and  Ella  Scott. 

SHAW,  j.  R., 

Is  a  farmer  and  a  resident  of  Oregon  City;  was  born  in  Jessa 
mine  County,  Kentucky,  in  1803;  married  Martha  J.  Fields,  and 
their  children  are — Samuel,  Amanda,  Minerva,  Mary  J.,  Jefferson 
R,  Edward,  Robert  (deceased),  and  Joel  (deceased). 

SHIELDS,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Bourbon  County,  Indiana,  in  1811;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1852,  and  settled  in  Linn  County,  near  Lebanon.  His  present  resi 
dence  is  near  Albany,  and  occupation  capitalist.  He  has  been 
twice  married,  first  to  Mrs.  Matilda  Sloan,  in  Missouri,  by  whom  he 
has  four  children — Mrs.  M.  E.  Dorris,  E.  George,  Benjamin  F.,  and 
Thomas  J.  His  second  wife's  name  was  Sarah  M.  Cotton,  and  by 
her  his  children  are — William  H.,  Matilda  C.  E.,  Fannie  T.,  James 
A.,  and  Virginia  E. 

SMITH,  DAMON. 

Born  in  Marion  County,  Oregon,  in  1852;  is  the  son  of  Damon 
Smith,  who  crossed  the  plains  that  year;  he  was  reared  by  Hiram 
Smith  of  Harrisburg.  His  first  enterprise  was  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Harrisburg,  but  he  moved  to  Albany  in  1882,  and  com 
menced  business  in  a  drug  store  in  partnership  with  Henry  McCart 
ney.  Married  Miss  Narzette  McCartney  in  1876,  and  has  one  child 
named  Pearl.  Resides  now  in  Harrisburg. 

SMITH,  DAVID, 

Resides  at  Lebanon,  Linn  County,  where  he  is  employed  in  the 
occupation  of  farming.  He  was  born  in  Tennessee,  March  18, 


THE 


786  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1822;  came  overland  to  Oregon.  Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Mont 
gomery,  and  their  children  are — William  P.,  Thomas,  Julia  A., 
Sarah  J.,  Mary  F.,  Eliza  J.,  Celia  B.,  Ella,  and  Sadie. 

SMITH,  DELAZON. 

Born  in  New  York  in  the  year  1816.  Thrown  upon  his  own 
resource*  at  a  very  early  age,  he  earned  for  himself  a  name  through 
the  toilsome  avenue  of  patient  study  and  industry.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen,  with  all  his  earthly  possessions  tied  up  in  a  bundle,  he 
started  westward  and  arrived  at  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he 
remained  three  years  with  a  relative,  and  labored  to  acquire  an 
education.  From  West  -New  York  he  went  to  a  Manual  Labor 
school  ill  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  two  years,  and  from  thence 
into  a  law  office  at  Cleveland.  Began  writing  for  the  public  press 
while  there,  and  assumed  the  editorship  of  a  paper  called  the 
Watchman,  at  Rochester,  New  York,  In  1844  established  a  paper 
at  Dayton,  Ohio,  named  the  Dayton  Empire,  and  in  the  same  year 
was  appointed  a  special  commissioner  of  the  United  States  to  the 
Republic  of  Ecuador,  in  South  America,  but  returned  in  less  than 
a  year  and  settled  in 'Iowa,  where,  during  the  Presidential  cam 
paign  of  1848,  he  edited  the  Iowa  Democrat.  In  1852  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  and  established  his  home  in  the  beautiful  and 
fertile  county  of  Linn,  where,  the  following  year,  he  established 
the  Albany  Democrat,  and  edited  that  paper  until  his  death.  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  representative  of  Linn  County  several  terms  in  the 
Territorial  Legislature,  and  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con 
vention;  with  General  Lane  he  was  United  States  Senator  from 
Oregon,  and  was  candidate  for  elector  on  the  Breckenridge  ticket. 
Married  Miss  Eliza  Yake  in  1837;  Volney  V.  Smith,  a  consul  to 
St.  Thomas'  Island,  of  the  West  Indies,  being  the  only  surviving 
child  of  that  union.  Mr.  Smith  married  again  in  1848,  Miss  Mary 
Shepherd,  by  whom  were  born  five  children,  only  one,  D.  S.  Smith, 
of  Linn  County,  being  now  living.  Mi's.  Smith  died  in  1871.  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  officiated  as 
minister  of  that  denomination;  also  an  active  member  of  the 
Masonic  Lodge.  After  an  eventful  life  of  fifty-four  years  Mr. 
Smith  died  November  18,  1870.  Delevan  S.  Smith,  the  only  sur 
viving  son  of  the  Hon.  Delazon  Smith,  resides  in  Linn  County, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION".  787 

and  at  present  holds  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  of  that  county. 
He  was  born  in  Linn  County,  and  has  always  lived  there.  Was 
married  to  Miss  Carrie  Clark  in  December,  1881,  and  they  have 
one  child  named  Ina. 

SMITH,  JOHN  T. 

Born  in  Germany,  in  1829.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Van 
couver;  resides  in  that  place  still,  and  is  a  merchant;  serves  the  peo 
ple  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

SMITH,  S.  A.,  M.D. 

Doctor  Smith  was  born  in  Vermont,  but  left  that  State  when 
eight  years  old  and  went  to  Troy,  New  York.  Emigrated  to  Cali 
fornia  and  dug  gold  in  the  northern  mines  in  1851-52;  in  the  latter 
year  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn  County.  He  is  a  phy 
sician  and  is  still  in  practice;  his  address  is  Halsey.  He  has  been 
married  twice  and  has  one  child,  now  Mrs.  Geary,  of  Halsey. 

STANTON,  WILLIAM  G. 

Born  in  Laporte  County,  Indiana,  October  27,  1845;  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  later  in  Salem,  his  present  place  of  residence. 
Occupation,  merchant.  Is  unmarried. 

STRANG,  BEN. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1834;  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Oregon  with  his  father,  Daniel  Strang,  who  died  in  1869. 
Ben  Strang  learned  the  tinsmith's  trade,  and  is  now  proprietor  of  a 
hardware  store  in  Salem.  Married  Miss  Jeannette  Taylor,  and  has 
four  children — lone,  Clara,  Frankie,  and  Veva. 

SWAFFORD,  ELIAS  W. 

Is  a  farmer  and  resides  near  Oregon  City.  Was  born  in  Indiana, 
September  17,  1819;  married  Ellen  McManus.  Children — Sophro- 
nia  (deceased),  Martha  A.  (deceased),  Elliott  J.,  James  L.,  and  Wil 
liam  H.  (deceased). 

SWEARINGEN,  ISAAC  S. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1812.  On  bis  arrival  in  Oregon  in  1852, 
he  settled  in  Lane  County:  moved  to  Linn  County  in  1882.  Mar- 


788  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ried  Eveline  ^Buoy  in  1851,  and  their  children  are — -Lydia  J.,  Isaac 
L.,  Martha  A.,  Emma  B.,  and  Mary  E.,  all  of  whom  are  married. 
Mr.  Swearingen  was  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow;  he  died 
January  8,  1883. 

TAYLOR,  ANDERSON. 

Born  in  Cass  County,  Michigan,  in  1838;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  the  Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  resides.  Occupa 
tion,  farming.  He  married  Cornelia  A.  E.  Zurnwalt  in  Oregon  in 
1863,  and  their  children's  names  are- -Lola  M.,  James  A.,  Mary  J., 
Dick,  Phil,  and  Lilla  Maud. 

THOMPSON,  JACOB. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  182*2;  lived  at  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  in 
Iowa  until  he  emigrated  to  Oregon;  lived  in  the  Waldo  Hills  for  a 
year,  and  then  moved  to  Linn  Count)  and  there  remained  until  the 
town  of  Halsey  sprang  into  being,  when  he  removed  to  it  and  en 
tered  into  merchandising.  In  1880  he  exchanged  that  occupation 
for  the  livery  business,  which  he  still  follows.  Mr.  Thompson  was 
married  in  Indiana  to  Hhoda  Evans.  They  have  two  children- 
James  and  Henry. 

TILLOTSON,  GEORGE, 

Is  a  millwright  and  resides  at  Dallas,  Polk  County.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  in  1816;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Oregon 
City.  He  married  Mary  Clark,  who  died  on  the  plains  in  1852. 
In  1854  he  was  married  to  Eliuira  Moore;  their  children's  names 
are — Ellen,  William,  Lemuel,  and  Eddie  E. 

TUCKER,  HENRY  B. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1804.  On  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  on 
a  donation  claim  in  Washington  County,  and  ha,s  lived  there  since. 
Married,  in  1 829,  Miss  Elizabeth  McKay,  and  by  her  has  had  six 
children,  two  of  whom  now  live — Thomas  and  William.  Mrs. 
Tucker  died  in  1882. 

TUCKER,  THOMAS. 

Is  a  resident  of  Beaverton,  and  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1831. 
In  the  year  following  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  in  Washing- 


HISTORY  OF   IMMIGRATION.  789 

ton  County,  where  lie  has  since  resided.  He  lias  served  two  terms 
as  count}  commissioner.  In  1854  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
McKay,  and  has  five  children — Lucinda  J.,  "William  Orville,  Eliza 
beth,  Samuel  H.,  and  Sarah  Louisa. 

TURNER,  GEORGE  H. 

Born  ill  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  March  27,  1842;  occupation, 
real  estate  dealer;  residence,  Turner.  Mr.  Turner's  father  was 
proprietor  of  the  town  of  Turner. 

UZAFOVAGE,  C. 

Born  in  New  York  in  183f>;  lived  awhile  in  Kentucky;  came 
to  Oregon  by  ox- team.  Located  in  Polk  County  and  became  a 
farmer.  In  1859  purchased  an  interest  in  the  steamer  Clinton. 
Removed  to  Salem  and  established  a  grocery  store,  in  partnership 
with  John  G.  Wright,  but  sold  to  the  latter  in  1871.  Since  that- 
time  he  has  continued  in  business  in  Salem,  mainly  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  trade.  Married  in  1862  to  Mary  Entz.  They  have  three 
children — Alma  E.,  Charles  E.,  and  Annie  L. 

VAN  BUSKIRK,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  ISStt;  the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  Van 
Buskirk.  Coining  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1852,  he  lived  on 
a  farm  in  Vamhill  County  most  of  the  ensuing  years.  Participated 
in  the  Yakima  war  of  1855—50.  His  occupation  is  farming,  and 
he  resides  near  Perry  dale,  Polk  County,  which  is  his  postoffice. 
Married,  in  1<S  7  8,  to  Miss  Laura  N.  Brown.  Their  children  are- 
William  A.,  Mary  H.,  Rosa  A.,  and  Lawrence  A. 

VAN  BUSKIRK,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  1818.  On  arriving  in  Oregon 
he  settled  in  the  Grand  Konde,  and  afterwards  became  a  farmer  at 
Bellevue,  Vamliill  County,  lie  married  Sarah  8.  Henderson  in 
18ft  7,  and  they  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living — 
Luciuda  T.,  and  Josephine.  Our  subject  died  in  1874,  and  Mrs. 
Van  Buskirk  lives  with  her  children. 

VAN  BUSKIRK,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Ohio,  and  grew  to  manhood  there.     Married  Miss  Sarah 
Eldridge  and  had  by  her  three  children — Mary,  William,  and  Ar- 


790  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ininda.  Setting  out  for  Oregon  in  the  sickly  year,  1852,  the  family 
was  cut  off  by  cholera  and  mountain  fever,  with  the  exception  of 
William,  who  came  safely  across. 

VAN  BUSKIRK,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1848,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  Van 
Buskirk.  The  parents  dying  in  attempting  to  cross  the  plains, 
William  w^as  left  to  the  care  of  relatives,  who  took  him  to  Yamhill 
County,  and  reared  him  to  manhood.  Married  in  1874  Miss  Alice 
Brown,  by  whom  he  has  three  children — Floyd  E.,  Ada  Arrninda, 
and  Elva.  Mr.  Van  Buskirk's  occupation  is  farming;  his  address, 
Amity. 

VAN  BUSKIRK,  WILLIAM,  Sr. 

Born  in  Maryland  in  1796;  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  thence  to 
Ohio.  Was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Married  in  Kentucky 
in  1825  to  Miss  Margaret  Evans.  They  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  two  are  now  alive,  namely — Elizabeth  (wife  of  T.  B.  Hen 
derson,  of  Amity),  and  Daniel.  The  family  came  across  the  plains 
in  1852,  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County,  where  the  father  died  in 
1859.  The  mother  died  on  reaching  the  Blue  Mountains,  on  the 
way  to  the  valley. 

WALLACE,  C.  A. 

Born  in  Branch  County,  Michigan,  in  1834.  After  coming  to 
Oregon  he  was  mail  carrier  for  some  time.  In  1855  enlisted  in  the 
Indian  war;  was  appointed  by  Governor  Stevens  to  carry  the  ex 
press,  and  was  in  that  occupation  from  November,  1855,  until  Sep 
tember,  1856.  In  1858  came  to  Yamhill  County  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  and  later  moved  to  McMinnville,  his  present  residence.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Elizabeth  Schuck  in  1857,  and  has  three  children — Ed 
ward  W.>  Annie  B.,  and  Cora  M. 

WASHBURN,  JAMES  H., 

Resides  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  dealer  in  general 
merchandise.  He  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  New  York,  Janu 
ary  5,  1822;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1850,  and  to  Oregon  two 
years  later.  His  first  wife,  Sarah  Sperry,  died  in  1857;  his  second 
wife,  Margaret  F.  Caypool,  died  in  1864,  and  he  is  now  living  with 
his  third  wife,  formerly  Emeline  Davidson.  His  only  child,  William 
D.,  is  by  his  first  wife. 


HISTORY   OF   IMMIGRATION.  791 

WATERHOUSE,  WARREN. 

Born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  May  ^5,  1829,  but  was 
taken  when  a  child  to  Indiana,  where  he  became  a  cooper  and  car 
penter,  and  continued  at  such  work  for  twenty  years.  In  185*2  he 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  went  direct  to  Polk  County,  Oregon, 
where  he  now  resides.  Is  postmaster  of  Monmouth,  and  also  works 
at  carriage  painting.  In  1858  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Leverich,  and  seven  children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living,  namely — Minnie  (wife  of  J.  F.  Delany),  Nellie,  Ola, 
Kolla,  Van,  and  Effie. 

WATERS,  W.  H.   H. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  18.15;  lived  a  while  in  Indiana  and  Iowa;  started 
for  California  in  1852;  proceeding  thence  to  Oregon,  he  spent  one 
year  in  this  State  and  returned  to  California,  and  worked  in  the 
mines  for  two  years;  returned  to  Iowa  and  went  to  school.  Lived 
in  Nebraska  from  1859  to  1875,  running  a  newspaper,  The  Ne 
braska  Press;  coming  to  Oregon  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  he 
bought  the  Statesjuaii  newspaper,  at  Salem,  and  conducted  it  awhile, 
but  afterwards  withdrew  from  it  and  opened  a  law  and  real  estate 
office.  Had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1865;  was  a  member  of 
the  Nebraska  Legislature  in  1S62;  resigned  to  take  the  office  of 
Receiver  of  the  U.  S.  Land  Office;  was  delegate  to  the  Baltimore 
Convention  in  ls<>4,  which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the 
Presidency.  Was  married,  in  18(52,  to  E.  E.  North,  by  whom  he 
has  had  five  children — W.  F.,  Eleanor,  George  E.,  Fred.,  and 
Harry  W. 

WATKINDS,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Greencastle,  Indiana,  December  7,  1835.  Came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn  County.  Learned  the  trade  of  saddler, 

o  »-' 

and  followed  it  at  Salem.  Was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
penitentiary  in  1870  and  1874  by  Governor  Grover.  Removed  to 
Portland  in  187(5,  and  engaged  in  the  saddlery  business.  Was 
chief  of  police  of  that  city  for  nearly  two  years. 


WATTS,  J.  W. 

Born    in    Missouri   in    1832.      Settling   in    Yainhill  County,   he 
practiced  medicine   until    1880.      Held  the  position  of  receiver  of 


792  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

the  Land  Office  at  Oregon  City  for  a  time.  His  attention  having 
been  drawn  to  the  evils  of  intemperance  he  began  an  active  course 
of  work  against  them,  and  has  become  noted  as  a  lecturer  on 
temperance.  His  exertions  have  been  invaluable  and  unremitting. 
The  doctor  resides  at  Lafayette.  Was  married  in  1880  to  Mrs. 
Dorris,  formerly  Miss  C.  E.  Bailey. 

WELLS,  JOHN  C. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1832;  on  his  arrival  -in  Oregon  he  settled 
on  the  south  fork  of  Mary's  River,  Benton  County.  His  present 
residence  is  King's  Valley,  and  occupation,  farming.  He  married 
Elizabeth  J.  King  in  1860,  and  their  children's  names  are- 
Marion  V.,  Leanna,  Charles  J.,  John  D.,  Mary  E.,  Kate,  AVilliam 
P.,  Alceste  E.,  Henry,  Clement  K.,  Pearl  A./and  Walter  C. 

WELLS,  W.  A. 

Born  in  Platte  County,  Missouri  in  1838.  In  1844  his  parents 
removed  to  Texas,  returning  the  same  year  to  the  former  State.  In 
1852  they  set  out  across  the  plains  for  Oregon,  performing  the 
well  known  journey  with  ox-teams,  and  were  four  months  on  the 
road.  Settling  in  Benton  County,  the  son  taught  school  and 
practiced  farming  until  1862.  In  1868  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  J,  W7iles,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Otto  by  name.  In 
1862  he  had  become  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  in  Corvallis.  In 
1870  he  removed  to  California  and  engaged  in  farming,  but  after 
three  years  returned  to  Benton  County.  Purchasing  now  -a  tract 
of  land  comprising  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  Mr.  Wells  devoted 
it  to  wheat  raising,  but  in  1876  he  rented  it  to  others  and  removed 
to  Corvallis,  and  bought  a  harness  shop,  and  ran  it  for  three  years. 
Meantime  he  entered  upon  speculations  in  grain  with  satisfactory 
results,  and  became  the  possessor  of  a  large  warehouse  with  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  bushels.  In  addition  to  this  he 
shipped  grain  on  his  own  account  to  Liverpool,  and  realized  great 
profits  from  his  venture,  the  net  proceeds  of  a  single  cargo  being 
the  handsome  sum  of  seven  thousand  dollars.  In  1883  he  removed 
to  McMinnville,  and  subsequently  to  Albany,  where  he  now 
resides,  carrying  on  an  active  and  extensive  business  in  grain  deal 
ing  and  kindred  pursuits.  Mr.  Wells  has  held  positions  of  trust 


HISTORY   OF  IMMIGRATION.  798 

among  his  fellow  men  and  ranks  among  those  who  have  been  most 
efficient  in  developing  and  utilizing  the  resources  of  this  rich 
country. 

WELLS,  WILLIAM. 

Mr.  Wells  is,  perhaps,  the  pioneer  hop  grower  of  the  Willamette 
Valley.  His  first  hop  crop  was  raised  in  1867,  when  twelve  hun 
dred  pounds  were  produced  from  four  acres  of  land.  He  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1833;  his  first  residence  in  Oregon  \vas  on  Soap 
Creek.  Benton  County;  his  present  residence  is  at  Buena  Vista,  and 
his  occupation,  farming.  He  married  Cynthia  J.  Vanderpool  in 
Oregon  in  1854,  and  Mary  C.  Hall  at  Buena  Vista  in  1883;  his 
children  are — H.  C.,  0.  M.,  Henry  A.,  and  Emmett  E. 

WHITEAKER,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana,  May  4,  1820,  and  was  reared 
upon  a  farm.  Lived  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  subsequently,  and  was 
married  in  the  latter  State  in  1847,  to  Miss  N.  J.  Hargrave.  Went 
to  California  in  1849,  returning  in  1851.  In  the  next  year  he  came 
to  Oregon,  bringing  his  wife.  Settled  in  Lane  County  in  1853  on 
a  donation  claim.  Has  been  a  resident  of  that  county  ever  since. 
Was  probate  judge  in  1856,  and  the  next  year  a  member  of  the 
Legislature.  Was  elected  by  the  Democrats  the  first  governor  of 
the  State  of  Oregon.  Served  his  term  out,  and  in  1866,  1868,  and 
1870  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  In  1876  he  was  sent  to 
the  State  Senate.  In  1879  was  elected  Congressman  over  Rev.  H.  K. 
Hines,  the  Republican  nominee.  The  exigencies  of  politics  induced 
him  to  hurry  to  Washington  by  special  train,  making  the  trip  in 
four  days  and  twenty  hours.  The  feat  served  to  bring  him  still 
more  into  public  notice.  He  now  resides  on  his  farm  in  Lane 
County. 

WILLIAMS,  C.  O.  T. 

Born  in  Poolesville,  Maryland,  and  moved  to  Illinois  in  1839; 
came  from  that  State  to  Oregon;  married,  in  1870,  Miss  Mary  J. 
Warren,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children — Gracie  E.,  Winona, 
and  Veda.  In  1880  he  became  county  clerk  of  Clackainas  County, 
and  in  1884  was  chosen  State  Senator  for  that  county.  Resides  at 
Oregon  City. 


794  HISTORY   OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WILSON,  JOSEPH  G. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1828;  removed  to  Ohio  and  gradu 
ated  from  Marietta  College ;  studied  law ;  removed  to  Oregon,  settled 
in  Saleni,  and  practiced  his  profession ;  became  clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1852.  In  1854  married  Miss  Lizzie  Miller.  In  1860  was 
appointed  district  attorney  of  the  Third  Judicial  District,  and  three 
years  later  became  judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  District.  In  1865 
received  the  degree  of  LL.D.;  held  his  judgeship  until  1869,  and 
then  resigned  to  engage  in  legal  practice.  In  1870  was  Republican 
candidate  for  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  J.  H.  Slater  by  a  small 
majority.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  Congressman  over  John 
Burnett,  his  majority  being  eight  hundred  and  fifty.  Died  in  Ma 
rietta,  Ohio,  July  2,  1873.  His  wife  survives  him. 

WILSON,  J.  0- 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1828;  resided  for  a  time  in  Indiana;  came  to 
Oregon  and  located  near  Salem  on  a  farm.  Married,  in  1838,  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Smith.  Their  children,  both  since  deceased,  were — William 
A.,  and  Armand  S.  Mr.  Wilson  has  spent  a  considerable  pail  of 
his  time  in  Eastern ,  Oregon,  where  he  has  stock  interests.  Was 
county  judge  of  Baker  County  at  its  organization,  and  represented 
Uinatilla  County  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1880.  Has  also  been 
justice  of  the  peace.  Resides  at  Salem. 

WORTMAN,  JACOB. 

Born  in  New  Brunswick  in  1827;  settled  in  Oregon  City  on 
his  arrival  in  this  State,  and  lived  there  until  1876;  has  been  en 
gaged  in  merchandising  in  Oregon  City,  and  Junction ;  also  has  a 
store  in  Monroe,  Benton  County.  Started  a  bank  in  McMinnville, 
of  which  D.  P.  Thompson  is  president,  and  John  Wortman,  cashier. 
In  1850  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Stuinbo,  and  has  four  children— 
John,  Frank,  Jacob  L.,  and  Chris. 

WRIGHT,  E.  J. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1820;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1850,  and  two 
years  later  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon.  Settled  in  Yamhill  County, 
but  now  lives  in  Polk  and  cultivates  a  farm.  He  is  also  a  car 
penter  by  trade.  Married  in  1854,  Lodoiska  Boyd,  who  had 
two  children  by  a  previous  marriage — Catharine  J.,  and  Frances 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  795 

Rebecca.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright's  family  came  to  include  six  of 
their  own — Susan,  Clara,  Ollie,  Edward  (deceased.),  Ella  (deceased), 
and  Emma.  Mrs.  Wright  died  in  February,  1864,  and  the  widower 
married  Mrs.  Ann  M.  Ferguson,  who  had  had  two  children — 
Amanda,  and  Frank. 

YANTIS,  WILLIAM  W. 

Born  in  Saline  County,  Missouri,  on  July  6,  1851 ;  came  to  Linn 
County,  Oregon,  the  next  year.  Resides  at  Shedd,  and  is  proprietor 
of  a  drill*1  store  there.  Was  married,  November  10.  1882,  to  Miss 

O 

Mollie  Mclbree.     They  have  one  child,  Mabel  Zoe. 

YOUNG,  S.  E. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1838;  when  six  years  old  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Iowa,  where  they  resided  until  1852,  coming  then  to 
Oregon.  He  lived  a  year  in  Washington  County,  but  in  1853 
settled  in  Linn  County,  at  Albany,  and  has  resided  there  since. 
Occupation,  merchant,  and  dealer  in  agricultural  implements.  Was 
married  in  1872,  in  Will  County,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Naomi  Althouse, 
by  whom  he  has  had  one  child,  Percy  A. 

1853. 

ADKINS,  E.  S. 

Is  a  native  of  Howard  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born  March  5, 
1825.  His  early  years  were  spent  on  a  farm,  and  in  1853  he  started 
for  Oregon.  His  party  pursued  a  new  route  and  met  with  many 
difficulties,  being  much  delayed  on  their  journey  by  losing  their 
way.  Arriving  in  Oregon,  Mr.  Adkins  proceeded  to  Lane  County, 
and  took  up  a  donation  claim,  which  he  now  holds.  He  moved  to 
Monmouth  in  1871,  and  has  lived  there  since.  Was  married  in  1848, 
to  Miss  Helen  A.  Bushnell,  and  of  their  family  of  nine  children 
only  four  are  now  living — Frank,  Jason,  Corydon,  and  Willard. 
Mrs.  Adkin's  mother  died,  March  25,  1884,  aged  94  years. 

AIKEN,  ANDREW  G. 

Born  in  Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  12,  1837; 
crossed  the  plains  by  ox-train,  accompanied  by  his  brothers,  John 
and  James.  Settled  near  Albany,  but  went  to  Washington  Terri 
tory  in  1854,  and  soon  afterwards  to  Coos  County,  where  he  now 
resides. 


796  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BAKER,  JOHN  W. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  January  10,  1846;  came  to  Oregon  with 
his  father  and  two  brothers  with  ox-teams,  and  they  belonged 
to  a  train  of  thirty-six  wagons,  which  was  conducted  by  James 
Biles,  now  of  Tumwater,  Washington  Territory — being  the  first 
train  crossing  the  Cascades  through  the  Nachess  Pass,  and  the  first 
overland  immigrants  direct  to  Washington  Territory-— arriving  at 
Nesqually  Plains  October  15,  1858.  Mr.  Baker  remained  in  Wash 
ington  Territory  for  thirteen  years,  engaged  in  farming.  Came  to 
this  valley  in  1 865,  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County  the  next  year,  and 
has  remained  there  ever  since.  His  occupation  is  that  of  carpenter. 
He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  L.  A.  Martin,  by  whom  he  has 
had  six  children— Cora  E.,  Edward  B.,  Walter  L.,  Clare  B., 
Ralph  N.,  and  Ella  li.  Mr.  Baker  was  deputy  sheriff  in  1874-75, 
and  journal  clerk  of  the  State  Senate  in  1876.  Address,  Lafayette. 

BARRETT,  RICHARD  A. 

Born  in  Ohio.in  1837;  came  to  Oregon  in  1853,  and  settled  in 
Jackson  County.  Removed  subsequently  to  Washington  County; 
was  a  farmer.  He  died  in  1870.  In  1858  he  was  married  to 
Delila  E.  Griffith/  and  their  children's  names  are — Union  M., 
Margaret,  Monroe  E.,  Catharine  Isabel,  and  Wealthy  A.  Mrs. 
Barrett  resides  at  Cedarville,  Washington  County. 

BERRY,  JOSEPH  F. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1819;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  lives,  engaged  in  farming.  He 
married  Lucinda  Osborn,  in  1849,  and  their  children's  names  are- 
Samuel  J.,  Henry  M.,  Anna,  Adaline,  Mary  E.,  John  F.,  and 
George  E. 

BILLS,  CINCINNATI. 

Born  in  Vermont,  October  23,  1825;  went  to  Indiana  in  1844, 
and  nine  years  later  came  to  Oregon.  Worked  as  a  farm-hand  in 
Multnomah  County  for  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Portland;  be 
came  sheriff  of  Multnomah  County  in  1870,  and  died  December  18, 
1871. 

BLAIN,  JAY  W. 

Was  born  in  Linn  County  in  1853,  the  son  of  Wilson  Blain 
(g.  v.).  He  is  in  the  hardware  and  machinery  business,  in  partner- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  797 

ship  with  his  brother-in-law,  W.  8.  Peters,  trading  in  agricultural 
implements.  Married  in  March,  1878,  Miss  Nannie  T.  Osburn. 
They  have  one  child,  Leta  A. 

BONHAM,  B.  F. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee,  October  8,  1828,  and  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Indiana  in  1840.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at 
French  Prairie,  Marion  County.  Removed  to  Salem  in  1*54.  In 
1850  he  was  elected  territorial  auditor  and  librarian,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  last  territorial  and  the  first  State  Legislature.  In 
1870  became  one  of  the  supreme  justices  of  Oregon,  and  was  chief 
justice  for  a  part  of  his  term.  Was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856. 
Resides  at  Salem.  Was  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate 
in  1885. 

BRIGGS,  W.  W. 

Born  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  in  1832.  At  present  is  en 
gaged  in  mercantile  business,  and  is  postmaster  of  Harrisburg,  in 
Linn  Count).  Married  Miss  Harriet  Tompkins  in  1858.  Their 
children  are — W.  Willis,  W.  Oliver,  Lula,  Calvert  L.,  and  Gertrude. 

BURBANK,  A,  R. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1x17;  lived  mostly  in  Illinois  until  1849,  and 
then  went  to  California;  returned  to  the  States  in  1851  and  came 
to  Oregon  in  1853.  He  spent  some  years  subsequently  in  Wash 
ington  Territory,  returning  finally  to  Oregon  in  1867.  Has  held 
various  public  offices,  to  wit:  Wa»s  -a  member  of  the  Legislature 
in  1855,  and  again  in  1X59,  I860,  1861,  and  1862;  was  deputy  col 
lector  of  revenue  for  three  years.  Mr.  Burbank  was  president  of  the 
council  of  Washington  Territory  in  1861  and  1X62.  Was  married 
in  1X45  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Eckles,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter,  who 
was  drowned  at  Ilwaco,  Washington  Territory.  His  present  resi 
dence  is  Lafayette.,  Yamhill  County;  occupation,  capitalist. 

BURNELL,  C.  B. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1838;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  Mil- 
waukie,  Clackamas  County.  His  present  residence  is  six  miles 
southeast  of  Beaverton,  Washington  County;  and  his  occupation, 
farming.  He  married  Louisa  Crow  in  1855,  by  whom  he  had  six 


798  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

children;  and  Lucinda  Hickman  in  1874,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children.  Their  names  are — Arrilla  A.,  John  F.,  James  A.,  Charles 
Francis,  George  B.,  Amanda,  Ralph,  Wayne,  Arena,  and  an  infant. 

BUTLER,  IRA  F.  M. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1812,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  went  to 
Illinois  and  remained  there  twenty-three  years.  While  in  that  State 
he  held  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Warren  County  two  years,  and  was 
clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  the  same  county.  Was  engaged  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  under  General  Whiteside.  He  came  to  Oregon 
in  1853,  and  has  since  lived  in  Polk  County,  where  he  owns  a  farm 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Has  served  three  terms  in  the 
Legislature;  was  speaker  of  the  house  in  1857-58,  and  was  elected 
-county  judge  in  1878,  an  office  which -he  held  four  years.  Is  now 
notary  public  at  Monmouth.  Married  Miss  Mary  A.  Davidson  in 
1835.  Eight  children  have  been  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living.  The  living  are — Newton  H.,  Asa  Douglas,  Augustus 
P.,  Margaret,  and  Alice  E.  The  deceased  are — Paradine,  Cyrus, 
and  Mary  E. 

BUTLER,  SANDFORD: 

Born  in  Rappahannock  County,  Virginia,  May  3,  1814;  was 
taken  to  Ohio  in  1815;  moved  to  Indiana  in  1833,  and  to  Iowa  in 
1844;  came  from  there  to  Oregon,  and  settled  at  Salt  Creek,  in 
Polk  County,  where  he  yet  resides,  engaged  in  farming.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Nelson  in  Iowa,  July  19,  1846,  and  their  chil 
dren  are — William  A.,  Martha  J.,  Sarah  E.,  John  S.,  Joseph  E. 
(deceased),  Mary  V.,  Phoebe  A.  (deceased),  Emma  O.,  and  Eosa  B. 

BYARS,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  July,  1839;  the  son  of  Flem 
ing  Byars,  a  Virginian.  In  1853  young  Byars  crossed  the  plains 
with  his  mother  and  step-father,  J.  H.  Mires,  and  settled  in  Ump- 
qua,  now  Douglas  County.  From  1856  to  1858  he  carried  the 
mails,  on  the  Oregon  and  California  route,  from  Oakland  to  Yreka, 
and  later  studied  in  a  private  school  at  Eugene  City,  Columbia  Col 
lege,  and  at  Umpqua  Academy;  taught  school  and  studied  by  turn, 
and  so  became  educated,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in 
1867.  Became  school  superintendent  of  Douglas  County;  bought 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  799 

the  Roseburg  Plaindealer  in  1873,  and  conducted  it  for  about  ten 
years  as  a  Republican  paper;  was  elected  State  Printer  in  1882,  by 
a  majority  of  over  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty;  purchased 
the  Statesman  newspaper  of  Salem,  and  in  partnership  with  W.  H. 
Odell,  conducted  it  for  a  time,  disposing  of  their  interests  in  the 
fall  of  1884. 

CAMPBELL,  JAMES  G. 

Born  in  Murray  County,  Tennessee,  in  1810;  moved  to  Illinois 
in  1830,  and  to  Iowa  in  1842;  eleven  years  later  came  to  Oregon 
arid  settled  in  Polk  County,  near  Dallas,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming.  He  married  Elizabeth  A.  Black,  in  Illinois,  in  1833;  she 
died  in  18K3.  In  Polk  County,  in  1809,  he  was  married  to  Alta  A. 
Armstrong,  and  his  family  consists  of  eight  children — Thomas  J., 
James  M.,  Elizabeth  A.,  William  G.,  Eliza,  Orpha  A.,  Sarah  F., 
and  John  B. 

CAMPBELL,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1833,  and  came  to  Oregon  across  the  plains 
in  1853.  Has  lived  mostly  in  Polk  County  since  his  arrival.  Was 
in  the  Yakima  war,  in  Company  A,  then  transfered  to  Company  B. 
Is  now  in  the  sash  and  door  business  at  Dallas.  Married  Ann  E. 
Hagood  in  1800,  and  by  her  has  five  children — Alice  J.,  Mary  E., 
Henry  (T.,  Charles  C.,  and  Martha  L. 

CAMPBELL,  WILLIAM    G. 

Born  in  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,   in   1842;  came  to  Oregon^ 
settled  in  Polk  County,  and  still  resides  there.     Occupation,  farm 
ing.     Married   Emma  DeLashmutt  October  4,  1808.      Children- 
Maggie,  Lena,  Lydia,  Thomas  E.,  and  James. 

CARTWRIGHT,  THEODORE. 

Born  in  Michigan  in  1828;  came  to  Oregon  in  1853,  settled  in 
Washington  County  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpenter.  Had 
been  married  two  years  previously  to  Sarah  Wilder,  by  whom  he 
had  five  children — Wilhelmina  J.,  P^mina  T.,  Addie  B.,  J.  P.,  and 
Iva.  Is  now  engaged  in  stock-raising  in  Eastern  Oregon,  and  owns 
large  flocks. 


800  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CHARMAN,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Surrey,  England,  September  8,  1829;  came  to  Oregon 
in  April,  1858.  He  is  a  merchant  by  occupation  and  resides  at 
Oregon  City.  Has  been  mayor  of  the  city.  Wife's  previous  name 
was  Sophia  Diller.  Children — Frederick  R,,  Nellie  V.,  Mary  J., 
and  Annie  I,.,  and  one  named  Arthur  D.  who  is  now  dead. 

CLARK,  STEPHEN. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1800;  removed  thence  to  New  York, 
Illinois,  and  Oregon.  Settled  in  Marion  County,  near  Butteville, 
and  remained  there  until  his  death.  Occupation,  blacksmith. 
Married  in  New  York,  in  1830,  Miss  Eunice  Rose,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children,  only  one  now  surviving,  whose  name  is  B.  S. 
Clark,  and  who  now  resides  in  Buena  Vista,  Polk  County.  He 
was  born  in  1841,  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  and  was  brought  to 
Oregon  by  his  father  in  1853.  He  was  in  the  warehouse  business 
at  Butteville  for  twelve  years,  and  for  five  years  subsequently  dealt 
in  merchandise  in  Champoeg.  Located  in  Buena  Vista  in  1881. 
Married  Adelaide  Sawyer  in  1869.  Children — Stephen,  Eunice, 
Hettie,  Joseph,  Frank,  and  Byron. 

CONGLE,  J.  B. 

Born  December  9.  1817,  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Removed  to  Virginia  in  1838,  and  thence  to  Missouri  and  Indiana. 
Married  Miss  Ellen  H.  Gray,  of  Indiana,  May  21,  1844.  Went  to 
California  in  1849  and  returned  to*  Indiana  in  1851.  Two  years 
later  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Corvallis,  then  called 
Marysville.  Was  the  first  mayor  of  that  town.  Was  sheriff  of 
Benton  County  for  a  time.  Removed  to  Portland,  his  present 
residence,  in  1861.  Has  represented  Multnomah  County  in  the 
State  Legislature,  and  has  held  municipal  offices.  In  1874-75  was 
Grand  Master  of  Masons  of  Oregon. 

COOLEY,  GEORGE  C., 

Is  a  merchant  of  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  his  place  of 
residence.  He  was  born  in  Greyson  County,  Virginia,  July  28, 
1831,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  Blakely  in  1857,  by  whom 
he  has  six  children,  namely— William  C.,  Carrie,  Etta,  Kittie, 
James,  and  Emma. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  801 

CUSICK,  SOLOMON. 

Is  a  farmer,  living  in  Scio,  Linn  County.  He  was  born  in  New 
York,  December  29,  1814;  came  to  Oregon  from  Adams  County, 
Illinois.  Married  Anna  M.  Hollenbeck.  Their  children  are — Henry, 
Eliza  Jane,  John  W.,  William  A.,  Harriet  A.,  George  W.,  Mary  L., 
Martha  E.,  and  John  Howard. 

CUSICK,  w.  A.,  M.D. 

Doctor  Cusick  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1847,  and  was  brought  to 
Oregon  by  his  parents  at  the  age  of  six  years.  The  family  settled 
in  Linn  County,  where  some  of  its  members  still  reside.  After 
several  years  of  study  of  the  various  branches  of  medicine,  in  the 
offices  and  under  the  charge  of  the  most  capable  practitioners  of  the 
Willamette  Valley,  Dr.  Cusick  acquired  an  excellent  professional 
education  and  obtained  a  diploma.  For  several  years  succeeding 
he  practiced  at  Gervais,  in  company  with  Dr.  M.  A.  Flinn.  At  a 
later  date  he  removed  to  Salem  and  located  permanently.  His  prac 
tice  is  very  extensive  and  is  justified  by  his  reputation  as  a  physi 
cian  of  great  attainments,  good  judgment  and  conscientious  attitude. 
With  such  qualifications  he  has  acquired  the  respect  and  good -will 
of  his  fellow- citizens,  whose  appreciation  has  been  shown  by  his 
election  to  the  Legislature  in  1 884.  Dr.  Cusick  was  married  in  1869, 
to  Miss  M.  M.  AVilliams.  They  have  one  child — Ethel  Elaine. 

DAVIES,  HORACE  G. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1851;  came  with  parents  to  Oregon  and  has 
lived  in  Washington  County  since;  owns  a  farm  near  Beaverton  at 
present.  He  followed  the  lumber  business  in  partnership  with  his 
brother.  Married,  in  1873,  Miss  Sarah  E.  Teft.  They  have  two 

children — Freddie,  and  an  infant. 
• 

DAVIES,  MILES. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1809.  He  lived  in  Indiana  before  coming  to 
Oregon  in  1853;  after  his  arrival  on  this  coast  he  settled  in  Wash 
ington  County,  and  in  1854  took  a  donation  claim  near  Scholl's 
Ferry,  and  continued  in  the  occupation  of  farming  until  1882. 
Married  Miss  Jane  Haines,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  nainely- 
John  (deceased),  Phoebe,  Alfred,  Mary  J.,  James  W.,  Francis  M. 
(deceased),  Horace  G.,  Rachel  (deceased),  and  Augustus  N, 


802  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

DEARBORN,  RICHARD  H. 

Born  in  Madison,  Indiana,  in  1832;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Douglas  County.  Was  the  first  county  clerk  of  that 
count}.  Present  residence,  Salem;  occupation1,  saddler  and 
harness-maker.  Married  Helen  A.  Flint,  and  has  children — Frank, 
Elizabeth,  Eliza,  Catherine,  and  Kichard. 

DECKARD,  ANDERSON. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1814;  came  to  Oregon,  and  settled  in 
Linn  County,  on  a  farm  eight  miles  south  of  Albany;  now  owns 
city  property  in  that  town.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  two 
years.  Married  Miss  Lydia  Corum,  and  by  her  has  had  eight 
children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  alive,  namely — Stephen  A., 
and  Susan.  His  wife  died  in  1869,  and  in  1873  he  married  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  A.  Lincoln. 

DeLETTS,  J. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  when  twenty  years  of 
age.  The  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  this  State  were  spent 
in  Curry  and  Coos  counties.  At  the  commencement  of  the  Indian 
WHY  of  1855-56  he  took  his  family  to  Fort  Orford  for  protection 
from  Indians,  who  destroyed  all  his  property.  (See  pages  439, 
440.)  In  1857  he  moved  to  Portland  and  worked  at  the  black- 
smithing  trade  for  seven  years.  Left  Portland  in  1867  and  went 
to  Milwaukie,  but  moved  to  Washington  County  in  1870.  Is  now 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  resides  at  Beaverton;  is  notary  public 
and  justice  of  the  peace.  Married  Miss  Ida  Pike  in  1883,  and  has 
one  child — Maud. 

DICKEY,  I.  C. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1832;  came  to  Oregon  in  1853;  for 
some  years  worked  alternately  at  cabinet- making  and  farming;  and 
served  several  terms  as  recorder  at  Scio ;  was  mayor  of  that  town  in 
1877,  and  in  1878  was  elected  sheriff  of  Linn  County.  In  1881 
became  mayor  of  Albany.  Is  now  chief  of  police  at  Albany.  Mar 
ried  in  1855,  Miss  F.  Miller,  who  died  in  1869.  By  her  he  had 
four  children — Elva  J.,  Ira  C.  (deceased),  Minnie  F.,  and  Addie 
Bell.  He  contracted  a  second  marriage  in  1870  with  Miss  M.  J. 
Starr,  by  whom  he  had  three  children — Armelda  J.,  Anna  B.,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  803 

Frank  M.     She  died  in  1879,  and  in  1881  he  married  Miss  Louisa 
M.  Phillips,  and  they  have  one  child — Ira  Claude. 

DICKINSON,  o.     t 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1818;  moved  to  Michigan  in  1836; 
came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  Cape  Horn;  settled  in  Salem  after  his 
arrival,  and  was  pastor  in  the  Congregational  Church  there  for  four 
teen  years  after  his  arrival.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  seed  busi 
ness  since  1865,  and  kept  a  nursery  for  twelve  years;  has  twenty- 
one  acres  of  land  in  orchard  and  garden,  and  ships  seeds  to  all 
parts  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  •  Married  Miss  Charlotte  Humphrey  in 
1852,  and  by  her  had  several  children,  but  one  of  whom — Cora  E.— 
is  now  living.  Mrs.  Perry  H.  Raymond  is  his  adopted  daughter. 

DODSON,  McMINN. 

Born  in  McMinn  County,  Tennessee,  in  1823;  came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  at  Salt  Creek,  Polk  County,  which  is  still  his  place  of 
residence;  occupation,  farming.  In  Tennessee,  May  9,  1848,  he 
was  married  to  Sarah  D.  Cunningham,  and  their  children's  names 
are— Z.  T.,  David  D.,  Henry  C.,  Oliver  M.,  Theodore  W.,  Sarah 
E.,  Ellen  A.,  and  Schuyler  C. 

FELLER,  PETER. 

Born  in  France,  in  1820.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Ore 
gon  City;  present  residence,  two  miles  south  of  Butteville,  and  oc 
cupation,  farmer.  He  married  Annie  Notenure  in  1848,  and  their 
children  are,  two  sons  and  four  daughters. 

FICKLE,   ABNER. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1803,  and  when  twenty-two  years  old  went 
to  Missouri.  In  1848  went  to  Texas,  and  five  years  later  came  to 
Oregon;  now  resides  at  Buena  Vista,  and  is  a  farmer.  Married 
Miss  Susan  Codley,  and  by  her  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living,  viz. — Mehala  B.,  Robert  C.,  Mary  A.,  and  Mary  J. 
Mrs.  Fickle  died  in  1 870,  and  in  1873  he  married  Mrs.  S.  L.  Hawes. 

FLANNERY,  MRS.  T.  L. 

Born  in  Jasper  County,  Missouri,  in  1822,  and  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  near  Perrydale,  in  Polk  County.  Occupation,  farming. 
She  married  Elijah  Flannery  in  1840,  by  whom  she  had — John, 
Henry,  Joel,  and  Martha, 


804  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

FORD,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1832,  came  to  Oregon  and  located  in  Wash 
ington  County,  but  afterwards  resided  in  Polk  and  Bentou  counties. 
Was  mainly  engaged  in  the  stock  business.  Purchased  a  livery 
stable  in  Dallas.  In  1883,  in  company  with  J.  Wr.  Miiito,  he 
bought  a  livery  and  feed  stable  in  Salem,  and  in  1884  purchased 
his  partner's  interest.  Residence,  Salem.  Married  to  Lydia 
Cahoon,  who  died  in  1859,  leaving  two  children — Thomas  J.,  and 
Cynthia.  Married  again  in  I860,  and  has  these  children — James 
M.,  Mary  F.,  Jessie  G.,  John  H.,  Robert  R.,  Milton  R.,  F.  M., 
Daisy  L.,  and  G.  L. 

GOLTRA,  W.  H. 

Born  in  New  Jersey  in  1833;  resided  there  until  1852;  moved 
thence  to  Illinois,  and  after  a  short  stay,  set  out  for  Oregon.  In 
the  next  year  he  settled  on  a  farm  within  eight  miles  of  Albany. 
Was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Denny,  and  by  her  has  had 
four  children,  of  whom,  three  are  now  living.  In  order  to  afford 
school  facilities  to  his  family  he  settled  in  Albany  in  1874  and  en 
tered  some  time  aftej*  in  the  agricultural  implement  trade.  Owns 
a  large  amount  of  real  estate  in  Linn  County. 

GROUND,  LUTHER. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois,  March  *2'2,  184*2,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  the  State  of  Oregon.  The  family  settled  in 
Polk  County,  and  from  1869  to  1873,  Mr.  Ground  was  engaged  in 
merchandising.  He  then  changed  his  occupation  to  that  of  a  farmer, 
and  is  still  in  that  business.  Mr.  Ground  was  married  February  5, 
1868,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Butler,  and  the  pair  have  had  five  children, 
namely — Lottie,  Nettie,  Blanche,  Mellie  (deceased),  and  fiabel. 
Mr.  Ground  now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  Monmouth,  Polk  County. 

HALEY,  p.  w. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois,  in  1847;  carne  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Polk  County.  Present  residence,  Independence,  and 
occupation,  farming.  He  married  Alice  Y.  Parker,  in  Polk 
County,  Oregon,  in  1869,  and  their  children's  names  are — Orion 
E.,  Iva  L.,  David  W.,  Nellie  M.,  Eula  J.,  and  Minerva  A. 


HISTORY  OF1  IMMIGRATION.  805 

HARE,  WILLIAM  DAVENPORT. 

Born  in  Wheeling,  Virginia,  September  1,  18^4.  Removed 
with  his  parents  to  Ohio  in  1835,  and  in  1853  came  to  Oregon. 
Remained  in  Portland  until  1857,  settling  then  in  Washington 
County.  "Was  elected  county  clerk  in  1858,  and  held  that  office 
four  years.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  ls<;;;. 
Has  represented  his  county  several  times  in  the  Legislature,  and 
was  elected  State  Senator  in  1884.  From  1873  to  1881  he  was 
collector  of  customs  for  the  district  of  Oregon.  Was  a  candidate 
for  the  United  States  Senate  to  succeed  Slater  in  1885.  Resides  at 
Hillsboro.  Married  Miss  Henrietta  Schofield  in  1859,  and  they 
have  seven  children — Thomas  S.,  J.  C.,  Francis  E.,  Mattie  D., 
Henrietta,  Ruth,  and  William  G. 

HARRIS,  HUGH. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1818;  removed  thence  to  Indiana  and  to  Illi 
nois.  Crossed  the  plains  to  ( )regon  in  charge  of  a  train  of  fourteen 
wagons.  Settled  in  Polk  County  and  has  resided  there  ever  since. 
His  occupation  is  farming,  and  residence  ( )ak  Grove.  Married  in 
Illinois  in  1840  to  Miss  Nancy  W.  Hodge.  Children — William  H., 
(of  Coif  ax,  W.  T.),  Miriam  (Mrs.  J.  C.  Allen,  of  Polk  County),  Emma 
(Mrs.  John  Hanna,  of  Linn  County),  Hugh  S.  (of  Coif  ax,  W.  T.), 
Lizzie  (Mrs.  A.  Hyse),  Marietta  (Mrs.  James  Chitwood),  Belle  (Mrs. 
W.  Putnam,  of  Eola),  Emerson  L.,  and  Andrew  J. 

HENDERSON,   J.   F. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1844;  his  tirst  residence  in  Oregon  was  near 
Beaverton;  his  present  residence  is  near  Gaston,  where  he  is  en 
gaged  in  farming.  He  married  Sarah  S.  Davis  in  1871,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Orla  J.,  Lucy  D.,  and  Lily  M. 

HILL,  J.  LINSEY,  M.D. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1845;  was  brought  to  Oregon  in  1853; 
learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Albany  and  Salem,  and  studied  med 
icine  in  1805  and  following  years,  and  has  subsequently  been  steadily 
in  practice  of  the  healing  art.  He  has  been  president  of  various 
medical  societies,  and  has  held  several  civil  offices  of  importance. 
The  doctor's  acquirements  are  uncommon,  and  have  enabled  him  to 
take  a  high  stand  in  the  profession.  He  has  written  upon  various 


806  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

scientific  topics  in  a  way  to  command  attention,  and  some  of  his 
productions  nave  done  much  to  extend  the  bounds  of  science.  In 
another  part  of  this  volume  may  be  seen  an  allusion  to  his  explora 
tions  of  certain  artificial  mounds  in  Linn  County,  which  is  a  subject 
of  great  interest.  (See  page  487.)  The  doctor  holds  the  rank  of 
Surgeon -General  of  the  Oregon  Militia.  He  married  in  1870,  Miss 
Mary  E.  Pennington.  Children — Clyde,  Gale,  and  Emily.  Resi 
dence,  Albany. 

HIMES,  GEORGE  H. 

Born  in  Troy,  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania,  May  18,  1844, 
the  son  of  Tyrus  and  Emeline  Himes.  His  parents  removed  to 
Illinois  in  1847,  remaining  in  that  State  until  1853,  when 
they  crossed  the  plains  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Olympia,  W.  T. 
They  were  a  part  of  the  first  train  which  came  through  the  Cas 
cade  mountains  by  way  of  the  Nachess  Pass,  making  their  own 
roads  as  they  traveled.  In  1861  he  learned  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  Standard  office  in  Olympia,  and  in  1864  removed  to  Portland. 
Has  resided  there  ever  since.  His  occupation  has  always  been  that 
of  job  printing,  with  an  occasional  diversion  in  the  way  of  publish 
ing  books  and  newspapers.  In  1873  he  published  the  Commercial 
Reporter,  and  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Daily  Bee,  in  1875. 
In  connection  with  H.  O.  Lang,  he  published  the  History  of  the 
Willamette  Valley  in  1885.  He  conducts  at  present  a  large  job 
printing  office  at  Nos.  5  and  7  Washington  street,  Portland.  He 
married  Miss  Anna  F.  Riggs,  daughter  of  D.  L.  Riggs,  of  Salem, 
December  24,  1866.  They  have  had  eight  children,  named — 
Carrie  Frances  (deceased),  Edna  Emeline,  Sarah  Myrtle,  Homer 
Riggs,  Mary,  Grace  Helen,  Clarage  Holcomb,  and  Eunice  Irene 
(deceased). 

HOULT,  ENOCH. 

Born  in  Monongahela  County,  West  Virginia,  April  18,  1820; 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Lane  County.  In  1863,  moved  to 
Linn  County,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Harrisburg.  Mr.  Hoult  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  for  Oregon,  chosen  from 
Lane  County  in  1857;  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  Linn 
County  in  1870,  and  re-elected  in  1882.  He  has  been  a  zealous 
laborer  in  the  interest  of  education.  Married  Miss  Jeanette  Somer- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  $07 

ville  in  1842,  who  died  in  1873.  Their  children  >vere — John  (de 
ceased),  Elisha  (deceased),  Mary  E.  (deceased),  Mary  E.  S.,  Elenor, 
Alice,  Isabel,  Morgan,  Minnie  G.,  and  Ina  B. 

HULERY,  JOHN  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  18 '2  7;  moved  to  Carroll  County,  Indiana,  and 
became  a  cooper.  Married  Miss  Martha  Davidson,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  children — Mary,  John  W..  Ida,  George  W.,  Frank,  Grant, 
Jessie,  Minnie,  and  Walter.  Brought  his  family  overland  to  Or 
egon  via  "  Meek's  Cut-off,"  Mr.  H.  being  the  first  immigrant  to  cross 
the  Cascades  by  the  route  they  took.  Their  experience  was  dread 
ful  to  a  high  degree,  and  hunger  and  thirst  prevailed.  He  located 
in  Lane  County,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Portland.  Resides 
now  at  McMiimville.  Was  county  commissioner  in  1872.  Mrs. 
Hulery  died  about  1872. 

HUMPHREYS,  T.  M. 

Born  in  Tennessee,  in  the  year  1800,  and  assisted  in  the  organiza 
tion  of  the  government  of  his  native  State.  He  came  to  Oregon  in 
1853,  making:  Linn  County  his  home  until  1882,  when  he  moved  to 
Monmouth,  Polk  County,  where  he  still  resides,  and  owns  city 
property.  Married  Miss  Jane  Harrison  in  1825,  and  his  descendants 
comprise  eleven  children,  sixty  grandchildren,  and  thirty  great 
grandchildren. 

HUTCHINSON,  THOMAS  H. 

Born  in  Illinois,  and  educated  at  Abingdon  College.  Coming 
to  Oregon  he  settled  on  the  Luckiamute,  Polk  County.  Was  cap 
tain  in  the  early  Indian  wars,  and  subsequently  held  some  civil 
offices;  was  county  clerk  at  time  of  his  death  in  1862.  Married 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Butler,  by  whom  he  had  three  children — James 
B.  (deceased),  Robert  C.,  and  Thomas  O.  Mrs.  Hutchinson  died 
in  1866. 

ISOM,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1827;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn 
County,  where  he  took  a  donation  claim,  fifteen  miles  from  Albany, 
which  he  yet  owrns.  Moved  subsequently  to  Eastern  Oregon,  but 
returned  shortly  to  Linn  County,  and  bought  a  warehouse  in  Al 
bany,  which  he  fitted  up  for  a  flour  mill,  and  is  now  owned  by 
Isom,  Lanniug  <fc  Co.  Was  elected  county  commissioner  in  1882, 


808  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  served  one  term.  Owns  city  property  in  Albany,  where  he 
resides.  In  1848  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Smith,  by 
whom  he  has  had  twelve  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 

JONES,  HARVEY  L. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1842;  in  1847  was  taken  to  Iowa;  in  1853 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Bethel,  Polk  County.  Present 
residence,  Bellevue,  Yamhill  County,  and  occupation,  fanning.  He 
married  Josephine  Van  Buskirk,  and  their  children's  names  are— 
Holland,  Weldon  M.,  Luella  M.,  and  Herbert  W. 

JONES,  MADISON   L. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1849,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon. 
Was  educated  in  the  Willamette  University,  and  afterwards  studied 
law;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879;  was  a  member  of  the  legis 
lature  in  1882.  Married  Miss  Emma  Hovenden  in  1880. 

KELLY,  E.   D. 

Born  in  New  York,  May  20,  1833;  arrived  in  Oregon  September 
29,  1853;  occupation^  merchant;  present  residence,  Oregon  City. 
Wife's  previous  name,  Lucy  Waterous.  Children — Maggie,  John 
W.,  Charles,  and  Edward  (deceased). 

KELSAY,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Wayne  County,  Kentucky,  October  23,  1819;  moved 
to  Missouri  in  1829;  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa 
tives  of  Missouri  in  1844,  and  began  to  practice  law  in  1846. 
Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Corvallis,  where  he  still  lives. 

O  II 

engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  Served  in  the  Rogue  River  In 
dian  War  of  1855-56,  and  rose  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Regi 
ment  Oregon  Mounted  Volunteers,  and  took  part  in  many  severe 
actions.  Colonel  Kelsay  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con 
vention,  and  in  1868  became  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Oregon. 

KENNEDY,  M. 

Born  in-  -;  lived  in  Kentucky  and  Illinois ;  located  in  Polk 
County  in  1853  and  took  up  a  farm.  Occupation,  farming  and 
stock-raising.  Residence,  Polk  County. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  SO*) 

KIZER,  FRANCIS   M. 

Born  in  Cedar  County,  Kentucky,  in  1838.  Settled  in  Linn 
County,  Oregon,  in  1853,  and  still  resides  there.  Is  a  farmer;  has 
been  Master  of  the  State  Grange.  Represented  Linn  County  in  the 
legislature  of  1882.  Married  Miss  Mary  Wigle  in  1859. 

KNAPP,  GEORGE  W. 

Was  born  in  Ohio  in  1834;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near 
Dayton,  and  still  lives  on  his  farm  at  the  same  place.  He  married 
Solendia  Howard  in  1864,  and  their  children's  names  are — Lavinia 
and  Frank  B. 

KNIGHT,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Alleghany  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1799;  was  a  farmer 
and  stone-cutter  by  occupation;  was  married  twice — first  to  Sarah 
Bates,  and  second  to  Catherine  Bauer;  his  children  are — Charles, 
Henry  A.  (deceased),  Adam  (deceased),  Joseph,  Matilda  (deceased), 
Sarah  (deceased),  William,  George,  Rachel,  Leah  (deceased),  John, 
August  (deceased),  Catherine  (deceased),  Samuel  (deceased),  and 
Mary. 

KNIGHT,  P.  S. 

Born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  October  21,  1836,  but  was  taken 
to  Iowa  when  six  months  old.  His  family  removed  to  Vancouver, 
W.  T.,  in  1853.  He  was  educated  at  the  Willamette  University , 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  the  bar  in  1863.  Edited  the  States 
man  newspaper,  of  Salem,  for  two  years — 1863  and  1864.  For  the 
next  two  years  he  served  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Oregon  City.  From  the  conclusion  of  that  engagement  until  the 
beginning  of  1885  he  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Salem,  resigning  then  to  give  his  attention  more  entirely 
to  the  affairs  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  School  at  Salem,  which  he 
founded  in  1870  and  has  carried  on  ever  since,  almost  by  his  un 
aided  exertions.  He  has  built  up  a  useful  and  commendable  insti 
tution,  doing  a  work  which  the  State  of  Oregon  ought  to  assume, 
but  which  the  mean  parsimony  of  legislatures  relegates  to  the  be 
nevolence  of  private  philanthropy. 

LADY,  JOHN  T. 

Born  in  South  Carolina  in  1836;  was  taken  to  Indiana  in  the 
same  year,  and  to  Missouri  in  1843.  Ten  years  later  came  to 


810  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Oregon  and  settled  in  Yamhill  Count}'.  His  present  residence  is  at 
Grand  Ronde,  Polk  County,  and  occupation  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  In  Yamhill  County,  in  1872,  he  married  Leona  Dodson, 
and  their  children's  names  are — Gifford  W.,  Perry  C.,  and  Glair. 

LAFOLLETT,  CHARLES, 

Is  a  practicing  attorney  at  Sheridan,  Yamhill  County.  He  was 
born  in  Indiana  in  1830;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1849,  and 
taught  school  in  California  at  that  early  day;  was  also  in  the 
lumber  business.  After  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  became  a  teacher 
of  penmanship  in  the  Pacific  University.  Married  Mary  A.  Snod- 
grass  in  1857;  in  1858  moved  to  Polk  County,  and  lived  there 
until  1879,  during  which  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Served 
in  the  Legislature  in  1863,  and  was  appointed  captain  by  Governor 
Gibbs  of  a  company  of  Oregon  Infantry,  who  were  stationed  at 
Vancouver  seven  months,  and  then  came  to  Yamhill,  after  wrhich 
he  was  sent  east  of  the  mountains  and  built  Camp  Polk.  Returned 
to  Dallas,  and  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at  Grand  Ronde 
Agency,  by  General  Grant,  in  which  position  he  served  four  years. 
In  1879  he  came  to  Yamhill  County  and  settled  near  Sheridan, 
where  he  still  resides.  His  children  are — Edith,  Olive,  William 
G.,  Byron,  and  Hettie. 

LLEWELYN,  ALFRED  W. 

Born  in  Multnomah  County,  Oregon,  in  1853;  his  parents  came  to 
Oregon  in  1847.  His  father,  Alfred  Llewelyn,  became  county  clerk 
of  Washington  County,  and  our  subject  served  as  deputy  clerk  from 
1874  to  1878,  when  he  was  elected  county  clerk,  and  re-elected  in 
1880.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883;  is  now 
practicing  at  Hillsboro,  his  place  of  residence.  Married  Miss  M. 
M.  McCloud  in  1875,  and  they  have  one  child,  named  Fred. 

LONG,  A.  H. 

Was  born  in  Virginia  in  1827;  was  reared  in  Indiana,  and  came 
from  that  State  to  Oregon.  Married  Miss  Harriet  Wilhoit  in  1856, 
by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  one  of  whom  now  lives — Phoebe. 
His  wife  died  in  1870,  and  in  1884  he  contracted  a  second  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Lucinda  Crank,  he  being  her  third  husband.  She  has 
seven  children. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  81  1 

LOUGHARY,   L.  W. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  18H2;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  •  Polk 
County.  Present  residence,  Luckiamute  Valley;  occupation,  car 
penter  and  farmer.  He  married  Eliza  Simpscfh  in  Polk  County, 
Oregon,  in  1858,  and  their  children's  names  are — Rosina,  Martha 
R.,  Uly,  and  Frank. 

MARSH,  SYDNEY  HARPER,  D.  D. 

Born  at  the  Hampden- Sydney  College,  Virginia,  August  i)(.>, 
1825,  the  son  of  Professor  Marsh,  D.  D.  His  father  removed  to 
Vermont  a  year  later  to  become  the  President  of  the  University  of 
that  State.  The  son  was  educated  at  that  institution,  graduating 
in  1846.  In  1852  he  met  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Atkinson,  who  was  then 
in  the  East  soliciting  means  wherewith  to  establish  the  Tualatin 
Academy  at  Forest  Grove,  and  was  induced  to  proceed  to  Oregon 
and  lend  his  services  to  the  infant  establishment.  As  early  as  1848 
the  academy  had  been  organized  by  the  Congregation alists  and 
Presbyterians,  who  exerted  themselves  for  many  years  to  place  it 
upon  a  firm  footing.  Mr.  Marsh  had  been  ordained  as  a  minister,  and 
in  1853  he  came  to  Oregon,  bringing  with  him  books,  funds,  etc.,  to 
be  devoted  to  the  uses  of  the  school,  to  which  it  was  determined  to 
add  a  more  pretentious  department,  to  be  called  the  Pacific  Uni- 
versity.  The  institution  was  re -incorporated  in  January,  1854, 
under  the  name  of  "  Tualatin  Academy  and  Pacific  University,11 
and  in  the  following  April  Mr.  Marsh  was  chosen  President,  wit.li 
a  salary  of  $1,200  per  year,  the  amount,  as  well  as  most  other 
current  expenses  being  paid  by  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Collegiate  and  Theological.  Education  in  the  West.  President 
Marsh  attended  solely  to  the  duties  of  his  station  until  1858  when 
he  went  East  upon  an  errand  of  solicitation  in  behalf  of  his  colle^v, 
and  remained  for  two  or  three  years  and  obtaining  money  and 
books  to  the  value  of  about  $23,000.  In  1806  and  1867  he  was 
again  in  the  East  on  a  similar  errand,  and  collected  at  this  tinn- 
$25,000  and  secured  the  aid  of  two  Eastern  teachers,  both  of  whom 
have  been  of  the  greatest  use  to  Oregon — G.  H.  Collier,  now  Pro 
fessor  in  the  State  University,  and  Joseph  W.  Marsh,  who  still  re 
mains  at  his  post  at  Forest  Grove.  A  third  visit  East  in  1870  was 
made,  and  $20,000  secured.  Professor  Marsh  died  at  Forest  Grove 
February  2,  1879.  His  was  a  life  of  the  largest  usefulness  to  man- 


812  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

kind  within  the  comparatively  limited  sphere  which  he  had  chosen 
for  himself.  His  qualities  of  head  and  heart  were  such  as  to  gain 
the  warmest  friendship,  and  his  activity  and  energy  were  tempered 
by  the  spiritual  behavior  proper  to  his  religious  calling.  His  work 
at  Forest  Grove  was  very  difficult,  yet  very  successful,  and  raised 
that  educational  institution  from  its  condition  as  a  primary  board 
ing  school,  distant  from  population  and  almost  inaccessible  and  un 
known,  as  it  was  in  1854,  to  its  present  condition  of  usefulness,  in 
dependence  and  liberality. 

MARTIN,  THOMAS  J. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1820;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn 
County.  Was  married  to  Miss  Selena  Plow  in  1847,  and  by  her 
had  the  following  named  children^-John,  Jacob,  Mary  J.,  Rhoda, 
James,  Lizzie,  Alice,  Lula,  and  Eva  (deceased).  Mr.  Martin  died, 
May  6,  1869. 

MATHIOT,  JEAN  JACQUES. 

Born  in  France,  in  April,  1804.  Married  Catherine  V ergon  in 
1827,  and  came  alone  to  the  United  States  in  1839,  bringing  his 
family  out  three  years  later.  Settled  in  Ohio;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1 853,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their  seven  children;  settled  near 
Butteville,  Marion  County,  and  engaged  in  grape -raising.  Died, 
April  24,  1876. 

McFADDEN,  OBADIAH  B. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1817;  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession ;  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  his  native 
State  in  1843;  was  prothonotary  in  1845;  was  appointed  associate 
justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Oregon  in  1853,  replacing  Judge 
Deady,  but  in  the  following  year  gave  place  again  to  the  latter. 
In  1854  he  became  associate  justice  of  Washington  Territory;  and 
in  1858  chief  justice,  so  remaining  until  1861.  Represented  his 
district  in  the  legislative  council,  and  continuing  to  reside  in  that 
territory  he  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1872  as  delegate.  Died  in 
June,  1875. 

MCLAUGHLIN,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1810;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled 
at  Buena  Vista,  Polk  County,  and  still  resides  there  in  the  occupa- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  813 

tion  of  farming.  He  married  Mary  Griffith  in  Missouri,  in  1838, 
and  their  children's  names  are — Joseph  A.,  Martha  A.,  Harriet 
E.,  John  T.,  Elizabeth  J.,  Mary  E.,  Louisa  C.,  George  W.,  William 
N.,  and  Alfred  M. 

MEREDITH,  J.  W. 

Born  in  Oneida  County,  New  York,  July  27,  1831.  Occupa 
tion,  dentist;  residence,  Salem.  Married  in  1859  to  Miss  Millie 
Adams.  Children — Frank  and  Nettie. 

MILLER,  WALTER  C. 

Is  a  harness -maker  and  farmer  residing  at  Scio,  Linn  County. 
He  was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  May  14,  1834; 
came  from  Illinois  overland  to  Oregon.  In  1855  he  joined  Com 
pany  O,  of  the  9th  regiment  of  Oregon  Volunteers,  and  served  in 
the  Indian  war  of  Southern  Oregon.  Married  Harriet  Hamilton, 
and  their  children  are — Manly  W.,  Nancy  D.,  Charles  H.,  Samuel 
Grant,  Harriet  E.,  Mary,  Sophia,  Lucretia,  William  W.,  and  Caro 
line  Ida  J.  Mr.  Miller  owns  four  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  of 
land  in  Linn  County. 

MONTGOMERY,  R.  M. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1836.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  in  the 
Luckiamute  Valley,  where  he  still  lives  and  cultivates  a  farm.  Has 
been  twice  married,  first  to  Margaret  E.  Leggett,  in  1864,  and  to 
Temperance  Johnson,  in  1875.  Children — Ida,  Owen,  Frank,  and 
Pearl. 

MORRIS,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  March  4,  1808;  came  over 
land  to  Oregon;  present  residence,  Scio,  Linn  County;  occupation, 
farmer.  Married  Eveline  Terry,  and  their  children  are — John  S.7 
Aurenia,  Jane,  and  Carrol. 

MORRIS,  JOHN  S. 

Born  in  Benton  County,  Missouri,  July  19,  1842;  came  overland 
to  Oregon,  and  now  resides  at  Scio,  Linn  County,  and  holds  the 
position  of  postmaster  of  that  city,  having  received  the  appointment 
in  1879;  is  also  a  druggist  by  occupation.  Married  Sarah  F. 
Queener,  and  their  children  are — Addie,  Emma,  John  F.,  Charles 
F.,  May,  Anna,  Ollie,  Bessie,  and  Dean. 


814  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

ODENEAL,  T.  B., 

Crossed  the  plains  in  1853  with  the  u  boy  train,"  whose  members 
were  all  under  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Worked  for  Asahel  Bush, 
proprietor  of  the  Statesman  newspaper.  Was  clerk  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  .  1855-56,  was  clerk  of  Benton  County 
from  1850  to  1860,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Founded  the  Gazette  newspaper,  of  Corvallis,  in  1863 
and  was  its  publisher  until  1866.  Served  six  years  as  county  judge 
of  Benton  County,  ending  in  1870.  Served  two  years  as  assistant 
assessor  of  internal  revenue.  In  1872  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  in  Oregon;  office  abolished  in  1873.  Became  clerk 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Oregon  in  August,  1880,  and  held  that 
position  until  the  fall  of  1884,  when  he  resigned. 

PERCIVAL,  R.  C. 

Born  in  Howard  County,  Missouri,  in  1822;  came  to  California 
in  1850,  and  to  Oregon  three  years  later,  and  settled  in  Douglas 
County.  His  present  residence  is  Monmouth,  and  occupation, 
farming.  He  married  Elizabeth  Davis  in  1867,  and  their  children's 
names  are — Sidney  D.$  Nellie  M.  (deceased),  and  Camilla  E. 

PERCIVAL,  WILLIAM. 

Now  a  resident  of  Monmouth,  Polk  County ;  was  born  in  England, 
August  29,  1815,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  America  when  a 
child,  and  lived  most  of  his  time,  until  he  became  of  age,  with  his 
parents  in  Howard  County,  Missouri.  In  1853  he  came  across  the 
plains  to  Oregon  and  lived  the  winter  following  his  arrival  in  Yam- 
hill  County,  but  in  1854  he  moved  to  Polk  County,  where  he  now 
resides  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  a  part  of  a  dona 
tion  claim.  On  February  4,  1847,  he  married  Miss  F.  Mulkey,  and 
seven  children  are  the  fruits  of  this  union ;  their  names  are — Millie  J., 
Millard  F.,  Mary  M.,  Georgia  A.,  William  W.,  Kobert  M.,  and 
Emily  H. 

PFAU,  JACOB. 

Born  in  Germany,  in  1822;  came  to  America  in  1847;  settled  in 
Illinois;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1852,  and  to  Oregon  the  fol 
lowing  year.  Married  Nancy  J.  Stump,  in  1866,  and  has  two  chil 
dren — Nancy  J.,  and  Effie  M.  Mr.  Pfau  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  near 
Eola,  Polk  County. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  815 

POPPLETON,  EDGAR,  M.D., 

Of  Lafayette,  was  born  in  New  York  in  1832,  and  came  to 
Oregon  in  1853.  Since  arriving  in  this  State  he  has  lived  at 
various  times  in  Columbia,  Yamhill,  and  Multnomah  counties. 
Arrived  in  Portland  in  1858,  in  which  place  he  remained  until 
1870,  his  marriage  to  Miss  Nancy  C.  Shelton  taking  place  durhi"1 

v  O     i  O 

that  time.  He  moved  to  his  present  place  of  residence  in  1871. 
Dr.  Poppleton  received  his  medical  education  in  Cincinnati,  and 
received  his  diploma  in  1860,  and  has  since  had  a  large  practice. 
Has  h've  living  children. 

PORTER,  THOMAS  L. 

Born,  October,  1850,  in  Boone  County,  Indiana;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1853,  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  settled  near 
Halsey,  Linn  County.  Was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  in 
1876.  Occupation,  merchant,  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Black, 
Porter  <fe  Co.,  of  Halsey.  Mr.  Porter  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss 
Mattie  Hill.  They  have  two  children — Delia,  and  John  D. 

PORTER,  WILLIAM  D. 

Born  in  Russell  County,  Virginia,  June  6,  1811;  moved  to  In 
diana  in  1829.  Has  lived  in  Linn  County  since  his  arrival  in 
Oregon — Harrisburg  being  his  present  place  of  residence.  Was 
married  in  1835  to  Elizabeth  Nott.  Their  children  are — Mary, 
Nancy,  and  Maria. 

RANES,  JAMES  T. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1809;  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  near 
Albany,  Linn  County,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Jane 
Cook  in  1855;  children — Laura,  James,  Jasper,  and  Ulysses  S. 
Mr.  Banes  died  in  1879. 

RICHARDS,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1816,  and  was  reared  there.  Was  in  the 
employ  of  the  government  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  after  its  close 
went  to  California.  Returned  in  1852,  and  the  next  year  came 
to  Oregon,  having  in  the  meantime  married  Miss  Amanda  Simons 
(1853).  Took  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  County,  and  resided  there 
on  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  children  were — John  W.,  Hardin  H. 


816  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

(deceased),  Mary  E.  (Mrs.  Henry  Fawk,  of  Polk  County),  James 
0.,  Walter  8.,  David  W.,  George  L.,  Ralph  R.,  and  B.  B.  Mr. 
Richards  died  October  5,  1879,  and  his  widow,  March  3,  1883. 

RICHMOND,  T.  G. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1826.  Came  across  the  plains  to  Califor 
nia  in  1850  and  mined  until  1852;  then  returned  to  the  States  via 
Panama.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1853,  crossing  the  plains  as  before. 
Was  a  volunteer  in  the  Rogue  River  war,  under  Captain  Applegate. 
Returned  in  1856,  and  went  east  of  the  mountains  with  cattle. 
While  there  he  panned  out  gold  on  Burnt  River,  being  the  first 
discoverer  of  gold  there.  While  on  his  return  he  encountered  the 
Indians,  and  had  a  conflict  with  them  at  Klamath  Cave.  Married 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Whitney  in  1859,  and  their  family  now  consists  of 
five  children — Alice  E.,  Minnie,  Mary  E.,  Thomas  G.,  and  Edward 
C.  There  is  one  dead,  named  Nettie.  Mr.  Richmond  is  a  farmer 
and  owner  of  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  land;  has  a  residence  in 
Dallas. 

ROWELL,  ZIBA  M.      , 

Was  born  in  Orange  County,  New  Hampshire,  in  1798.  On  his 
arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled  at  Scholl's  Ferry,  Washington  County; 
his  occupation  was  farming.  He  married  Frances  Sears,  of  Plymouth, 
Massachusetts,  in  1827,  and  their  children's  names  are — Thomas  C., 
Susan  F.,  Louisa  M.,  Lydia  W.,  John  IX,  James  B.,  and  Ziba  A. 
Mr.  Rowell  died  in  1860. 

SAVAGE,  E.,  Jr. 

Lives  in  Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  and  is  a  partner  with 
his  brother  in  an  ax -handle  factory.  He  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Illinois,  in  1852;  his  parents  came  to  Oregon  the  year  fol 
lowing  and  brought  him  with  them.  In  1873  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Frances  E.  Whitmore.  They  have  four  children — Anna  Mary, 
Minnie  Myrtle,  Thomas  Rose,  and  Nettie  Lenora. 

SCHWATKA,  FREDERICK. 

Born  in  Galena,  Illinois,  September,  1849,  and  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Oregon  when  four  years  of  age.  The  Schwatkas 
resided  chiefly  in  Salem,  of  which  town  the  father  is  still  a  resident. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  817 

Frederick  Schwatka  was  appointed  to  West  Point  in  1867,  and 
graduated  therefrom  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  1871,  and  was 
assigned  to  service  with  the  Third  Cavalry,  in  Arizona.  His  ser 
vices  in  the  field  distinguished  him  considerably,  as  he  was  in 
several  engagements  with  the  Indians;  but  what  most  contributed 
to  his  celebrity  was  the  very  remarkable  Arctic  journey  under 
taken  by  him  and  his  command,  in  connection  with  the  search  for 
traces  of  the  English  expedition  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  Lieutenant 
Schwatka,  at  his  own  request,  was  detailed  to  take  charge  of  the 
expedition,  and  setting  out  in  1878,  he  was  occupied  until  the 
autumn  of  1880  in  researches  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the 
American  Continent,  among  icebergs  and  Esquimaux,  making 
sledge  journeys  with  dogs,  and  subsisting  on  the  flesh  of  walruses 
and  whales,  and  enduring  the  extremest  cold;  meanwhile  they 
prosecuted  their  search  with  activity  and  success.  Since  his  return 
to  the  United  States  the  lieutenant  has  fully  informed  the  world, 
by  means  of  lectures  and  writings,  of  the  circumstances  and  con 
ditions  under  which  his  party  plied  their  search,  and  the  greatest 
credit  and  a  full  measure  of  honor  and  celebrity  have  attached  to 
him.  Until  recently  Lieutenant  Schwatka  was  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Army,  but  has  now  resigned  to  enter  civil  service,  for 
which  he  is  well  qualified,  as  he  is  conversant  with  several  learned 
professions,  including  law  and  medicine. 

SCOTT,  HARVEY  W. 

Born  in  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  February  1,  1838;  came  to 
Oregon  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Clackamas  County  in  1854. 
Mr.  Scott  was  educated  at  the  Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove, 
and  was  the  first  graduate  of  that  institution,  within  whose  walls 
he  spent  five  years.  His  occupation  is  journalism,  and  his  life-work 
has  been  the  editing  of  the  Oregonian  newspaper  of  Portland, 
which  he  has  conducted  for  nearly  twenty  years  with  signal  ability 
and  success.  Under  his  management  that  publication  has  advanced 
immeasurably  beyond  all  competitors,  and  has  achieved  a  standing 
among  the  foremost  journals  of  the  United  States.  The  quality  of 
Mr,  Scott's  work,  its  amount  and  the  regularity  of  its  performance, 
stamp  his  as  a  most  extraordinary  working  intellect.  His  literary 
style  is  mainly  distinguished  by  aptness,  force  and  dignity;  and  the 


818  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

latter  quality  is  the  more  noticeable  and  the  more  appreciated  from 
its  extreme  infrequency  throughout  the  press  of  Oregon.  Doubtless 
Mr.  Scott  lives  too  closely  to  the  people  of  the  Northwest  for  his 
abilities  and  services  to  be  understood  at  their  full  value,  but  there 
are  two  truths  which  will  in  time  become  unmistakably  evident  to 
them:  these  are,  first,  the  thoroughness  and  usefulness  of  his  work, 
and,  second,  its  solitariness. 

SCOTT,  THOMAS  B. 

Born  in  Missouri,  in  1835;  came  to  Oregon  and  went  to  hotel 
keeping  at  Salem.  Was  married  in  1857,  to  Eliza  McMullin,  and 
their  children  are — Virginia  P.,  Josephine  Aramintha,  Laura  B., 
Lorena,  and  Myrtle  Maud.  Mr.  Scott  participated  in  the  Indian 
war  of  1855-56,  and  in  1864,  enlisted  in  the  First  Oregon  Infantry, 
to  serve  three  years,  and  became  sergeant.  Resides  at  Salem. 

SCOVELL,  L.  C. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1835;  removed  at  an  early  age  to  Iowa, 
and  remained  there  until  1853.  Mined  and  drove  team  in  the  early 
years  of  his  residence  in  this  State,  and  afterwards  became  driver 
of  the  Portland,  Oregon  City  and  Salem  stage,  and  held  that  posi 
tion  for  sixteen  years.  Married,  in  1871,  Elizabeth  A.  Buford. 
They  have  two  children — Allie  and  Lolla.  Resides  in  South  Salem. 

SHATTUCK,  E.  D. 

Born  in  Vermont,  December  31,  1824,  and  was  educated  in  the 
colleges  of  the  State.  Taught  for  a  time,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1852.  Came  to  Oregon  the  next  year,  and  became  Professor 
of  Ancient  Languages  in  the  Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove. 
In  1855  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  for  Washington 
County,  and  the  following  year  probate  judge.  Was  a  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  convention;  following  which  he  resumed  the  prac 
tice  of  law.  Represented  Multnomah  and  Washington  counties  in 
the  last  Territorial  Legislature;  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Portland  Library  Association;  in  1862  was  elected  judge  of  the 
Fourth  Judicial  District,  and  again  in  1874,  holding  the  office  nine 
years  in  all. 

SIMPSON,  G.  B. 

Born  in  Georgia  in  1811.  On  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he  settled 
in  Luckiamute  Valley,  and  still  resides  there.  Occupation,  farming. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  819 

He  married  Nancy  Jackson  in  18(51,  and  their  children's  names  were 
-Rufus  F.,  Martha  E.,  John  W.,  Martha  A.,  Wiucy  D.,  B.  E.,  and 
Cerilda. 

SIPPY,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1826;  moved  to  Illinois 
in  1847,  to  California  in  1850,  and  to  Oregon  three  years  later,  set 
tling  in  Lane  County;  in  1864  moved  to  Linn  County.  Married 
twice,  first  in  1849,  to  Mrs.  J.  Holliday,  who  died  in  1850,  and 
next,  in  1853,  to  Mary  J.  Haskett;  has  had  eight  children — Ann  J., 
Marinda,  Mary,  Samuel,  Eliza,  Lizzette,  Philip,  and  Verlanda. 

SMITH,  BERRYMAN  M. 

A  well-known  druggist  of  Dallas;  was  born  in  Warren  County, 
Illinois,  in  1846,  and  came  across  the  plains  with  his  parents  in 
1853.  They  settled  in  Polk  County,  and  became  farmers.  Mr. 
Smith,  before  moving  to  Dallas,  which  he  did  in  1882,  was  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  Married  Miss  Sarah  Nealy,  in  1866,  and  their 
family  consists  of  five  children,  namely — Ray  N.,  Ralph  O.,  Mar 
garet  E.,  Edith  C.,  and  Hettie. 

SMITH,  HIRAM. 

Born  in  Ray  County,  Missouri,  in  1821 ;  lived  in  that  State  until 
thirty-two  years  of  age;  then  crossed  the  plains,  with  ox-teams,  to 
Oregon;  he  brought  with  him  five  wagons,  thirty  yoke  of  oxen,  two 
hundred  loose  cattle,  and  twelve  horses.  On  arriving  in  Oregon 
he  settled  in  Lane  County,  and  followed  stock-raising  and  farming 
ten  years.  Moved  to  Harrisburg  in  1863;  went  into  merchandising, 
and  built  the  present  flouring  mill  in  that  town;  subsequently 
opened  a  dry  goods  store  at  Junction,  and  a  saw  mill  at  Coburg, 
conducting  all  those  occupations  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Smith  was 
a  candidate  for  Congress  in  1873;  was  a  delegate  to  the  national 
Republican  convention  at  Baltimore,  in  1864,  which  nominated 
Abraham  Lincoln;  also  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention,  in 
1872,  at  Philadelphia,  which  re-nominated  U.  S.  Grant.  Several 
times  Mr.  Smith  has  been  nominated  for  State  offices,  but  has  been 
defeated,  as  the  Republicans  in  Lane  County  have  always  been  in 
the  minority.  He  has  owned  land  to  the  amount  of  three  thousand 
acres  at  one  time,  and  is  now  proprietor  of  the  Harrisburg  saw  and 


820  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

flouring  mills.      Was  married,  in  1848,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Fleming, 
of  Platte  County,  Missouri. 
SMITH,  s.  W. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois,  in  1844.  His  family  came  to 
Oregon,  and  direct  to  Polk  County  in  1853,  and  settled  on  the 
Little  Luckiamute,  that  still  being  his  parents'  place  of  residence. 
He  worked  with  his  father  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  procured  a  position  as  clerk  in  Independence.  In  1867  he  went 
into  business  for  himself  as  partner  in  the  firm  of  Cooper  &  Smith, 
and  later,  McCord,  Smith  &  Co.  In  1877  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Vanduyn,  the  firm  now  being  known  as  Vanduyn  &  Smith. 
Mr.  Smith  was  married  November  5,  1867,  to  Miss  Esther  M.  Bar 
ney,  and  of  their  children,  six  in  number,  five  now  live,  namely— 
Mary  Ellen,  Ephram  H.,  Otto  B.,  Lenna  M.,  and  Millen  W.  Ralph 
C.  died  in  infancy. 

STARR,  I.  W.,  M.D., 

Is  a  practicing  physician  of  Brownsville,  Linn  County.  He  was 
born  in  Benton  County,  Oregon,  November  28.  1853,  and  is  mar 
ried  to  Miss  Clara  Bishop.  They  have  one  child — Chester  H. 

STEARNS,  LOYAL  B. 

Born  in  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  in  1853,  and  brought  to  Ore 
gon  in  the  same  year  by  his  parents,  who  settled  at  Scottsburg,  on 
the  Unipqua  River.  He  was  educated  at  the  Umpqua  Academy 
and  the  medical  department  of  the  Willamette  University.  Studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1876.  Located  in  Portland 
and  has  practiced  in  the  courts  of  that  city.  Held  the  office  of 
police  judge  for  over  three  years;  was  then  elected  city  attorney, 
and  afterwards  county  judge  of  Multnomah  County.  Represented 
that  county  in  the  Legislature  in  1878. 

STEPHENSON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Virginia ;  was  sheriff  and  clerk  of  Wood  County  in  that 
State;  settled  in  Portland  in  1853.  and  had  his  residence  near  the 
Fulton  House.  Died,  October  16,  1871,  aged  seventy-four  years. 

STEPHENSON,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  in  September,  1829.  Came  with 
his  father,  John  Stephenson,  to  Oregon  in  1853,  and  resided  thence 
forth  in  or  near  Portland.  Died,  February  14,  1877. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  821 

STEWART,  JAMES. 

Bom  in  Pennsylvania  in  1814;  moved,  in  succession,  to  Floyd 
County,  Indiana,  to  Iowa,  and  to  Oregon.  Located,  in  1853,  in 
Clackamas  County,  fifteen  miles  from  Oregon  City ;  resides  now  two 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  and  is  a 
farmer.  Married  Sophia  Richmond,  and  after  her  decease,  married 
Catherine  J.  Ingalls,  his  present  wife. 

STONE,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  England,  in  1814;  came  to  America  in  1833,  and  prior 
to  coming  to  Oregon  lived  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and  Kentucky. 
He  settled  at  Mill  Creek,  in  Polk  County,  on  his  arrival  in  this 
State,  and  that  is  still  his  place  of  residence;  farming  is  his  occupa 
tion.  He  married  Zerilda  Carpenter,  and  their  children's  names 
are  Thomas  B.,  Sarah  J.,  and  John  W. 

STRATTON,  CURTIS  P. 

Born  in  New  York  December  31,  1800;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1853.  AVife's  previous  name,  Lavinia  Fitch.  Children — Riley  E. 
(deceased,  formerly  chief  justice  of  the  State),  Batania  (deceased), 
Delia,  Carroll  C.  (now  president  of  the  University  of  the  Paciiic 
at  Santa  Clara,  California),  Victoria,  Horace  F.,  Milton  A.,  Laura 
M.,  Augusta  J.,  Julius  A.  (attorney  at  law,  and  at  present  superin 
tendent  of  the  State  Penitentiary),  and  Irene  H.  Mr.  Stratton  died 
at  Saleni  in  February,  1874. 

SWAFFORD,  JAMES  L. 

Born  in  Oregon  City,  November  15,  1853;  is  now  treasurer  of 
Clackamas  County  and  resides  at  Oregon   City.     Wife's  previous 
name  was  Temperance  L.  Rands.     The  names  of  his  children  are- 
George  E.,  and  Nellie. 

SWICK,  BENJAMIN  F. 

Born  in  Michigan  in  1848;  the  son  of  Minor  Swick;  came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon  when  quite  young,  and  received  his  educa 
tion  at  the  Willamette  University,  Commenced  the  study  of 
dentistry  when  twenty  years  of  age,  after  which  he  practiced  in 
various  towns  of  Oregon,  finally  settling  in  Salem  where  he  is  at 
present  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Byrd.  Married  in  1874  to  Miss 
Martha  Flint.  He  now  has  two  children — Valeria  and  Fay. 


822  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

SWICK,   L., 

Was  born  in  Michigan  in  1840;  came  to  Oregon  when  quite 
young  and  settled  at  French  Prairie.  His  present  place  of  resi 
dence  is  near  Dayton,  and  occupation  farming.  Not  married. 

SWICK,  MINOR. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1811;  moved  to  Michigan  and  from  thence 
to  Oregon;  was  a  farmer  until  his  death.  Married  Miss  Louisa 
Latourette  in  1832,  and  had  five  children,  namely — T.,  Louisa  (de 
ceased),  Minor,  Lyma,  and  Benjamin  F. 

THAYER,  ANDREW   J. 

Born  in  New  York,  and  resided  there  until  his  departure  for 
Oregon.  Settled  on  a  farm  near  Corvallis,  and  resided  there  until 
his  death,  April  29,  1873.  Was  a  lawyer  and  enjoyed  a  great  prac 
tice.  Became  one  of  the  Supreme  Justices  of  Oregon  in  1870,  suc 
ceeding  Judge  Kelsay. 

THOMAS,  E.  N. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1829;  went  to  Iowa  in  1848,  and  five  years 
later  to  Oregon.  Settled  in  Douglas  County  and  resided  there  until 
1862.  Participated  in  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war  of  1855-56, 
being  a  member  of  Captain  Rinearson's  company.  Located  in  Jef 
ferson,  Marion  County,  in  1862,  and  still  resides  there.  Has  been 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  twenty  years.  Is  now  in  partnership 
with  his  son,  J.  A.  Thomas.  Married  in  1852  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Far- 
rens.  They  have  three  children — Joseph  A.,  Florence,  and  Emma. 

THOMPSON,  JOHN  M. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1843,  and  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents 
when  ten  years  old.  They  settled  in  Lane  County,  and  he  was  ed 
ucated  at  the  old  Columbia  College  in  Eugene  City.  Married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Cooper  in  1871,  daughter  of  Gr.  M.  Cooper  of  Eugene 
City.  They  had  three  children.  Mr.  Thompson's  occupation  was 
the  law,  and  he  attained  distinction.  Was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
in  1878  and  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  Was  returned  in 
1880.  Died  near  Prineville,  Wasco  County,  February  10,  1882. 

VANCE,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  in  1831;  came  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  in  1853;  in  1867  returned  to  the  States,  via  Panama,  but 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  823 

came  back  to  Oregon  in  1868  and  settled  near  Tangent,  farming 
there  until  1880,  when  he  moved  to  Albany  and  has  lived  there 
since.  Owns  city  property  and  nine  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land.  Married  Miss  Martha  E.  Duncan  in  1868,  by  whom  he  has 
had  two  children — named  Mary  Altha,  and  Nancy  Pearl. 

WAIT,  T.  B. 

Born  in  Boston  in  July,  1834,  lived  for  a  time  in  Illinois,  came 
to  Oregon  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  Participated  in 
the  Indian  wars  of  1855-56,  and  was  lieutenant  in  a  volunteer 
company.  Removed  to  Salem  in  1873  and  in  1878  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business;  deals  extensively  in  agricultural  implements, 
etc.;  was  mayor  of  Salem  in  1879,  and  has  been  alderman.  Mar 
ried  Mary  Gibson  in  1858  and  had  two  children,  Olive  and  Agnes. 
Mrs.  Wait  died  in  1866,  and  in  1872  he  married  Rachel  Morris 
by  whom  there  are  three  children — Ennis,  Thomas,  and  Lena.  Mr., 
Wait  resides  in  Salem,  but  has  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  Polk  County. 

WALKER,  SAMUEL  A. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  January  2,  1853;  is  a 
shoemaker  by  trade  and  instructor  in  that  branch  of  industry  in 
the  Indian  school  at  Forest  Grove,  a  position  he  has  held  since 
1880;  owns  a  residence  and  other  property  in  that  town;  married 
Miss  Minnie  J.  Knighten  in  1877,  and  they  have  three  children- 
Charles,  Pearl,  and  Raleigh. 

WARNER,  ARTHUR. 

Is  a  resident  of  Oregon  City  and  a  farmer  by  occupation;  was 
born  in  Surrey,  England,  April  17,  1828;  came  to  Oregon  in  April, 
1853;  married  Elizabeth  Kaiser,  and  their  children  are — Alfred 
(deceased),  Surrey  (deceased),  Imogene  (deceased),  Ernest  (de 
ceased),  Annie,  George  and  Ellen  (twins),  and  Arthur  C.  Has  rep 
resented  Clackamaa  County  in  the  Legislature,  and  was  sheriff  for 
one  term. 

WARRINNER,  W.C.,  M.  D. 

Born  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  resided  at  various  times  in 
Kentucky,  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Graduated  from  a  medical  school, 


824  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  in  October,  1853,  arrived  in  Oregon  and  settled  permanently 
in  the  vicinity  of  Salem.  Was  married  in  Illinois  in  1848,  and  has 
a  family  of  six  children — Eugenia,  Florence,  Richard  C.,  John  T., 
May,  and  Edgar  A.  Dr.  Warrinner  relates  that  on  his  arrival  in 
Portland  in  the  fall  of  1853,  that  place  contained  three  practicing 
physicians.  Doctors  Wilson,  Millard  and  Davenport,  the  first  of 
whom  still  resides  there,  but  the  latter  two  are  dead.  Dr.  Daven 
port  accumulated  a  splendid  competence  in  the  practice  of  his  pro 
fession.  The  regularly  graduated  physicians  in  Oregon,  says  Dr. 
Warrinner,  were  Doctors  Hartley,  of  Vancouver,  Bailey,  of  Oregon 
City,  Boyle,  of  Polk  County,  and  Warrinner,  of  Salem.  Dr.  War 
rinner  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church,  and  was  one  of  the  fore 
most  movers  in  the  organization  of  the  college  belonging  to  that 
body.  This  was  originally  located  at  Bethel,  Polk  County,  twelve 
miles  from  Salem.  It  was  established  in  1855,  and  on  July  4th  of 
that  year  the  frame  of  the  school  building  was  raised.  The  found 
ers  were  G.  O.  Burnett,  Amos  Harvey,  J.  L.  Ladd,  W.  C.  Warrin 
ner  and  two  or  three  others.  The  school  flourished,  and  pupils  at 
tended  from  widely  separated  localities,  attracted  by  the  good  repute 
of  the  teachers.  Among  the  instructors  at  Bethel  were  Dr.  Na 
thaniel  Hudson,  L.  L.  Rowland  (now  of  Salem),  and  J.  H.  Hall, 
who  were  installed  as  professors  on  or  about  1860.  The  school  re 
tained  its  prestige  for  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  but  about  1865  was 
removed  to  Monmouth.  The  Bethel  school  building  cost  about  five 
thousand  dollars  and  accommodated  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty 
students.  Its  subsequent  history  is  merged  into  that  of  the  Mon 
mouth  College  and  State  Normal  School. 

WATSON,  EDWARD  B. 

Born  in  Clayton  County,  Iowa,  October  7,  1844,  and  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  nine  years  later.  The  family  settled  in  Douglas 
County  in  1854  upon  a  farm.  Edward  was  educated  at  the  Urnp- 
qua  Academy  and  at  the  Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove,  grad 
uating  from  the  latter  in  1866.  He  read  law  with  J.  F.  Watson, 
at  Roseburg,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868.  Made  a  part 
nership  with  B.  F.  Dowell  and  practiced  in  Jacksonville.  Was 
elected  county  judge  of  Jackson  County  in  1872.  In  1880  was 
chosen  Supreme  Judge  of  the  State  of  Oregon.  Retired  from  the 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  825 

bench  in  1884.  Judge  Watson's  first  wife,  whom  be  married  July 
11,  1872,  was  Miss  Mary  E.  Owen;  the  second,  married  May  28, 
1879,  was  Miss  Ella  C.  Kubli.  He  has  two  children. 

WELLS,  GEORGE  A. 

Born  in  Pike  County,  Missouri;  his  first  place  of  residence  in 
Oregon  was  at  Mary's  River,  in  Benton  County;  his  present  resi- 
.  dence  is  at  Buena  Vista,  and  occupation  farming.  He  married 
Henrietta  Turner  in  Illinois  in  1850,  and  their  children  are — Rich 
ard  F.,  Mary  S.,  Mary  E.,  William  L.,  Commodore  H.,  George  P., 
Emma,  and  John. 

WELLS,  RICHARD  F. 

Born  in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  in  1850;  came  to  Oregon  at  an 
early  age,  and  lived  at  Philomath,  Benton  County,  His  present 
residence  is  at  Buena  Vista,  Polk  County,  and  occupation  farming. 
He  married  Emma  A.  Collins  in  Polk  County  in  1876,  and  their 
children  are — Samuel  B.,  George  W.,  Mabel,  and  Frank. 

WILLIAMS,  GEORGE  H. 

Born  in  Columbia  Cgunty,  New  York,  March  26,  1823.  Studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  in  1844;  emigrated 
to  Iowa  the  same  year  and  began  to  practice;  became  district  judge 
in  1847,  retaining  that  position  for  five  years.  In  1853  he  was 
appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  and  imme 
diately  removed  here.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  soon  after  began  to  practice  law  at  Portland.  In 
1864  he  was  elected  Senator  from  Oregon,  and  in  the  course  of  his 
duties  as  such  prepared  and  introduced  into  Congress  the  Recon 
struction  Bill  "  for  the  more  efficient  government  of  the  Southern 
States."  After  his  term  of  office  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Joint  High  Commissioners  to  settle  the  Alabama  claims,  etc.  In 
December,  1871,  he  became  Attorney -General  of  the  United  States, 
holding  that  position  until  1875,  when  he  resigned.  Resides  in 
Portland. 

WRIGHT,  JOHN  G. 

Born  in  Illinois -in  1837;  came  to  Oregon  by  ox -team  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  settled  at  Salem,  and  engaged  in  merchan 
dising.  Residence  Salem,  and  occupation  retail  grocer;  has  held 


826  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

several  civil  offices,  among  them  fche  mayoralty  of  Salem ;  is  now  vice- 
president  of  the  Oregon  Agricultural  Society,  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  managers.  Married  in  1860  to  Miss  C.  M.  Cross.  Their 
children  are — Ella  C.,  and  George  S. 

WOLVERTON,  CHARLES  E. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1851;  came  with  his  father,  John  Wolverton, 
to  Oregon,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Polk  County,  receiving  his 
education  at  Monmouth,  whence  he  graduated  in  1871,  delivering 
the  valedictory  of  his  class.  Pie  studied  law  in  Lexington,  Ken 
tucky;  returned  to  Oregon  in  1874,  and  has  practiced  in  Albany 
since,  where,  for  a  while,  he  was  in  partnership  with  N.  B^  Hum 
phreys.  Was  justice  of  the  peace  at  Albany  from  1876  to  1878. 
In  1884  was  nominated  for  prosecuting  attorney.  Owns  city  prop 
erty  in  Albany,  and  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres 
eight  miles  from  that  town.  Married  Miss  Clara  E.  Price  in  1878. 

WOLVERTON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  December  4,  1822.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  and  at  seventeen  years  of  age  went  to  Illinois,  and 
from  there  to  Iowa;  in  1853  came  to  Polk  County,  Oregon,  and 
took  a  donation  claim.  He  now  owns  a  fine  residence  in  Mon 
mouth,  and  a  farm  of  eight  hundred  acres.  Married  Miss  Mary  J. 
Nealy  in  1847.t  They  have  seven  children — William  M.,  engaged 
at  Spokane  Falls  in  the  hardware  business;  Charles  E.,  a  lawyer  at 
Albany;  Bruce,  a  minister  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Seattle; 
Prince  Albert,  of  Spokane,  dealer  in  agricultural  implements;  Josie, 
wife  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Byrd,  of  Salem;  Otis  A.,  a  farmer  in  Polk  County; 
and  Grant,  at  Spokane,  engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  Mr. 
Wolverton  lives  at  Monmouth. 

YOUNG,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  Tennessee;  lived  successively  in  that  State,  Ohio,  Iowa, 
and  Oregon,  arriving  in  the  latter  in  1853.  He  lived  with  his 
family  one  year  in  Washington  County,  but  settled  in  Albany  in 
1853.  Here  he  lived  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpentering 
until  1876,  when  his  death  took  place.  He  was  the  father  of  S.  E. 
Young,  of  Albany. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  827 

1854. 
BEAN,  ROBERT  SHARP. 

Born  in  Yamhill  County,  November  28,  1854,  but  moved  with 
his  parents  to  Lane  County  at  an  early  age,  and  has  resided  there 
ever  since.  Graduated  from  the  Christian  College  at  Monniouth, 
in  1873.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  187(5.  In 
1877  he  entered  the  State  University  at  Eugene  with  advanced 
standing,  and  graduated  the  next  year.  Continued  in  the  practice 
of  law  until  1882  when  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Second  Ju 
dicial  District. 

BELT,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  near  Salem,  Oregon,  August  13,  1854,  and  has  resided 
there  almost  all  the  subsequent  time.  Was  educated  at  the  Wil 
lamette  University,  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879. 
Removed  to  Independence,  Polk  County,  in  1881,  and  engaged  in 
law  practice.  Married  Miss  Olive  L.  Chamberlain,  Aug.  1,  1882. 
They  have  one  child,  named  George. 
SEVENS,  j.  s. 

Born  in  DeKalb  County,  Missouri ;  his  first  settlement  in  Oregon 
was  in  Yamhill  County;  his  present  residence  is  Buena  Vista,  arid 
occupation  farming.  He  married  C.  K.  Shelton  in  Oregon,  and 
their  children's  names  are — Nola  J.,  Minnie  A.,  Prince  L.,  and  Josie. 
SEVENS,  T.  o. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1842;  on  his  arr.val  in  Oregon  he  settled  in 
the  Luckiamute  Valley,  and  still  lives  there.  Occupation,  farming 
and  stock-raising.  In  Oregon,  in  1864,  he  married  Mary  E.  Grant, 
and  their  children  are  named  respectively — Gilbert  J.,  Hudson  J., 
Permelia,  Marquis  J.,  Manley,  and  Ida. 

SEVENS,  WILLARD  P. 

Born  in  DeKalb  County,  Missouri;  on  his  arrival  in  Oregon  he 
settled  at  Luckiamute,  Polk  County;  now  resides  at  Buena  Vista  en 
gaged  in  farming.     He  married  Mary  S.  Wells  in  Oregon  in  1869, 
and  they  have  one  child — Willard  Easton. 
CONDIT,  C. 

Born  in  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  27,  1827;  mar 
ried  Rebecca  J.  Rowland  in  1857;  by  her  his  children  are — James 
P.,  Silas  J.,  Philip  H.,  Martha  J.,  and  Alva  O.  He  married  his 
second  wife,  Jane  Frank,  in  1865. 


828  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CONDIT,  PHILIP. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1801;  was  married  to  Nancy  Gordon 
on  February  2,  1826.  Children — Cyrenus  C.,  Sylvanus,  Alva, 
Samuel  J.  M.,  and  Mary  A.  C.  Mr.  Condit  organized  Pleasant 
Grove  Presbyterian  Church,  which  was  built  in  1857-58,  the  second 
church  constructed  by  that  denomination  in  Oregon. 

DEARDORFF,  A.  G. 

Born  in  Douglas  County,  Oregon,  in  1854;  the  son  of  W.  H.  B. 
Deardorff.  Educated  at  Urnpqua  Academy;  studied  medicine  in 
this  State  and  in  Keokuk,  Iowa.  Returned  to  Oregon  in  1882, 
having  graduated,  and  locating  at  Jefferson,  Marion  County,  began 
practice.  Married  in  1879  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Harmon.  Residence, 
Jefferson. 

DIERDORFF,  WILLIAM. 

Bern  in  Pennsylvania  July  4,  1815;  emigrated  to  Iowa  and  two 
years  later  married  Marianna  Ainsworth,  sister  to  J.  C.  Ainsworth, 
of  Portland.  Emigrated  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Oregon  City  as 
a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Ainsworth  &  Dierdorff .  Later, 
he  became  chief  commissary  of  the  O.  S.  N.  Company.  In  March, 
1870,  was  appointed  inspector  of  hulls,  vice  John  H.  Couch.  Was 
Grand  Master  of  the  Odd  Fellows  of  Oregon.  Died  at  Portland, 
July  24,  1871. 

GILMORE,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  in  1814;  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  removed  to  Missouri.  Was  married  in  1844  to  Christian  Messner. 
Their  children  were — Susan  L.,  William  R.,  Mary  Jane,  Charles 
H.,  James  R.,  and  Fanny.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican 
war,  Mr.  Gilmore  enlisted  and  served  for  eighteen  months.  Coming 
to  Oregon,  he  located  in  Marion  County  and  set  about  farming. 
Residence,  Salem. 

GODLEY,  HENRY  D. 

Mr,  Godley  was  born  in  Tonipkins  County,  New  York,  June  4, 
1838.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  came  across  the  plains  with  his 
parents  and  an  uncle,  W.  H.  Gray.  He  settled  in  Linn  County, 
and,  in  1858,  commenced  in  the  hardware  business  in  Albany, 
remaining  there  until  1880,  when  he  moved  to  Independence  and 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  829 

established  himself  in  his  former  business,  which  he  is  yet  engaged 
in.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  of  the  orders 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  Chosen  Friends.  Was  married  in  Albany, 
April  28,  1864,  to  Miss  Sarah  G.  Parrish,  and  to  them  the  follow 
ing  named  children  have  been  born — Fred.  C.,  Anna  C.,  Maggie 
and  Lucy. 

HAY,  JERRY. 

Born  in  Adair  County,  Kentucky,  August  1,  1839;  has  lived 
since  his  arrival  in  Oregon  in  Linn  County,  and  is  now  proprietor 
of  a  dry  goods  fctore  in  Harrisburg.  Married  Miss  Martha  Evans 
in  1864.  Their  children  are — Alice,  Lydia,  Annie,  William,  Frank 
and  Nellie. 

HENDRECSON,    O.  P. 

Born  in  Albany  township,  Linn  County,  Oregon,  in  1854;  the 
son  of  W.  F.  Hendrecson;  and  has  remained  there  ever  since;  occu 
pation  farming,  and  is  agent  for  the  sale  of  agricultural  machinery. 
Married,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Ella  Rideout.  They  have  two  children — 
Daisy,  and  William  F. 

HOLMES,  H.  R.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  July  30,  1854.  Studied  medicine 
at  the  Willamette  L^niversity  and  in  the  Toland  Medical  School, 
San  Francisco,  and  duly  graduated.  Is  in  practice  at  Salem,  and 
is  recognized  as  a  surgeon  of  great  skill  and  attainments.  He  mar 
ried  Miss  Olivia  Swegle,  in  Salem,  September  27,  1879.  They  have 
had  one  child,  Guy  Paul,  who  died  January  6,  1884,  aged  four  years. 

JOHNSON,  WALTER. 

Is  a  resident  of  Jefferson,  Marion  County;  his  occupation  is 
varied,  he  being  engaged  in  farming  and  conducting  a  warehouse, 
and  is  also  in  the  drug  business.  He  was  born  in  Linn  County, 
July  21,  1854;  married  Emma  Farwell,  and  their  children  are- 
Horace  and  Ernest.  Mr.  Johnson  has  held  the  office  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Syracuse  precinct  from  1878  to  1882. 

LEDFORD,  G.  T. 

Born  in  North  Carolina,  August  20,  1834;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Rogue  River  Valley;  was  in  the  Rogue  River  war  in 


830  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1855-56;  brother  of  Eli  Ledford  who  was  butchered  by  Indians  in 
the  Cascade  Mountains  in  1859.  In  1861,  entered  the  Union  army 
in  First  Oregon  Cavalry;  went  from  Jacksonville  to  Walla  Walla 
and  Fort  Hall,  as  escort  for  immigrants;  was  mustered  out  in  1864. 
Is  now  a  resident  of  Hillsboro  and  keeps  a  variety  store.  Married, 
in  1877,  Miss  Mary  McCloud,  and  by  her  has  had  three  children— 
Ora  (deceased),  George  B.,  and  Hazel  D. 

MCAFEE,  w.  E. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1854;  is  a  druggist  by  occupation,  and  in 
partnership  with  W.  E.  Hawkins.  Married  Miss  Maggie  Cromwell 
in  1874,  and  has  one  child.  His  residence  and  place  of  business  is 
Salem. 

McBRIDE,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Yam  hill  County  in  March,  1854;  the  son  of  Dr.  James 
McBride.  Was  educated  principally  in  the  Willamette  University, 
and  the  Monrnouth  College.  Studied  law.  Lives  at  St.  Helens, 
Columbia  County,  and  is  engaged  in  merchandising.  Has  been 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

PEEBLES,  GEORGE  A. 

Born  in  Clackamas  County  in  1854,  and  was  educated  at  the 
Willamette  University,  graduating  in  1877.  He  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  William  Ramsey,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1881. 
Mr.  Peebles  has  taught  school  continuously  since  1871,  except  the 
time  spent  in  college,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  East  Salem  school. 
In  1884  he  was  elected  school  superintendent  of  Marion  County. 
Married  Miss  Virgie  Griffith  in  1882,  by  whom  he  has  one  child- 
Lois  Lucille. 

SCHEURER,  W.  R. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1854;  resides  at  Butteville,  Marion  County. 
Occupation,  dealing  in  grain.  Married  Sarah  Douglas,  November 
9,  1875.  Children — Frederick  and  John. 

SMALL,  ISAAC  HIATT. 

Born  in  Richmond,  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  in  1823;  came  to 
Oregon  in-  1854,  and  settled  at  Silverton,  Marion  County.  His 
present  residence  is  Turner  and  occupation  hotel  keeper.  He  mar- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  831 

ried  Hester  Ann  Campbell,  in  Indiana,  May  7,  184H,  arid  their 
children's  names  are — El  wood  C.,  Lavina  H.,  James  M.,  Sarah 
Ann,  Calvin  W.,  Ads,  Lorane,  Hettie  M.,  and  Isaac  H. 

STILLWELL,  L.  L. 

Born  in  Yainhill  County,  Oregon,  in  1854,  the  son  of  W.  D. 
Stillwell.  He  now  resides  on  his  father's  old  donation  claim  near 
North  Yamhill,  and  is  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  Married  Miss 
Sarah  Haines  in  1878,  and  has  three  children — Fred,  Dora,  and 
Ollie. 

STOTT,  J.  M.,  Jr. 

Born  in  Oregon  in  1854;  is  now  a  hardware  merchant  in  East 
Portland.  Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Powell  in  1880. 

STRATTON,  J.  A. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Indiana,  in  1844;  residence,  Salem, 
and  occupation,  attorney -at -law. 

STRATTON,  MILTON  A. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Iowa,  June  10,  1838;  came  to  Oregon 
in  October,  1854;  present  residence,  Oregon  City;  occupation,  sec 
retary  to  the  Oregon  City  Manufacturing  Company.  Married  Helen 
Williams,  and  their  children  are — Creed  W.,  and  Carroll. 

THOMAS,  D.  C.      • 

Born  in  New  York  in  1832;  ran  away  from  home  when  fifteen 
and  enlisted  for  the  Mexican  war.  Returning  home,  he  set  out,  in 
1848,  for  California  and  worked  in  Wood's  diggings,  near  Sonora, 
Tuolurnne  County:  was  in  the  mines  ten  years;  has  traveled  many 
times  between  California  and  Oregon,  but  is  now  settled  perma 
nently  at  Salem. 

TOWNSEND,  J.  H. 

Residence  and  address,  Dallas;  born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in 
1854;  received  an  academic  education  in  La  Creole  Academy  at  Dal 
las;  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  1876,  under  J.  J.  Daly,  of 
Dallas,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883;  then  formed  a  part 
nership  with  Warren  Truitt,  which  continued  one  year.  Mr.  Town- 
send  is  an  active  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Married  Miss  Allie 
Richmond  in  1882. 


832  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

WILLIAMS,  L.  L., 

Lives  in  Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  and  is  a  telegraph 
operator;  he  was  born  in  Ohio,  November  13,  1834;  moved  with 
his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  from  thence  to  Wisconsin;  came 
from  the  latter  State  to  Oregon.  In  1858  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Anderson,  who  died  in  the  same  year.  In  1863  he  con 
tracted  a  second  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Hay,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children.  She  died  in  187*2,  and  he  was  married  for  the  third 
time  in  1873,  to  Mrs.  S.  J.  Quick,  by  whom  he  had  three  children. 

1855. 

BAYLEY,  JAMES  R.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Clark  County,  Ohio,  in  1819.  Received  an  academic 
education  at  Springfield;  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  1841, 
and  graduated  from  the  Ohio  Medical  College  three  years  later. 
Practiced  several  years  in  Ohio.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Harpole. 
Settled  at  Corvallis,  Oregon,  in  1857,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 
Was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Council  in  1856  and  1857,  and 
has  twice  been  judge  of  Benton  County.  Was  State  Senator  in 
1866  and  1868;  and  supervisor  of  internal  revenue  from  1869  until 
1873.  Has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  Masonry,  and  is  Past  Grand 
High  Priest,  and  Past  Grand  Master  of  the  Masons  of  Oregon. 

BARRETT,  N.  W. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  November  24,  1855; 
graduated  from  the  Pacific  University  in  1879.  Has  taught  school 
most  of  the  time  since.  Was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1880;  in 
1882  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  T.  H.  Tongue, 
of  Hillsboro.  Married  Miss  Lucretia  Parrish  in  1882.  His  present 
residence  is  Hillsboro. 

BURKHART,  C.  G. 

Born  in  Linn  County  in  1855.  Is  now  a  partner  with  his 
brother,  J.  H.  Burkhart,  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Albany. 
Married  Miss  Clara  A.  Anderson  in  1880. 

COFFEY,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1836;  came  to  America,  and  to  Oregon  in 
1855,  settling  at  King's  Valley,  Benton  County.  At  present  resides 


HISTOEY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  833 

in  Salem,  where  he  is  in  business  as  a  furniture  dealer.  Is  justice 
of  the  peace  of  Marion  County.  Married  Miss  Johanna  Hargon  in 
San  Francisco,  California,  in  1860.  Their  children  are — John  B., 
Julia,  James  D.,  Mary  A.,  Margaret  L.,  and  Isabelle  J. 

COMLEY,  JENNINGS  B., 

Is  a  resident  of  Albany,  Linn  County,  and  a  carpenter  and  joiner 
by  occupation.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky,  September  21,  1827; 
married  Dorinda  McFadden,  and  their  children  are — George  E., 
Adrian  A.,  and  Edward  J.  Mr.  Comley  served  four  years  in  the 
city  council  of  Albany  after  its  first  organization. 

EARHART,  ROCKEY  P. 

Born  in  Franklin,  Ohio,  June  23,  1837,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  that  State.  Came  to  Oregon  via  the  Isthmus,  and  be 
came  clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  department  of  the  United  States 
army  posts  at  Vancouver  and  The  Dalles.  Dealt  in  merchandise 
in  the  West  Side  counties,  and  afterward  served  as  United  States 
Indian  agent  at  the  Warm  Springs  agency,  and  subsequently  chief 
clerk,  special  Indian  agent,  and  secretary  of  the  Board  of  United 
States  Commissioners  to  the  Klaniath  and  Modoc  tribes.  In  1868, 
having  concluded  these  employments,  he  went  into  business  in 
Salem,  and  continued  so  for  four  years.  He  managed  the  Cheme- 
keta  Hotel  in  that  town  for  a  year  or  more.  Represented  Marion 
County  in  the  Legislature  in  1870.  Was  afterward  business  mana 
ger  of  the  Daily  Bulletin  newspaper  at  Portland.  From  1874 
until  1878  he  was  chief  clerk  in  the  surveyor  general's  office,  re 
signing  then  to  enter  upon  his  duties  as  Secretary  of  the  State  of 
Oregon,  to  which  he  had  been  elected.  Was  re-nominated  for  that 

f) 

position  in  1882,  and  elected  by  twenty-five  hundred  majority.  Mr. 
Earhart  is  a  very  prominent  Free  Mason,  and  has  attained  the 
thirty- third  degree  therein.  Has  held  high  offices  in  various  lodges, 
and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  first  Cornmandery  of  Knights 
Templar  established  in  the  Northwest.  Has  been  Grand  Master  of 
the  Masons  of  Oregon  (1878  and  1879).  Married  July  1863,  Miss 
N.  A.  Burden,  of  Polk  County.  They  have  four  daughters. 

GRAF,  FRED. 

Born    in   Bavaria,  in   1833;  came  to  Oregon  in  1855,  and  to 
Albany  in  1867.     In  1870  entered  the  furniture  and  undertaking 


834  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

business  in  partnership  with  William  Fromin,  in  that  town,  and 
has  continued  in  it  since.  Married  Miss  Carrie  Caruthers  in  1873, 
and  they  have  four  children — Hattie,  Lillie,  Katie,  and  Fred. 

HUTCHINSON,  THOMAS  O. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  the  son  of  Thomas  H.  Hutch inson,  an 
emigrant  of  1853.  His  birth  took  place  in  1855;  was  educated  at 
the  Christian  College  at  Monmouth.  Became  a  school  teacher,  and 
still  occupies  himself  in  that  pursuit.  Was  married  in  1877  to 
Miss  Addie  Rome,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children — Lester  C., 
Roy  C.,  and  Lizzie  M. 

MCDOWELL,  F.  D. 

Born  near  Salem,  Marion  County,  August  3,  1855.  By  occu 
pation,  is  a  watchmaker  and  jeweler,  and  resides  at  Salem.  Was 
married  December  29,  1881,  to  Miss  Ella  B.  Nelson. 

MILLER,  LOUIS. 

Born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  May  12,  1836;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1855;  occupation,  butcher;  present  residence,  Turner.  Wife's  pre 
vious  name,  Sallie  Davis.  Children — Lizzie,  Ollie,  Louis,  Pearl, 
Emma,  and  Roy. 

NOYER,  PETER  S. 

Born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  in  1837,  and  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Illinois  in  1840,  and  to  Texas  in  1845.  Went  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1853,  stayed  two  years,  and  then  came  to  Oregon.  Set 
tled  in  Clackamas  County.  Married  Miss  Delilah  C.  May  in  1857, 
who  had  come  with  her  parents  to  Oregon  ten  years  before.  Mr. 
Noyer  was  member  of  the  Legislatures  of  1874  and  1882. 

STIMPSON,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  in  1832;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1855  from  California,  where  he  had  emigrated  the  preceding  year. 
Present  residence,  Salem.  Married  in  1875,  Mary  E.  Davis. 

STOTT,  JOHN  S.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Oregon,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of 
March,  1855;  the  son  of  Thomas  A.  and  Nancy  Stott — the  father 
a  well  known  citizen  of  that  county,  and  its  representative  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  835 

Legislature  in  1872.  The  son  was  educated  at  the  Pacific  Univer 
sity  at  Forest  Grove,  and  embarked  in  the  profession  of  teaching, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  became  principal  of  the  school  at 
Walla  Walla  in  1876,  and  afterwards  taught  at  Forest  Grove  and 
Hillsboro,  in  his  native  county.  In  the  intervals  of  teaching  he 
studied  medicine,  and  afterwards  attended  two  courses  of  lectures 
at  the  medical  department  of  the  Willamette  University,  graduating 
therefrom  in  April,  1883.  The  Doctor  has  entered  somewhat  into 
politics,  and  was  elected  clerk  of  Washington  County  in  1883,  but 
having  no  time  to  spare  from  the  exacting  duties  of  his  calling,  he 
performs  the  former  functions  by  proxy.  Resides  at  Independence, 
Polk  County. 

TANNER,  ALBERT  H. 

Born  near  Portland  in  1855.  Was  educated  in  the  public- 
schools  and  the  Christian  College  at  Monmouth,  graduating  in  1874. 
Studied  law  and  was  admitted  in  1879.  Lives  in  Portland  and 
practices  law.  Represented  Multnomah  County  in  the  Legislature 
of  1882.  Married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Kelly,  in  1880. 

WRIGHT,  WILLIAM  P. 

Born  in  New  York  City  in  1839,  the  son  of  Captain  J.  S.  Wright, 
the  celebrated  navigator  and  master  of  steamships.  He  came  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  in  1855,  and  has  traveled  very  extensively,  visiting 
nearly  every  portion  of  Oregon,  Washington  and  California.  Re 
sides  now  at  Dallas,  Polk  County.  Is  the  United  States  deputy 
surveyor  for  that  region.  He  married  Maria  L.,  daughter  of  Dr. 
G.  K.  Willard,in  Olympia,  WT.  T.,  and  their  children's  names  are— 
Willard  G.,  Pansy  R.,  John  F.,  and  Dora  B. 

1856. 

BUCKINGHAM,  A.  L. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1834;  came  to  Oregon  by  steamer  when 
twenty-two;  located  at  Salem  and  opened  a  store.  Was  clerk  of 
the  State  Senate  for  a  time;  and  also  president  of  the  State  Agri 
cultural  Association.  Resides  now  at  Salem;  married  in  1876  to 
E.  G.  Frost,  by  whom  he  has  two  children — George  F.,  and  L.  F. 

CHARMAN,  FREDERICK. 

Born  in  Surrey  County,  England,  in  1835;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1856;  was  a  merchant  by  occupation.  Died  at  Oregon  City, 


836  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

December  23,  1868.     His  wife's  previous  name  was  Mary  Diller. 
Children — Thomas  Leonard,  and  Elmer  E. 

CONNERS,  ROBERT  S. 

Born  at  Salt  Creek,  Polk  County,  June  4,  1856,  and  now  resides 
at  Sinithfield,  in  the  same  county.  His  occupation  is  farming,  and 
he  ranks  with  the  most  zealous  and  intelligent  of  the  agricultur 
ists  of  Polk  County.  He  married  J.  J.  Davis  on  the  sixteenth  of 
December,  1877.  Their  children  are — Roswell  E.,  Millie  M.,  and 
Nellie. 

GILMORE,   JOHN  W., 

Is  a  blacksmith  and  farmer,  and  lives  in  Lebanon,  Linn  County. 
Born  in  Kentucky,  September  13,  1813;  came  to  Oregon  and  im 
mediately  volunteered  in  the  Indian  war  in  Southern  Oregon  in 
1855-56.  Was  employed  as  wagon  master  from  Albany.  Mar 
ried  Jane  A.  Bronaugh,  and  their  children  are — William,  Lucy, 
Nancy,  John  T.,  James,  and  Robert. 

HALL,  C.  H.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1835;  left  that  State  when  a  boy  and  went 
to  Indiana.  In  1854  he  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  after  two 
years'  residence  in  California  came  to  Lebanon,  Oregon,  where  he 
served  as  teacher  in  the  academy;  then  removed  to  Salem  and  was 
instructor  in  the  University  four  years.  Studied  medicine  and  re 
ceived  a  diploma  from  the  Willamette  University,  and  has  been 
practicing  medicine  eighteen  years.  For  a  time  he  had  charge  of 
the  Portland  Seminary.  Since  1873  he  has  been  associated  in  his 
practice  with  Dr.  Reynolds.  Married  Miss  Mary  Waller  in  1858, 
and  has  two  children — Nellie  and  Esther.  During  the  Rebellion, 
Dr.  Hall  was  commissioned  captain  on  General  Griffin's  staff. 

MILLER,  JASPER  R. 

Born  February  25,  1856,  in  Polk  County;  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  a  common  school  education.  Has  lived  in  Dallas  since 
1872,  where  he  attended  school  for  some  time,  then  taught  school. 
In  1879  commenced  the  drug  business  in  Dallas,  and  in  connection 
with  his  drug  store,  conducts  a  jewelry  store  with  J.  Vaughn.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Laura  Hall  in  1883,  and  has  one  child  named  Jesse  L. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  837 

MYERS,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Ohio,  February  16,  1838;  in  1856  arrived  in  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Linn  County,  near  Scio;  now  resides  in  Scio,  and 
is  a  mechanic  and  manufacturer  of  lumber.  He  married  Mary 
Priscilla  McDonald  in  June,  1861,  and  their  children's  names  are 
—Jeff  Davis,  Nathaniel  Clay,  Ida  Jane,  Laura  Bell,  Eva  Adella, 
Mary,  Etta  Maud,  Blanche  Myrtle,  Dora  Elizabeth,  Flora  Edith, 
and  David  Edward. 

POWELL,  J.  M.,  A.M. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  January  22,  1856,  and  is  a  son 
of  A.  S.  Powell  of  that  county.  He  was  educated  in  the  Christian 
College,  and  in  1879  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  After 
graduating  he  taught  for  awhile  in  the  public  schools,  but  in  1882 
he  became  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Normal  School,  a  posi 
tion  he  still  holds.'  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  also  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

PUTNAM,  R.  B. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  April  21,  1856;  the  son  of  D.  B. 
Putnam.  Immediately  following  his  birth  his  father  removed  to 
Yamhill  County  and  settled  near  Amity,  where  he  and  his  son  have 
since  lived.  The  later  is  a  harness  maker.  He  .married  Miss  Anna 
L.  McKune  in  1883. 

RICHARDSON,  A.  J. 

Born  in  Hancock  County,  Maine;  his  first  residence  after  his 
arrival  in  Oregon  was  at  Portland;  his  present  residence  is  at  Buena 
Vista,  and  occupation,  storage  and  forwarding  merchant.  He  mar 
ried  H.  J.  Linville  in  Oregon  in  1862,  and  their  children's  names 
are — Lillie  R.,  Albra  J.,  May,  and  Winnifred. 

RICHARDSON,  ELIJAH  HARRISON. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  February  14,  1856;  was  reared 
in  this  State,  and  now  resides  at  Scio,  in  Linn  County.  He  is  a 
school  teacher  by  occupation,  and  unmarried. 

SUITER,  LEVI  T. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1838,  and  moved  thence  to  Missouri  in 
1844.  In  1856  emigrated  to  California  and  engaged  in  mining.  Af- 


838  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

terwards  was  at  Canyon  City,  in  Eastern  Oregon,  following  the  same 
pursuit.  Later,  he  became  a  constructor  of  flouring  and  saw  mills, 
and  achieved  success  as  such.  He  has  built  some  half  a  dozen  mills 
in  Yainhill  County,  and  many  in  other  localities.  He  built  the 
flouring  mill  at  Lafayette,  wherein  he  is  partner  with  R.  Daniel. 

UNDERWOOD,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  England  in  1830,  and  came  to  America  when  three 
years  old.  On  coining  to  Oregon  he  made  his  home  in  Salem, 
which  is  still  his  abode.  By  occupation  is  a  carpenter,  and  belongs 
to  the  flrm  of  Kelly  <fe  Underwood.  Married  in  1865  Miss  C.  8. 
Evans,  by  whom  he  had  four  children — Elenor  E.,  William  E., 
Margaret  Ann,  and  George  G. 

1857. 

BAGLEY,  O. 

Is  a  distinguished  farmer  and  stock -grower  of  Luckiamute  Val 
ley,  Polk  County.  He  was  born  in  Erie  County,  New  York  in 
1830;  was  taken  to  Michigan  in  1835;  moved  to  Indiana  in  1848, 
to  Illinois  in  1849,  and  to  California  in  1853;  four  years  later  came 
to  Oregon  and  settled  in  King's  Valley.  He  married  Margaret 
Chambers  in  1859  add  she  died  in  1881.  Their  children's  names 
are — O.  J.,  Jasper,  Andrew  J.,  Emily,  and  Mary. 

BRIEDWELL,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Yanihill  County,  Oregon,  June  26,  1857.  His  father  is 
John  W.  Briedwell,  of  Amity.  He  is  county  clerk  of  Yanihill 
County,  and  resides  at  Lafayette.  Married  Miss  Ollie  L.  Maddox, 
in  Yamhill.  They  have  one  child,  Bessie. 

BROWN,  E.   M.,  M.D. 

Doctor  Brown,  now  practicing  in  Forest  Grove,  Washington 
County,  was  born  in  that  town,  the  son  of  A.  C.  and  Sarah  A. 
Brown,  immigrants  of  1847.  He  was  educated  at  the  Willamette 
University,  and  afterward  heard  courses  of  medical  lectures  at  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  California,  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  and  duly  graduated.  Returning  to  Oregon  he  set  up  in  prac 
tice.  Married  Miss  Mary  E.  Williamson,  and  they  have  one  child. 

CHERRY,  J.  G. 

Born  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1857;  is  a  son  of  A.  F.  Cherry 
who  came  to  Oregon  in  1852  and  started  a  foundry  in  Albany  in 


HISTORY   OF  IMMIGRATION.  839 

• 

1865,  which  he  conducted  until  his  death  in  1882.  Our  subject 
worked  with  his  father  and  was  junior  partner  at  his  death,  when 
he  took  sole  charge  and  now  carries  on  the  business.  Married  Miss 
Nancy  A.  Price  in  1879  and  has  two  children — Althea  and  Al- 
pheus. 

D'ARCY,  P.  H. 

Lives  in  Salem;  he  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  in  1853; 
his  parents  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1854,  bringing  him  with 
them.  They  came  to  Oregon  three  years  later  and  settled  in  Salem, 
where  our  subject  received  his  education  at  the  Willamette  Univer 
sity.  Commenced  the  study  of  law  in  1873  with  Messrs.  Boise  <fe 
Willis,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1876;  has  practiced  in  Sa- 
leni  since.  He  was  first  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  established  in 
1878,  and  held  that  office  until  1880.  Now  a  member  of  the  Dem 
ocratic  State  Central  Committee  from  Marion  County  and  secretary 
of  the  committee.  In  1883,  was  elected  recorder  of  Salem.  Mr. 
D'Arcy  had  learned  the  printer's  trade  and  worked  at  it  for  eight 
years. 

MILLER,  A.  H. 

Born  in  Mercer  County,  Illinois,  November  2,  1840;  came  over 
land  to  Oregon  and  now  lives  in  Linn  County,  seven  miles  north  of 
Albany ;  farmer  by  occupation.  Married  Mary  J.  Crooks,  and  their 
children  are — Edith  V.,  and  Pearl. 

MILLER,  FRANCIS  M. 

Is  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  living  at  Miller's,  Linn  County; 
born  in  Mercer  County,  Illinois,  November  20,  1843;  married 
Nancy  E.  Bowman  and  their  children  are — Aurora  J.,  and  Albert 
A.  Mr.  Miller  owns  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  on  the 
railroad  north  of  Albany. 

PATTERSON,  FRANK  A. 

Born  in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  on  the  first  of  October,  1835. 
In  1852  he  emigrated  to  California,  and  spent  four  years  in  mining. 
Coming  to  Oregon  in  1857,  he  located  for  a  time  in  Benton  County, 
but  two  years  latter  setled  in  Washington  County,  and  a  year 
later  still,  removed  to  Polk,  where  he  has  since  remained.  His  oc 
cupation  is  farming  and  stock -grow  ing,  and  he  possesses  town 


840  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

property  in  Independence.  Mr.  Patterson  was  married  in  1859  to 
Miss  Caroline  Tatom,  and  their  family  consists  of  the  following 
children — Isaac  L.,  Henry  B.,  George  S.,  Frank  S.,  William,  P.  C., 
D.,  Allen,  and  Maud.  Mr.  Patterson  is  prominent  in  politics,  is  a 
Republican,  and  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature  in  1880 
and  1882. 

PECK,  G.  W. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1822;  lived  in  that  state  nine  years,  and  in 
Kentucky  three  years;  learned  the  carpenter's  trade;  emigrated  to 
California  in  185fcJ;  lived  in  Mariposa  County  five  years;  dealt  in 
stock;  made  a  trip  to  Mexico;  came  to  Oregon  in  1857  and  settled 
near  Auinsville,  and  farmed  and  dealt  in  stock;  was  married  in 
1865  to  Miss  Louisa  Smith;  present  residence,  Auinsville,  Marion 
County. 

PHILLIPS,  D.  T. 

Born  in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  in  1823;  came  to  Oregon  via 
Panama,  and  arrived  in  1857.  Settled  in  Washington  County,  and 
in  1865  moved  to  his  present  residence  near  Cornelius;  owns  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  and  a  brick  yard.  Married  Miss 
Martha  Tait,  of  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois;  has  ten  children  living 
and  two  dead.  The  living  are — Melissa,  Alonzo,  Vickers,  Sarah, 
Millie,  Emma,  George  W.,  Charles,  Albert,  and  Franklin  W.  The 
deceased — Christian,  and  Mary. 

POTTER,  ].  M. 

Lives  in  Halsey,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  carpenter  by  occupation. 
He  was  born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  December,  1857. 

PRATT,  LUCIEN  C. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1824;  resided  in  that  State  until  1850, 
then  moved  to  Rhode  Island,  and  in  1857,  to  Oregon.  Arrived  in 
Salem  the  same  year.  Has  lived  in  Oregon  City  for  a  portion 
of  the  later  years,  but  is  now  an  inhabitant  of  Salem.  Has  been 
concerned  in  manufacturing,  and  came  to  this  coast  to  take  charge 
of  the  mill  in  Salein.  Later  he  has  been  engaged  in  river  navigation. 
Mr.  Pratt  married  Nancy  B.  Lawrence  in  1844,  and  had  by  her 
Mary  E.,  Ida  M.,  and  William  E. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  841 

PRICE,  NIMROD. 

Lives  near  Albany,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  farmer;  has  lived 
ever  since  his  arrival  in  Oregon  on  the  same  farm  (a  donation 
claim).  Married  America  Froman,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  their 
children  are — William  C.,  Strader,  Thomas  B.,  arid  James  F.  Mr. 
Price  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land. 

RHOADES,  THOMAS  W. 

Born  in  Ohio,  August  31,  1832;  arrived  in  Oregon  August  15, 
1857.  Occupation,  proprietor  of  the  Cliff  House  at  Oregon  City. 
Wife's  previous  name,  Annie  E.  White.  Children — Jerome  E., 
James  L.,  and  William  S.  (deceased).  Mr.  Rhoades  died  in  Feb 
ruary,  1885. 

THOMPSON,  T.  W. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1831.  When  he  came  to  Oregon  he 
settled  in  Portland.  His  present  residence  is  near  Gaston,  and  his 
occupation  farming.  He  married  Avarilla  Stott,  in  1862. 

1858. 

BEAN,  J.  W.,  M.D., 

Of  Dallas,  was  born  in  Lane  County,  December  5,  1858.  He 
was  educated  at  the  State  University,  graduating  "in  1880.  His 
medical  education  was  acquired  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Sharpies,  of 
Eugene  City,  at  the  Willamette  Medical  School,  and  at  the  Jeffer 
son  Medical  College,  in  Philadelphia,  from  whence  he  graduated, 
March  30,  1882.  Practiced  a  short  time  in  Cottage  Grove,  in  Lane 
County,  then  entered  the  government  employ  as  surgeon,  and  took 
charge  of  a  temporary  hospital  at  the  Cascade  Locks,  for  the  treat 
ment  of  the  sick  and  injured  during  the  government  work.  Moved 
to  Dallas  in  1883;  is  permanently  located  and  has  a  large  practice. 

HAWKINS,  w.  E. 

Born  in  Multnomah  County,  Oregon,  in  1858;  is  a  druggist  by 
occupation,  in  partnership  with  W.  E.  McAfee,  at  Salem. 

HODGIN,  w.  L. 

Mr.  Hodgin  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  in  1827,  and 
came  across  the  plains  in  1849  to  California,  where,  for  a  while, 
he  engaged  in  mining.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming  in 


842  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

San  Joaquin  County,  but  failed  by  drouth.  He  then  returned  to 
the  mines  and  remained  two  years.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1858  and 
lived  at  various  times  in  Washington  and  Multnomah  counties  until 
1868,  when  he  came  to  Polk  County  and  settled  in  Independence 
and  engaged  in  general  merchandising  for  some  time.  He  has  held 
the  position  of  postmaster  since  1871,  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  Mr.  Henkle  in  1884  in  trading.  Was  married  in  1874  to  Mrs. 
Jeannette  Stuard. 

IRVINE,  E.  L.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Linn  County,  Oregon,  in  1858.  Received  his  education 
at  the  WiPamette  University,  and  in  1880  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  at  Portland,  and  graduated  in  1883.  Located  at  Albany 
and  has  practiced  there  since.  Married  Miss  Laura  Houk,  July  20, 

1882,  and  they  have  one  child — Elbert  Lloyd. 

MITCHELL,  M. 

Born  in  Oregon  City  in  May,  1858;  in  1879  he  engaged  in  trade 
at  Gervais,  Marion  County,  and  was  appointed  postmaster  of  the 
town.  Resides  in  that  place. 

MYERS,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1834;  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  Panama,  and 
resides  in  Scio,  Linn  County;  occupation,  farmer  and  mechanic. 
He  is  owner  of  a  tract  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  two 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  Scio,  and  town  property,  including  a  plan 
ing  mill.  Also  owns  a  saw  mill  on  Thomas  Creek,  six  and  a  half 
miles  east  of  Scio,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  the  mill  is  located.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  five  thousand 
feet  of  lumber  per  day.  Mr.  Myers  was  elected  county  commis 
sioner  in  Linn  County  in  1884.  Married  Mary  P.  McDonald,  and 
their  children  are — Jefferson,  Nathaniel  C.,  Ida  J.,  Laura  B.,  Eva 
A.,  Mary  M.,  Myrtle  and  Maud  (twins),  Dora  and  Flora  (twins), 
David,  and  Lola  H. 

SCHOLFIELD,  BENJAMIN. 

Born  in  Clark  County,  Illinois,  in  1840.  When  sixteen  years 
of  age  went  to  California  with  his  father,  a  year  later  they  came 
together  to  Oregon  and  settled  near  Hillsboro ;  his  father  died  in 

1883.  Benjamin  Scholfield  has  lived  in  Washington  County  since 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  843 

his  arrival  in  the  State;   now  owns  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
of  land.     Was  married  in  1863  to  Miss  Sarah  V.  Hall;  children- 
Ruth,  Scott,  Rosa,  William  T.,  Rebecca,  Mollie,  Sarah  (deceased), 
and  Harriet.     Residence  and  address,  Cornelius. 

1859. 

CHARMAN,  THOMAS  L. 

Born  in  Oregon  City  November  4,  1859.  Occupation,  drug 
gist;  present  residence,  Oregon  City. 

GEISY,  AUGUST. 

Born  in  Pacific  County,  -  — ,  in  1857;  came  to  Oregon  two 
years  later  with  his  parents  who  settled  in  Aurora,  Marion  County. 
He  grew  to  manhood  in  that  place,  after  which  he  came  to  Salem 
to  complete  his  education.  Since  that  time  he  taught  school,  and 
in  1884  was  elected  treasurer  of  Marion  County.  He  studies  law 
with  the  intention  of  practicing. 

HARTMAN,  B.  F. 

Lives  in  McMinnville  and  is  a  merchant  by  occupation.  Was 
born  in  New  York  in  1837;  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  came 
to  the  Pacific  Coast;  settled  in  Oregon  in  1862;  farmed  in  Wash 
ington  County  for  five  years.  In  1871,  came  to  McMinnville  and 
established  his  present  business.  Formed  a  partnership  with  A.  J. 
Appersou  in  1884.  He  was  married  in  1864  to  Miss  Millie  Arthur. 

ROGERS,  J.  L. 

Lives  in  McMinnville;  is  a  druggist  by  occupation,  and  was 
born  in  Yamhill  County  in  1859.  Was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
educated  at  the  McMinnville  College.  In  1878,  commenced  clerk 
ing  in  a  drug  store  in  McMinnville,  and  later  formed  a  partnership 
with  J.  W.  Todd,  in  a  drug  store,  which  still  continues. 

THOMPSON,  JAMES  I. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1827;  came  overland  to  California  in 
1852.  After  various  experiences,  which  included  mining,  garden 
ing,  clerking,  a  trip  to  Frazer  River  in  1858,  school  teaching,  etc., 
he  found  his  way  to  this  State  in  1859,  and  now  resides  in  Salem, 
where  he  owns  city  property  as  well  as  agricultural  land  in  the 
neighboring  County  of  Polk.  Married  in  1862  Miss  Elizabeth 
Dyer,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Hugh  H. 


844  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

THOMPSON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Scotland  in  July,  1821.  He  came  to  America  in  1842, 
and  lived  in  New  York  five  years;  he  then  went  to  Alabama,  and 
two  years  later  to  California  via  Panama.  He  lived  in  California 
several  years,  and  then  went  to  Puget  Sound,  but  shortly  after 
came  to  Oregon,  settling  finally  in  Yamhill  County,  which  place  is 
still  his  home.  Mr.  Thompson  has  been  deputy  county  clerk  since 
1877.  He  was  married  in  1878  to  Mrs.  Fletcher,  who  is  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  Oregon,  and  daughter  of  Andrew  Smith. 

1860. 

EPPERLY,  GEORGE  A. 

Born  in  Oregon  City  in  1860;  moved  with  his  parents  to  Port 
land  in  1870,  and  in  1878  graduated  from  the  Portland  High 
School.  In  1881  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Dr.  W.  Smith 
in  the  drug  business  at  Sheridan,  which  partnership  still  exists. 

GRAVES,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1825;  went  to  Illinois  in  1846,  and  was  col 
lector  of  Knox  County  in  1853.  On  arriving  in  Oregon,  lived 
nearly  a  year  in  Corvjallis,  and  for  the  following  twenty -three  in 
Salem.  Is  now  a  resident  of  Gervais,  Marion  County.  Occupa 
tion,  furniture  manufacturer  and  undertaking.  Married  in  1847  to 
Barbara  Shcemaker,  and  their  children  are — Thomas  Wesley  (at 
present  in  Astoria),  Melissa,  Ellen,  and  Ida  Bell. 

SCHMEER,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Germany  in  1845;  came  to  Oregon,  and  in  1864  settled 
in  Albany;  started  a  grocery  and  bakery,  which  he  kept  until  1880; 
in  1883  purchased  a  livery  stable  formerly  owned  by  Mrs.  Stinip- 
son,  which  he  has  conducted  since.  Married  Miss  Stenebe  in  1867, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children.  She  died  in  1869,  and  in  1870  he 
married  Miss  Hegele,  by  whom  he  has  one  child. 

1861. 

BUMP,  WILSON. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1837;  came  to  Oregon  in  1861  and  settled 
in  King's  Valley,  his  present  residence.  His  occupation,  agricul 
ture,  and  he  is  spoken  of  as  a  representative  of  the  best  class  of 
farmers.  He  married  Emily  C.  Allen  in  Indiana  in  1870,  and  they 
have  three  children — Mark,  Clarence,  and  Daniel. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  845 

CARR,  SUMNER. 

Born  in  Maine  in  1839.  In  1859,  left  for  California,  coming  by 
way  of  Panama;  lived  in  California  two  years;  then  entered  the 
California  Volunteers  and  was  sent  to  Grand  Ronde,  Polk  County, 
Oregon,  where  he  wTas  stationed  three  years.  Was  discharged  in 
the  fall  of  1864  and  returned  to  Polk  County.  Moved  to  Yamhill 
County,  in  1866,  and  was  elected  assessor  of  that  county  in  1870. 
Married  Miss  Lizzie  F.  Wiley  in  1865,  and  has  five  children — Le- 
lah,  Carrie,  Roscoe,  Bessie,  and  Oarlton  C.  He  is  a  carpenter  by 
occupation  and  now  lives  at  Carl  ton  where  he  owns  property.  Mr. 
Carr,  with  his  wife,  taught  the  Indian  School  one  year  on  the  agency 
at  Grand  Ronde. 

COSPER,  ROMENO. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1856;  came  to  Salem  in  1862.  Married  Miss 
Alice  Pennoyer  in  1882. 

GLEASON,  JOHN  E. 

Born  in  Maine  in  1845;  went  to  California  about  1855,  and  to 
Oregon  about  six  years  later.  Married  in  1869,  Miss  Nancy  H. 
Naylor,  of  Washington  County,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children. 
Mr.  Gleasou's  occupation  is  farming,  and  his  residence  is  in  Forest 
Grove. 

HORNER,  JOHN  B. 

Resides  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  teacher  by  occu 
pation.  Was  born  in  La  Grange  County,  Texas,  August  4,  1856, 
and  married  Miss  Isabella  Skipton,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  April 
9,  1859. 

JARNIGAN,  ALLEN  J. 

Born  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  May  4,  1835;  emigrated  to 
Missouri  in  1844,  and  from  thence  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1850. 
For  seven  years  he  mined  in  California  and  for  two  terms  was 
assessor  of  Mendocino  County  of  that  State.  In  1858  went  to 
Frazer  River;  in  1861  he  fought  Indians  in  Eastern  Oregon;  in 
1863  came  to  Albany  and  while  there  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza 
beth  Fish.  In  1865  moved  to  Southern  Oregon,  where  he  lived  for 
fifteen  years.  His  wife  died  in  1873,  and  he  was  married  to  Sarah 
M.  Terris.  Came  to  the  Willamette  Valley  from  Southern  Oregon 


846  HISTOEY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  held  for  some  time  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in  Linn 
County;  now  lives  at  Marion;  is  a  mechanic  by  trade;  is  also  an 
ordained  elder  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church,  and  has  preached 
eighteen  years. 

LEE,  THOMAS  J.,  M.D., 

Born  in  Missouri,  November  24,  1851.  When  a  child  he  was 
taken  with  his  parents  to  Kansas,  and  in  1860  they  proceeded  to 
California,  and  the  next  year  came  to  Polk  County,  Oregon.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under  his 
father,  Dr.  W.  C.  Lee,  an  old  English  physician,  who  graduated  in 
London  and  practiced  in  Polk  County,  and  died  in  February,  1882. 
The  subject  of  this'  sketch  also  studied  under  Dr.  Sharpe,  of 
Eugene  City,  and  attended  lectures  at  the  Toland  Medical  College 
in  San  Francisco,  and  from  there  went  to  the  Medical  College  of 
Missouri,  where  he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  in  a  class  of 
two  hundred  and  four.  Dr.  Lee  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  J. 
C.  Davidson  of  Independence,  which  still  exists.  Married  Miss 
Emma  Swearingen,  of  Lane  County,  December  24,  1876,  and  has 
two  children,  namely f  Loleta  W.,  and  Myrtle.  Dr.  Lee  was  twice 
elected  coroner  of  Polk  County. 

SCOTT,  LYMAN  S. 

Captain  Scott  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1830.  His  youth  was 
spent  in  (Canada,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  and  in  1850  he  crossed  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  California.  For  over  ten  years  he  was  a  miner 
in  Amador  County.  In  1861  he  raised  a  company  of  infantry  at 
tached  to  the  Fourth  California  regiment,  and  became  captain  of  it. 
These  troops  did  duty  in  Western  Oregon  for  the  succeeding  four 
years,  and  Captain  Scott  commanded  in  turn  Forts  Yamhill  and 
Hoskins,  and  the  block  house  at  the  Siletz  reservation.  For  a  por 
tion  of  1865  the  company  was  on  'duty  in  Eastern  Oregon,  at  Camp 
Curry,  but  in  December  of  that  year  it  was  ordered  to  San  Fran 
cisco  and  mustered  out  of  service.  Captain  Scott  then  returned  to 
civil  life,  and  settling  in  Portland,  began  merchandising,  but  re 
moved  to  Salem  in  1866  where  he  has  since  remained.  He  has  held 
several  public  offices,  namely — Mayor  of  Salem  (1868-69),  sheriff 
of  Marion  County  (1872-74),  chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee  (1874-78),  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  847 

tives  (1878),  postmaster  of  Salem  (1879),  adjutant- general  of  Oregon 

(1883 ).     Captain  Scott  married  in   1858  Miss  Eliza  J.  Erwin, 

of  Volcano,  Amador  County,  California,  and  they  have  five  chil 
dren — Grant,  Pearl,  Lloyd  L.,  P.  A.,  and  Hubert,  Captain  Scott 
is  now  engaged  in  the  livery  and  hack  .business. 

SLOAN,  MRS.  SARAH  A. 

The  Forest  Grove  Hotel,  a  somewhat  noted  public  hou>c,  \va< 
begun  by  Mrs.  Sloan  and  husband  in  1862,  the  first  hotel  in  that 
town  if  one  excepts  the  small  inn  kept  by  Mr.  Blank.  The  Sloans 
were  from  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  and  came  from  the  East 
the  year  before  the  house  was  opened,  and  have  sustained  it  ever 
since.  Their  children  numbered  three,  but  one,  Eugene,  a  prom 
ising  young  man,  died  in  1873.  James  and  George  survive.  "The 
residents  of  Forest  Grove  in  the  year  1861,"  says  Mrs.  Sloan,  u  were 
Messrs.  Walker,  Eells,  McMillan,  Clarke  (Rev.  Harvey),  Marsh 
(president  of  the  college^,  Stephen  Blank,  A.  Hinman,  and  Robert 
Porter,  with  their  families." 

STRONG,  J.  E. 

Mr.  Strong,  an  old  resident  of  Salem,  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1814.  He  was  educated  in  New  England,  and  spent  some  years  in 
early  life  under  the  instruction  of  eminent  educators,  by  whom  he 
was  taught  the  principles  of  the  then  new  and  unexplored  domain 
of  electricity.  He  aided  in  the  construction  of  the  second  telegraph 
line  built  in  the  United  States,  namely — that  from  Boston  to  New 
York,  and  became  general  superintendent  of  the  same.  Coming  to 
California  in  1852,  he  built,  the  next  year,  the  first  telegraph  line 
in  that  State,  it  being  the  short  experimental  line  from  Grass  Val 
ley  to  Nevada  City.  After  several  years  actively  spent  in  similar 
engineering  works,  Mr.  Strong  left  California,  and  in  1861  settled 
in  Salem,  Oregon,  and  has  since  remained  there.  He  married,  in 
1836,  Miss  Margaret  L.  Fitzgerald. 

1862. 

BARGER,  S.  P. 

Born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  in  1837;  is  a  resident  of 
Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  a  butcher  by  occupation.  In  1858 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Dodson. 


848  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

BILYEU,  W.  R. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1848;  came  with  his  parents  across  the 
plains  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Washington  County.  Was  educated 
in  the  Pacific  University,  and  graduated  in  1873;  then  commenced 
the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1876.  Located  in 
Albany  subsequently,  and  has  practiced  there  since;  is  now  in 
partnership  with  Judge  Powell.  Was  elected  State  Senator  in 
1878,  and  re-elected  in  1882.  Married  Miss  Mary  E.  Goldson  in 
1888.  They  have  one  child — Charles  Theodore. 

DEMPSEY,  I.  I. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  in  August,  1820;  is  a  son  of 
Judge  Denipsey,  of  Ohio;  from  that  State  Mr.  Dempsey  went  to 
Illinois,  and  there  lived  until  1862;  in  1856  he  was  a  candidate  for 
the  State  Legislature  from  Knox  County,  Illinois.  Mr.  Denipsey 
has  lived  in  Polk  County  since  his  arrival  in  this  State.  Dixie,  his 
present  place  of  residence,  was  so  named  because  of  Mr.  Dempsey's 
strong  Democratic  principles,  and  his  mill,  built  in  1865,  was  the 
commencement  of  the  town;  it  now  has  one  store,  blacksmith  shop, 
mill,  large  warehouse,  church,  and  school  house.  In  1866  Mr.  Demp 
sey  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  from  Polk  County,  and  was 
a  candidate  in  1874;  in  1884  was  elected  county  judge.  In  1840  he 
married  Miss  Nancy  W.  Ferguson,  and  they  have  four  children- 
Julia  A.,  James  A.,  C.  E.,  and  Mary  J. 

GASTON,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Loydsville,  Ohio,  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  in  1862  and 
settled  at  Jacksonville.  Married  Narcissa  M.  Jones  in  1858,  and 
they  have  a  daughter,  Mary  W.  Gaston.  Their  residence  is  at  Gas- 
ton,  near  Forest  Grove,  Washington  County.  Mr.  G/s  occupation 
is  stock-raising  and  farming.  For  Mr.  Gaston's  connection  with 
the  introduction  of  railways  into  Oregon,  see  preceding  chapters. 

HALE,  G.  N. 

Born  in  Iowa,  April  15,  1848.  Came  to  Oregon,  settled  in 
Washington  County,  and  has  lived  there  since.  Was  deputy  sheriff 
in  1878-80;  elected  sheriff  in  1880,  and  re-elected  in  1882.  Now 
owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  cultivates  it.  In 
1875,  married  Miss  Emma  N.  Vite;  they  have  two  children — John 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  849 

V.,  and  William  G.      Mr.  Kale's  residence  and  postoffice  address 
are  Hillsboro. 

HIATT,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1851  and  removed  to  Nebraska  seven  years 
later.  Was  in  Colorado  in  1861,  but  returned  to  Iowa  the  same 
year.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  at  Salem  and  engaged  in  the 
hack  and  dray  business.  In  1873  he  married  Miss  Huldah  A.  Whit 
man.  They  have  three  children — Bertha,  Nora  and  Jessie.  Resi 
dence,  Salem. 

MARTIN,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1836  and  was  bred  a  farmer.  Resides 
now  in  Salem  and  was  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Martin 
&  Allen,  grocers,  composed  of  himself  and  David  Allen.  The  firm 
name  at  present  is  J.  M.  Martin  &  Co.,  and  does  a  very  extensive 
business.  Mr.  Martin  married  M.  Tillotson  and  has  by  her  a 
daughter,  Maud  Martin. 

McGREW,  J.  W. 

Born  in  Indiana;  came  across  the  plains  to  the  Salmon  River 
mines  in  1862  and  moved  to  Portland  in  the  same  year.  In  1863 
went  East  and  returned  to  Oregon  in  1866;  has  been  in  business  in 
Dallas  and  Lincoln.  In  1871  moved  to  Perrydale  and  entered  the 
mercantile  business.  The  town  of  Perrydale  was  laid  out  by  him 
in  1878.  He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss*  Phujbe  Walling  and 
has  five  children — Emmett,  Mabel,  Curtis,  Jessie,  and  Florence. 
Mr.  McGrew's  residence  and  postoffice  address  are  Perrydale. 

O'CONNOR,  FRANK. 

Born  in  Wisconsin  in  1855;  when  seventeen  years  of  age  came 
to  Oregon,  and  locating  in  Washington  County,  learned  the  drug 
business.  Going  next  to  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County,  he  engaged 
in  a  drug  store  as  clerk,  but  soon  became  proprietor,  and  as  such, 
still  remains.  He  is  recorder  of  Lafayette  and  has  held  several 
similar  offices.  Was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  A.  L.  Watts  and  they 
have  one  son,  Willie  by  name. 

QUICK,  D.  O. 

Born  in  Indiana,  August  27,  1829;  has  lived  in  Washington 
County  since  his  arrival  in  this  State.  Is  owner  of  a  steam  su\v- 


850  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

mill,  and  is  also  proprietor  of  a  hotel  at  Hillsboro.  Studied  law  in 
Illinois  under  the  Hon.  James  Davis  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  that  State  in  1859,  and  to  the  bar  of  Oregon  in  1864.  Became 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1864,  and  served  in  the  called  ses 
sion  that  adopted  the  thirteenth  amendment.  Married  Miss  Sarah 
Updyke,  and  by  her  has  one  child  named  Emerson  E.  His  wife 
died  in  1857.  In  1858  he  married  Amelia  E.  Young,  and  by  her 
has  seven  children — Elmer,  Emerson  O.,  William  D.,  Anna  May, 
Warren,  Frederick,  and  Ada  Gertrude. 

STITES,  T.  j. 

Born  in  Putnam  County,  Indiana,  in  1839.  Came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  1868  in  Harrisburg,  Linn  County;  studied  law  in 
Albany  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  July,  1880.  Entered  the 
newspaper  business  in  1882,  and  is  now  editor  of  the  Albany  Dem 
ocrat,  which  was  founded  by  Delazon  Smith.  In  1868  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Linn  County,  and  in  1870  was 
elected  school  superintendent  and  served  four  years;  was  principal 
of  the  Albany  public  schools  from  1872  to  1876;  was  then  elected 
county  clerk  and  served  one  term.  In  1878  was  nominated  for 
state  senator,  but  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority.  Mr.  Stites  was 
employed  by  Governor  Thayer  as  his  private  secretary.  He  was 
married  March  31,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Martin,  and  they  have 
two  children — Etta  ^Belle,  and  William  M.  (One,  Herschel  A., 
deceased.) 

TURPIN,  D.  L. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1846;  emigrated  to  Minnesota,  and  was 
in  the  Government  service  for  a  while.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1862; 
principal  occupation,  hotel-keeping;  residence,  Washington  County; 
at  present  is  miller  for  the  Smith  Brothers  at  Hillsboro.  Mr.  Tur- 
piri  was  married  in  1856,  to  Martha  Willey.  Their  children  are- 
Ellen  K.,  and  W.  N. 

1863. 

COOPER,  E.  W. 

Born  in  Lawrence  County,  Missouri,  April  11,  1852.  He  came 
across  the  plains  to  Polk  County,  Oregon,  eleven  years  later,  and 
has  since  remained  there.  His  occupation  since  his  arrival  has 
mainly  been  the  livery  business,  in  which  he  remained  until  1882, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  851 

since  which  he  has  been  partner  with  J.  S.  Smith  in  the  hardware 
and  agricultural  implements  trade.  The  firm  name  at  present  is 
Smith,  Cooper,  Wade  &  Co.  Mr.  Cooper  married,  in  February, 
1884,  Miss  Ella  Butler. 

CORKER,  D.  I. 

Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  in  1829.  In  1849  he  went  to  Cal 
ifornia,  landing  at  San  Francisco  in  November  of  that  year.  He 
came  to  Oregon  first  in  1863,  having  spent  the  intervening  years  in 
mining  in  various  portions  of  the  Golden  State.  Subsequently  he- 
has  mined  somewhat  in  Idaho,  has  visited  various  points  of  interest, 
and  has  pursued  merchandising  with  good  success.  He  is  now 
in  the  hardware  trade  at  Lafayette. 

HENDREX,  J.  F.,  M.  D. 

Born  near  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  May  27,  1826;  studied  medi 
cine  in  New  Orleans  in  1851-52.  Came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in 
1853;  lived  in  California  and  British  Columbia  prior  to  his  coming 
to  Oregon.  After  his  arrival  in  this  State  he  lived  three  years  in 
Canyon  City  engaged  in  mining  and  practicing  his  profession ;  next, 
went  to  Lebanon,  Linn  County,  and  continued  in  practice.  In  1868 
moved  to  Harrisburg,  Linn  County,  where  he  still  resides,  and 
in  connection  with  his  profession,  is  proprietor  of  the  Harrisburg 
Hotel.  The  Doctor  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Willamette 
L^niversity  and  graduated  in  1856.  Was  married  to  Mrs.  M.  M. 
Brown  in  1867. 

HOWE,  j.  M. 

Resides  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  is  a  harness  and  sad 
dle-maker;  was  born  in  Calloway  County,  Missouri,  :n  July,  1854. 
Married  Sophronia  Coshow  in  1877,  and  their  children  are — Owen 
P.,  Fay  D.,  Lolo,  and  an  infant. 

JESSUP,  S.  R.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1839;  moved  to  Iowa  when  eleven  years  of 
age  and  worked  on  a  farm,  attended  school  and  became  a  teacher. 
After  coming  to  Oregon  he  taught  school  at  Amity,  in  1863  and 
1864;  then  studied  medicine  at  Fort  Yamh ill,  and  at  the  Toland 
Medical  College  in  San  Francisco;  graduated  in  1868,  in  Salem,  and 
moved  to  Dallas.  On  August  26,  1868,  he  was  married  to  Miss  S, 


852  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Coshow.  Went  East  and,  in  1871,  graduated  at  Belle vue  Hospital 
and  Medical  College  in  New  York  City;  returned  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Salem,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Was  Professor  of 
Anatomy  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Willamette  University 
several  years.  In  1880  he  was  elected  councilman.  His  children 
were — Arthur  (deceased),  Albert  A.,  and  Roy  (deceased). 

KAY,  THOMAS. 

Is  a  resident  of  Brownsville,  Linn  County,  and  superintendent 
of  the  Brownsville  Woolen  Mills.  He  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  near 
Leeds,  England,  in  June,  1838,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1857.  In  that  year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Slingsby,  and 
their  children  are — Fannie,  Thomas,  Lydia,  Sarah,  Henry,  Minnie, 
and  Breta. 

KNIGHT,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  April  17,  1839.  Re 
sides  now  at  Oregon  City,  and  holds  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Clacka- 
mas  County.  Married  Martha  E.  Birchet,  and  their  children  are 
Bertha  E.,  Minnie  J.,  Arthur  R.,  Martha  V.,  and  Mary  V.,  the 
latter  being  twins. 

LANCE,  J.  W. 

Born  in  Ohio,  in  1830;  went  to  California  in  1849;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1863;  occupation  mail  carrier  and  teamster;  present  res 
idence,  Salem.  His  wife's  previous  name  was  Sarah  Basey.  Chil 
dren — Mary  H.,  Lismond  P.  (deceased),  Ora,  Ruby,  Frankie 
(deceased),  and  Joe. 

LEININGER,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania;  came  to  Oregon  in  1863,  and  settled  in 
Salem,  where  he  still  resides.  His  occupation  consists  in  collecting 
and  selling  the  seeds  of  the  large-leaved  maple,  acer  circinatum,  a 
deciduous  tree  of  the  most  beautiful  description,  and  perfectly 
adapted  for  shade  and  ornament.  (See  page  525.)  These  seeds 
readily  command,  from  eastern  nurserymen  and  planters,  a  high 
price,  and  are  found  to  grow  very  well  in  those  colder  regions. 

PILSBURY,  JOHN  G. 

Born  in  Biddeford,  Maine,  August  19,  1839;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1863.  Occupation,  receiver  in  the  United  States  land  office  at 


HTSTOEY  OF  IMMIORATTOTST.  853 

Oregon   City,  his   place   of  residence.     Wife's  previous  name,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Post.     Children — Ethel  V.,  and  Hazel. 

ROORK,  J.  H. 

Born  in  East  Tennessee  in  1826;  moved  to  Missouri  in  1848,  and 
to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1852.  Mined  in  California  two  years;  then 
went  to  school  two  years,  and  in  1861  commenced  ministerial  work 
in  that  State.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  Oregon  and  went  into 
the  milling  business,  having  a  sawmill  and  gristmi1!  in  South  Sa 
lem,  and  for  some  time  was  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church.  For 
two  years  he  was  agent  of  the  Klamath  Indians,  and  agent  of  the 
Willamette  University  for  the  same  period.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  Salern.  He  was  married  in  Tennessee  in  1847  to 
Miss  Letitia  Witten,  who  died  in  1849,  and  in  1858  he  married 
Evaline  Herrick. 

STAIGER,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1844;  lived  for  some  years  in  Missouri, 
working  in  sawmills  and  the  like.  Crossed  the  plains  by  ox-team, 
settling  in  Marion  County.  Was  engaged  in  cabinet- making  for 
three  years,  but  about  1871  purchased  a  marble-cutting  establish 
ment  in  Salem  and  runs  it  successfully.  It  is  the  second  largest  in 
the  State.  J.  F.  Staiger,  brother  of  the  foregoing,  is  associated  in 
the  enterprise.  The  latter  was  county  treasurer  of  Marion  in 
1882-83.  Both  reside  in  Salem. 

TOZIER,  C.  T. 

Born  in  Indiana,  November  7,  1832;  came  to  Oregon  in  1863; 
in  1872  was  elected  sheriff  of  Washington  County  and  re-elected  in 
1874;  in  1876  was  chosen  to  the  Legislature;  in  1878  became  county 
assessor,  and  in  1882,  county  judge.  He  is  a  Good  Templar,  and 
is  grand  worthy  chief  of  that  order  in  the  State  of  Oregon.  By 
trade  he  is  a  carpenter,  arid  resides  at  Hillsboro.  He  has  been 
married  twice— first,  to  Miss  Caroline  Mince,  in  1856,  and  by  her 
had  one  child,  named  Edgar.  She  died  in  1857.  In  1859  he  mar 
ried  Miss  J.  P.  Mayfield,  and  by  her  has  had  five  children — Albert 
E.,  Eosella  C.,  Edith  M.,  Leroy  M.,  and  Nellie  V. 

WALTERS,  HARRY. 

Born  in  England  in  1844;  was  a  seaman  in  early  life,  but  find 
ing  his  way  to  Portland,  entered  the  employ  of  the  O.  R  <fe  N.  Co, 


854  HISTORY    OF   W1LLAMKTTK   VALLEY. 

for  some  time,  and  eventually  settled  at  Albany,  bis  present  home, 
in  1878.  AVas  married,  in  1879,  to  Miss  Lou  Merrick.  Their  chil 
dren  are — Ella  and  Netta  (twins).  Mr.  Walters  is  now  in  trade. 

WHEELER,   ALMON. 

Born  in  Orleans,  New  York,  in  1824;  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  1863,  and  settled  in  Linn  County;  is  a  merchant  of  Shedd,  Linn 
County,  and  deals  largely  in  grain  and  lumber.  Was  married,  De 
cember  8,  1864,  to  Mary  Cusick.  Children — Homer,  Thomas,  and 
Alfred. 

1864. 

ANDREWS,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Castile,  Connecticut,  in  1840.  On  his  arrival  in  Ore 
gon  he  settled  in  Linn  County  and  still  resides  there.  Has  held 
various  county  offices  during  that  time;  was  postmaster  at  Lebanon 
for  three  years;  in  1884  was  elected  county  clerk.  He  married 
Miss  Adda  H.  Hamilton  in  August,  1877,  and  their  children's  names 
are — Ora  May,  Jessie  P.,  Olgie,  and  Thaddeus  W. 

BURROWS,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  England  in  1840  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854; 
emigrated  in  1864  to  Oregon.  Found  employment  for  several  years 
in  various  woolen  mills,  and  finally  retiring  to  Salem,  became  part 
ner  in  the  firm  of  Boothby  &  Burrows.  Mr.  Burrows  resides 
now  in  Salem. 

CLARK,  T.  W. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1842;  came  overland  to  California  in  1860, 
and  spent  four  years  in  mining.  Went  to  Yainhill  County,  Ore 
gon,  in  1864  and  farmed  for  over  a  year.  Returned  to  California 
and  spent  some  months  in  the  employ  of  the  Central  Pacific  Rail 
way  Company,  but  eventually  returned  to  Oregon,  and  in  the  course 
of  his  wanderings  made  a  visit  to  Washington  Territory  and  another 
to  California.  Settled  eventually  at  Woodburn,  Marion  County, 
his  present  residence,  and  engaged  in  merchandising.  Married  Mrs. 
M.  E.  Brant  in  1878,  and  they  have  one  child — Bertha  E. 

COOPER,  J.  S. 

Born  in  Lawrence  County,  Missouri,  in  1841;  came  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1860,  and  Oregon  four  years  later;  settled  in  Spring 
Valley.  Now  resides  at  Independence,  where  he  organized  a 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  S .").*> 

bank  in  1884,  kiiovvu  as  the  J.  S.  Cooper  Bank.  In  Polk  County, 
in  1869,  he  was  married  to  Miss  F.  O.  Graves,  who  died  at  Inde 
pendence  in  1879.  In  1883  he  was  married  a  second  time,  to  Miss 
Jennie  McNiel.  Their  children  are— Stella  M.,  Dora  E.,  Ella  P., 
Clarence  F.,  and  Mabel. 

CROASMAN,  A.  B. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1846;  came  to  Oregon  at  the  age  of 
eighteen ;  settled  at  Salem,  his  present  address.  Was  postmaster  of 
that  city  for  a  time,  resigning  in  1885.  His  present  occupation  is 
dealing  in  clothing,  etc.  Married  Linnie  McCully,  and  they  have 
one  child — Alice  L. 

DAVIS,  N. 

Born  in  Hamilton  County,  Illinois,  in  1848;  came  across  the 
plains  with  his  father  in  1864.  Taught  in  the  public  schools  four 
teen  years.  Resides  now  at  Forest  Grove,  and  is  principal  of  the 
public  schools  of  that  place.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Pacific  Uni 
versity,  class  of  1883.  Married,  in  1871,  Miss  Alzade  Brazee,  by 
whom  he  had  a  son,  named  Howard.  Mrs.  Davis  died  in  1873,  and 
in  1875, 'he  married  Miss  Irene  Clark,  who  is  also  a  graduate  of  the 
Pacific  University.  Mr.  Davis1  father,  Captain  A.  Davis,  died  at 
Vancouver  in  1868.  He  had  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  rebellion,  attaining,  in  the  latter  war, 
the  rank  of  captain. 

EVANS,  J.  G. 

Born  at  Long  Point,  Canada  West,  in  1840.  When  twenty-one 
he  went  to  British  Columbia,  and  mined  there  until  1864;  spent 
then  one  year  in  Oregon,  and  at  Us  expiration  returned  to  Canada 
and  married  Miss  Eliza  Vincent.  Their  family  includes  six  chil 
dren — John  A.,  M.  J.,  Mary  Ann,  J.  G.,  David  W.,  and  Ellen  C. 
In  1867,  Mr.  Evans  settled  in  Salem,  where  he  now  lives,  pursuing 
the  occupation  of  farmer  and  dairyman. 

FLINN,  M.  A.,  M.D. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1841;  went  to  Wisconsin  when  sixteen; 
emigrated  to  California  in  1863,  and  after  a  year  came  to  Oregon. 
Had  studied  medicine  previously  and  graduated  at  the  Willamette 
University  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  1872.  Was  in  government 
employ  as  surgeon  for  three  years,  but  resigned  therefrom  in  1875 


856  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

and  began  practice  in  Vancouver,  subsequently  removing  to  Ger- 
vais,  Marion  County,  where  he  has  resided  since,  engaged  in  practice. 
For  a  time  was  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Cusick.  Was  married  in 
1871  to  Amanda  McCorkle.  Represented  Marion  County  in  the 
Legislature  in  1885. 

GREGG,  J.  T. 

Born  in  Allen  County,  Indiana,  April  20,  1847;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1864.  Resides  at  Salem  and  practices  lawr.  Was  principal  of 
the  East  Salem  public  school  for  eight  years,  and  since  1876  has 
held  the  position  of  superintendent  of  schools  for  the  city  of  Salem, 
and  likewise  held  the  office  of  county  superintendent  for  three 
terms.  Married  in  1874,  Isabella  Fraser,  who  died  in  the  same 
year.  Their  only  child,  Alice,  by  name,  is  also  deceased. 

GROVES,  JOHN  F. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1846;  came  to  Oregon  in  1864,  being  four 
months  and  twenty  days  in  making  the  trip  across  the  plains. 
Since  his  arrival  in  Polk  County  his  principal  occupation  has  been 
farming.  He  was  elected  sheriff  in  1884.  Married  Miss  Ada 
Merical  in  1864,  and  three  children  were  born  to  them — William 
B.,  Louisa  Belle,  and  Clark.  Mrs.  Groves  died  June  17,  1872. 
Mr.  G.  resides  at  Dallas. 

KUTCH,  W.  T. 

Born  in  Monroe  County,  Indiana;  lived  there  until  twenty  years 
of  age ;  then  went  to  Iowa,  and  lived  ten  years  in  that  State.  Came 
to  Oregon  in  1864,  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County.  Now  resides 
at  Carlton  where  he  owns  a  farm;  also  owns  a  stock  ranch 
in  the  mountains.  Married  Miss  Lydia  Ann  Sparks  in  1846, 
by  whom  he  had  nine  children;  she  died  in  1862.  He  was 
married  again,  to  Annie  M.  McCutchin,  and  by  her  had  ten 
children. 

MASON,  DAVID  C. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1846  and  came  to  Oregon  when  eighteen 
years  old.  Lived  three  years  at  Amity,  teaching  school.  Moved 
to  Linn  County  and  learned  the  druggist's  profession.  Set  up  in 
business  in  Scio  and  staid  three  years.  Removed  to  Albany,  es 
tablished  himself  there,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fo- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  857 

shay  &  Mason,  druggists.  Mr.  Mason  has  held  several  public  offi 
ces,  among  them,  the  treasurership  of  the  county.  He  is  Grand 
Master  of  the  Free  Masons  of  the  State  of  Oregon.  Married  in 
1867  Rebecca  A.  Dodd.  Children's  names  are — Flora  A.,  Vesta  L., 
and  Rockey  E. 

MORGAN,  JAMES  W. 

Born  in  Missouri  November  4,  1858;  came  to  Oregon  and  has 
lived  in  Washington  County  since.  Was  appointed  deputy  county 
clerk  when  nineteen  years  of  age  arid  held  that  office  until  1884, 
when  he  was  elected  county  clerk.  His  residence  and  post  office 
address  are  Hillsboro. 

QUEENER,  J.  P. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1845;  came  to  Oregon  by  ox-team  and  set 
tled  in  Marion  County.  Occupation  various,  including  farming, 
bridge  construction  for  railways,  agency  of  the  Scotch  Milling  Com 
pany  of  Salem,  real  estate  agency,  etc.  Is  justice  of  the  peace. 
Married  in  1882,  Frances  Stayton,  by  whom  he  has  Florence  B., 
Maud,  and  Pearl.  Residence  and  address,  Stayton. 

STRAHAN,  R.  S. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1835;  went  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  in 
1841,  and  there  received  a  common  school  education.  In  1856, 
returned  to  Kentucky  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  under  Judge 
R.  F.  Canterbury;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858.  Practiced  for 
a  while  in  Kentucky;  moved  to  Sullivan  County,  Missouri,  in  1859, 
and  continued  his  practice  there  until  1864;  was  appointed  probate 
judge  of  that  county  in  1859,  and  served  four  years.  Before  the 
expiration  of  the  term  he  resigned  and  came  to  Oregon;  he  settled 
in  Corvallis,  and  in  1868,  was  elected  district  attorney  and  served 
two  years;  he  also  served  one  term  in  the  senate  from  Benton  County, 
in  1870-72.  Moved  to  Albany  in  1876,  where  he  formed  a  part 
nership  with  L.  Bilyeu,  which  existed  several  years.  Married  Miss 
Sarah  H.  Wilson  in  1861,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children, 
namely— Jessie  (deceased),  Fannie,  Claude,  and  Pet.  The  judge 
was  a  regent  of  the  State  University  for  ten  years. 

WEATHERFORD,  J.  K. 

Born  in  Putnam  County,  Missouri,  in  1850;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Brownsville,  Linn  County.  Attended  the  Lebanon 


858  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Academy,  and  the  State  Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis,  and 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  in  1872.  Studied  law  under  N. 
H.  Cranor,  and  Baldwin  &  Humphreys,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1875.  Located  in  Albany,  where  he  still  resides,  and  prac 
tices  law  in  partnership  with  Hon.  D.  R.  N.  Blackburn.  In  1874 
Mr.  Weatherford  was  elected  school  superintendent  of  Linn  County. 
Was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1876,  and  became  Speaker  of  the 
Lower  House.  In  1880  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  for 
presidential  elector,  and  in  1882  for  Secretary  of  State.  In  1884 
was  chosen  to  represent  Linn  County  as  State  Senator.  Was  mar 
ried  to  Miss  Nettie  Cottle  in  1877,  and  has  two  children — Rialto  L., 
and  Alfred  A.  Mr.  Weatherford  is  an  active  member  of  the  Ma 
sonic  and  Odd  Fellow  orders. 

1865. 

ELLIS,  M.  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1845,  but  was  reared  in  the  State  of  Iowa, 
where  he  was  taken  by  his  father  when  quite  young.  In  1865  he 
came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents  and  settled  in  Yamhill  County, 
and  was  educated  at  McMinnville  College,  after  which  he  taught 
school.  In  1868  he  acted  as  clerk  in  a  store  in  Portland,  but  set 
up  a  business  for  himself  in  1870,  in  Polk  County;  moved  to  Dallas 
in  1874,  and  took  a  half  interest  in  an  old  firm  there  with  J.  T. 
Wortley,  which  partnership  existed  two  years.  Mr.  Ellis  was  elected 
county  clerk  in  1878,  and  re-elected  in  1880.  He  returned  to  his 
former  business  in  1883.  Married  Miss  Ellen  DeLaslimutt  in  1871. 
Owns  two  farms  in  Polk  County,  one  in  Marion  and  one  in  Crook, 
and  also  some  city  property. 

FENTON,  F.  W. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1859,  and  came  with  his  father  to  Oregon 
in  1865.  Received  his  education  at  the  Christian  College  at  Mon- 
mouth  and  graduated  in  1880.  Studied  law  under  Killin  &,  More- 
land,  of  Portland,  and  under  his  brother,  W.  D.  Feuton,  of  Lafay 
ette;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883,  and  formed  partnership  with 
his  brother  in  the  same  year.  Married,  in  1884,  Miss  Delia  Butler 
of  Monmouth. 

FENTON,  W.  D. 

Born  in  Missouri  in  1853  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1865  with  his 
parents,  who  lived  a  short  time  in  Marion  County,  and  then  settled 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  859 

in  Yamhi.ll  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  took  a  collegiate 
course  in  Christian  College,  at  Monmouth,  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.B.  in  1872,  and  the  degree  of  A.  M.  has  since  been  conferred. 
He  studied  law  at  Salem,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875, 
practicing  in  Lafayette  in  partnership  with  James  McCain  for  three 
years;  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1876;  in  1882  was  nomina 
ted  for  Congress  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  in  1884,  for  presi 
dential  elector.  In  1883  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  his 
brother,  F.  W.  Fenton.  Owns  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres;  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Workmen's  orders,  and  of 
the  Christian  Church.  Married  Miss  Katie  I.  Lucas  October  16, 
1879.  Their  family  now  consists  of  two  children — Kalph  A.,  and 
Fred  I. 

FISHER,  CHARLES  G. 

Born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  February  10, 
1835;  removed  to  Missouri  in  1840,  to  Iowa  in  1845,  and  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1854;  settled  in  Yamhill  County,  but  is  now  located  in 
Polk  County,  at  Smithfield,  where  he  owns  and  cultivates  a  farm 
and  raises  stock,  in  which  pursuits  he  has  become  distinguished. 
He  married  Sarah  E.  Johnson,  in  Yamhill  County,  and  they  have 
had  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living,  viz.:  Abraham  L., 
Minnie,  Henrietta,  Ella,  Lena,  Charles  F.,  George  C.,  Kalph  B.,  and 
Sarah  A.  The  two  deceased  were  Alsie,  and  Alda. 

HENDERSON,  L.,  M.  D. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Indiana,  June  9,  1840;  resided 
and  taught  school  in  Iowa  in  succeeding  years;  enlisted  in  1864  in 
the  forty -sixth  Iowa  Infantry  and  was  discharged  in  the  following 
November.  Arrived  at  Salem  in  November,  1865  and  engaged  as 
type-setter  in  a  newspaper  office.  Studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Shel- 
ton  in  Salem,  and  began  practicing  at  Sheridan,  Yamhill  County, 
in  1869.  Went  East  and  graduated  in  medicine  at  a  college  in  St. 
Louis,  and  returning,  located  permanently  in  Salem  and  practiced 
medicine.  Has  three  sons — William  W.,  L.  E.,  and  Robert  G. 
Residence,  Salem. 

HUMPHREYS,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1833,  and  was  taken  soon  to  Illinois  and  after 
wards  to  Iowa.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1865  by  ox- team,  fifty-six 


860  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

wagons  along,  he  the  leader  or  captain,  and  arrived  safely  in  this 
valley.  In  1872  he  was  made  deputy  sheriff  of  Linn  County,  and 
held  the  place  ten  years.  In  1882  he  was  elected  sheriff;  one  of 
his  captures  was  that  of  the  boy  murderer,  Charles  B.  Finlayson, 
who  killed  his  grandmother  and  fled  to  various  places  east  of  the 
Cascades,  but  was  eventually  run  down  and  apprehended  by  this 
sheriff.  Mr.  Humphreys  was  married  in  1854  to  Martha  Wills, 
who  has  borne  him  three  children.  C.  H.  Humphreys,  the  oldest, 
is  an  employe  of  the  Oregonian  newspaper  at  Portland;  George 
W.  is  foreman  in  the  Albany  Herald  office;  and  William  A.,  is 
telegraph  operator  and  agent  at  Albany. 

MARTIN,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1817;  resided  in  Indiana  nineteen  years; 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1862,  and  lived  in  California  until 
1865;  then  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  French  Prairie.  He  has 
lived  in  various  parts  of  the  State  since  and  now  lives  at  Hillsboro, 
engaged  at  farming.  He  married  Lucy  Humphreys  in  1837,  who 
died  in  1868.  He  was  married  again  in  1875  to  Sarah  Heater. 
His  children's  names  are — Angeline,  Elizabeth  J.,  and  Nellie.  All 
married. 

MARTIN,  w.  w. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1843;  moved  to  Illinois  soon  after  and 
lived  there  until  eighteen,  learning  the  jeweler's  trade.  Coming  to 
Oregon  he  located  at  Salem  and  purchased  an  interest  in  a  business 
house,  and  became  sole  proprietor  three  years  later.  Removed,  in 
1 874,  to  the  bank  building  in  Salem,  and  has  remained  there  ever 
since,  dealing  in  and  manufacturing  jewelry.  Has  made  several  in 
ventions  connected  with  his  profession,  notably,  a  watch  oiler,  on 
which  he  has  obtained  patents.  Married  in  1869  to  Isabella  Myers. 

McCLAIN,  DANIEL. 

Born  in  Scotland  in  1842;  came  to  Oregon  arid  settled  in  Linn 
County.  Is  now  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  in  Harrisburg.  Was 
married  in  1874,  to  Miss  Cora  Couch.  Their  children's  names  are 
Ernest  L.  (deceased),  Annie  L.,  and  Una  M.  (deceased). 

TILLESON,  EDWARD. 

Born  in  Norway  in  1849;  in  1863,  came  to  America;  then  was 
taken  on  a  vessel  to  France,  but  returned  to  America  and  enlisted 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  861 

in  the  Union  army  in  1864,  and  served  nine  months;  was  in  several 
battles;  started  for  Mexico  to  join  the  army  there,  but  was  taken 
sick;  re-entered  the  Union  army  in  1865,  as  sergeant  of  First  U. 
S.  Cavalry  under  Col.  Baker,  and  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  Left 
the  army  in  1868,  and  has  since  lived  in  Yamhill  County.  In  1876 
moved  to  Sheridan,  where  he  is  engaged  in  wagon -making,  and  is 
captain  of  a  company  of  cavalry. 

TOWNSEND,  WILLIAM  M. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1839;  lived  successively  in  Missouri  and  Kan 
sas;  served  in  the  Thirteenth  Kansas  Infantry  in  the  civil  war. 
Coming  to  Oregon  in  1865,  he  settled  in  Yamhill  County  and  was 

farmer  until  1870.  In  that  year  he  became  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1874  was  chosen  State  Sen 
ator.  In  1878  he  was  elected  county  judge  of  Yamhill  County. 
He  began  the  publication  of  the  Oregon  Register,  at  Lafayette,  in 
1881,  and  still  remains  its  editor  and  proprietor.  He  married  Miss 
Louisa  Stout  in  1860.  They  have  five  children — Mary,  Sophia, 
Anna,  Olive,  and  Willis  S. 

WHITE,  J.  H. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1813;  removed  to  Missouri  in  1823  with  his 
parents;  came  to  Oregon  in  1865.  Was  a  member  of  the  Legisla 
ture  in  1872.  Resides  now  in  Polk  County,  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Salem.  Occupation,  farming.  Was  married  in  Missouri  in 
1838  to  Miss  Margaret  Allison,  who  died  in  1847,  leaving  five  chil 
dren.  Married  in  1848  to  Miss  F.  Edgar,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children. 

WHITNEY,  j.  j. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1840;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1864,  and  to 
Oregon  one  year  later.  Taught  school  for  a  while  after  his  arrival ; 
in  1868  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Albany.  He  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  while  in  the  East,  and  received  admission  to  the 
Oregon  bar  in  1868.  Was  elected  district  attorney  in  1874  and 
1878.  In  1882  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  in  1884  became 
county  judge.  Married  Miss  Lizzie  Mills  in  1880;  they  have  one 
child,  named  Stephen  A. 


862  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

1866. 

CHARLTON,  J.  K. 

Born  in  Virginia  May  30,  1824;  moved  to  Iowa  in  1846,  and 
crossed  the  plains  in  1850  and  spent  the  two  following  years  in 
travel  upon  this  coast.  Returned  then  to  the  East  and  resided  in 
Missouri  until  1866,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Oregon,  set 
tling  in  Linn  County.  Mr.  Charlton  owns  a  farm  at  the  Forks  of 
the  Santiam  on  which  he  has  mainly  resided  since  his  arrival,  but 
moved  to  Albany  in  1884.  Was  elected  county  commissioner  in 
1876,  and  sheriff  in  1884.  Was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  Martha 
Walker,  and  has  five  children — Andrew  (sheriff  of  Lake  County), 
Elizabeth  (wife  of  G.  M.  Paul  of  Linn  County),  Henry  K.,  Charles 
M.,  and  James  J. 

CRAWFORD,  J.  W. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1835;  educated  at  the  Monmouth  College; 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1861;  enlisted  in  the 
same  year^n  the  17th  Illinois  regiment  of  volunteers  and  served 
three  years;  married  in  1864  to  Margaret  R.  Stephenson;  children 
-Emma,  Edwin  S.,  Frank  H.,  and  Mary  A.  Mr.  Crawford  came 
to  Oregon  in  1866;  located  at  Dallas;  was  clerk  at  the  Grand 
Ronde  Indian  agency  for  three  years;  removed  to  Salem  in  1872; 
soon  after  established  himself  in  the  tin  and  stove  business  and  still 
pursues  it.  Was  alderman  of  Salem  in  1873,  and  mayor  in  1881  -82. 

HARRIS,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  in  1825;  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  at  Corvallis,  Benton  County.  Present  residence,  Luckia- 
mute  Valley,  and  occupation,  farming  and  fruit-raising.  He  mar 
ried  Rebecca  Welch  in  Ohio,  December,  1849,  and  their  children's 
names  are — Ananias,  William,  Benjamin,  John  D.,  Ida,  Ollie,  and 
Nellie. 

HENDERSON,  W.  G. 

Born  in  Iowa;  arrived  in  Oregon  in  1866;  married;  settled  in 
McMinnville,  Yamhill  County,  in  1877;  occupation,  livery-stable 
keeper. 

HOPKINS,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Wisconsin  in  1847;  enlisted  when  fifteen  in  the  First 
Wisconsin  Cavalry  Regiment  and  fought  through  the  war;  came 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  863 

overland  to  Oregon  in  1866,  experiencing  hostilities  from  the 
Indians  on  the  route.  Was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Hig- 
ley,  and  they  have  four  children — Lulu  M.,  Frederick  T.,  Stella  N., 
and  Esther.  Mr.  Hopkins'  residence  is  Lafayette,  Yamhill  County, 

and  his  occupation  is  shoemaker. 

i 

MERWIN,  M. 

Is  a  native  of  Athens  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  August 
11,  1852.  Came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon  in  1866,  being  one  of 
the  last  parties  to  cross  the  plains  with  wagons.  He  settled  in  In 
dependence  and  engaged  in  harness-making;  was  in  mercantile 
business  two  years  in  Louisville,  and  three  years  in  the  harness 
business,  and  in  1882  entered  partnership  with  Mr.  J.  Claggett  in 
a  hardware  and  agricultural  implements  store,  in  Independence. 

1867. 

OLLINS,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Cumberland  County,  Maine,  in  1836;  lived  in  that  State 
until  1863,  when  he  removed  to  Rhode  Island  and  spent  two  years 
dealing  in  live  stock.  Emigrated  to  California  in  the  last  mentioned 
year  and  remained  until  1867,  when  he  found  his  way  to  Oregon. 
Before  his  arrival  he  had  been  engaged  in  making  brick,  and  since 
then  has  devoted  himself  to  that  industry,  and  to  contracting  for 
and  building  brick  structures.  His  place  of  residence  is  Salem, 
and  the  principal  public  buildings  of  that  city  have  been  the  scene 
of  his  skill  and  industry;  the  state  house,  the  county  court  house 
of  Marion  County,  the  insane  asylum,  and  other  buildings  were  con 
structed  of  material  furnished  by  him  as  contractor,  or  under  his 
charge  as  supervising  director.  In  1882,  Mr.  Collins  was  appointed 
warden  of  the  State's  Prison  at  Salem.  He  was  married  in  1867,  to 
Jane  Hamilton,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  children — George  R..,  and 
Esther  May. 

HYDE,  H.  o. 

Born  in  Vermont,  in  1814;  came  to  Oregon  by  steamer  in  1867. 
His  subsequent  occupation  has  been  the  drug  and  general  merchan 
dise  business.  He  married  in  1842  Miss  Eliza  M.  Pearce,  and  his 
family  contains  Jennie  8.,  Everett  A.,  Mary  E.,  and  Hattie.  His 
present  residence  is  Forest  Grove. 


864  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

MARSH,  JOSEPH  W.,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Professor  in  the  University  at  Forest  Grove.  Born  in  Vermont 
in  1836.  Received  his  education  at  the  State  University.  His 
father,  the  Rev.  Jarnes  Marsh,  had  been  president  of  that  Univer 
sity.  Prior  to  his  arrival  in  Oregon  J.  W.  Marsh  taught  school  in 
Wisconsin  and  Canada.  He  came  to  this  State  to  take  a  position 
in  the  Pacific  University,  and  has  held  the  chair  of  Latin  and 
Greek  ever  since.  He  received  the  degrees  of  A.M.  and  Ph.D.,  the 
former  from  his  alma  mater,  and  the  latter  from  the  Pacific  Uni 
versity.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Examiners  for  a 
time.  While  in  Canada  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Parmelee, 
in  1862,  and  they  have  had  seven  children  born  to  them — five  girls 
and  two  boys — four  of  whom  are  now  alive. 

NATHMAN,  B.  A. 

Born  in  Prussia  in  1845;  came  to  this  country  in  1849,  and  lived 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Iowa  in  succession.  Learned  the  blacksmith 
trade.  Coming  to  Oregon,  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Salem,  and  in 
1871,  removed  to  Gervais,  Marion  County,  and  went  into  business 
as  dealer  in  hardware,  etc.;  resides  in  that  town,  and  also  possesses 
a  farm  near  by.  Married,  in  1871,  to  Mary  C.  Viesman,  by  whom 
he  has  five  children — Rosa  M.,  Ann  M.,  John,  Mary  T.,  and  Joseph. 

1868. 

FISHBACK,  J.  L. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1830.  Before  coming  to  the  Pacific  Coast 
he  lived  at  various  times  in  Colorado,  Montana,  and  Illinois.  He 
came  to  Oregon  in  1868,  and  settled  in  Polk  County;  present  resi 
dence,  Monmouth.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Scott,  April  6,  1874; 
they  have  six  children,  viz.: — Vardamon  A.,  Harmon  R.,  Clement 
G.,  William  M.,  Robert  A.,  and  an  infant. 

PAYNE,  j.  M. 

Born  in  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  March  30,  1838;  was  left  an 
orphan  at  the  age  of  six  years,  and  he  lived  subsequently  at  Bloom - 
ington  until  1858,  when  he.  went  to  Missouri  and  remained  there 
throughout  the  war.  Was  educated  at.  the  Illinois  Wesley  an  Uni 
versity,  and  in  April,  1868,  was  married  to  Belle  Price.  Came  to 
Oregon  the  same  year  and  lived  in  YamhilL  County  until  1875; 
then  returned  to  the  Eastern  States,  but  came  back  to  Oregon  in 


HISTOKY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  S(>.") 

1879.     Lived  in  Jackson  County,  Oregon,  until  1883,  and  then  set 
tled  in  Salem.     Occupation,  merchant.     The  children's  names  are 
— Addie,  Delia,  Lena,  &eorge,  Mary,  and  Edward. 

WOOD,  FRANK'D. 

Born  in  Rutland,  Vermont,  in  1833;  came  to  Oregon  in  1868, 
and  settled  at  Albany,  where  he  still  resides,  and  is  proprietor  of 
the  marble  and  stone  works  of  that  town.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
DuCray,  and  their  children's  names  are — Frank  N-,  Ellen,  and 
Mary. 

1869. 

BRONSON,  L. 

Native  State,  New  York;  date  of  birth,  1846.  Was  a  soldier  in 
the  Union  Army  throughout  the  Rebellion,  and  for  a  time  was  a 
prisoner  in  Libby  and  Andersonville.  After  the  close  of  the  war, 
Mr.  Bronson  was  married  to  Sarah  J.  Gregory,  who  died  two  years 
later.  Came  to  this  coast  in  1869,  and  after  staying  a  short  time  in 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  came  to  Oregon.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  Washington  County,  he  married  Miss  Jennie  S.  Hyde, 
and  has  by  her  one  child — Carmen  M.  Mr.  Bronson's  residence  is 
at  Forest  Grove. 

FRINK,  W.    S. 

Born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  in  1828;  came  from  Michigan  to 
the  Pacific  Coast  in  1859;  lived  in  California  the  ten  years  follow 
ing;  then  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Polk  County.  Was  elected 
county  clerk  in  1874  and  1876.  Moved  to  Yamhill  County  in  1881, 
and  was  in  partnership  with  Henry  Warren  in  the  real  estate  busi 
ness  at  McMinnville  for  some  time.  Now  owns  an  interest  in  the 
Grange  store;  residence,  McMinnville.  Married  Miss  Margaret 
Barber,  and  has  four  children — Charles,  Lincoln,  Warren  and  Alice. 

HARMON,  C.  H. 

Born  in  Wisconsin  January  30,  1856;  removed  to  Minnesota; 
to  this  coast  in  1869.  Is  a  printer  by  trade.  Married  Louise  Ri- 
ley  in  1879.  They  have  one  child,  C.  H.  Harmon,  Jr.,  by  name. 
Mr.  Harmon  is  located  at  Lebanon  and  is  engaged  in  business  there. 

MICKELS,  FETTER. 

Born  in  Minnesota  in  1858;  came  to  Oregon  when  eleven  years 
old,  and  located  in  Gervais,  Marion  County.  Lived  on  a  farm  for 


866  HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

seven  years,  and  one  year  in  Yamhill  County.  Soon  after  he  re 
moved  to  Gervais,  opened  a  meat  market  and  conducted  it  for  two 
years.  Was  elected  town  marshal  of  Gervais  in  1883  and  still 
holds  that  office.  4 

PATTERSON,   JERRY  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1845;  in  1861  enlisted  in  the  Fifteenth  Ohio 
Volunteers,  and  served  nearly  through  the  war.  Returned  to  Ohio, 
and  shortly  afterward  went  to  Iowa.  He  learned  the  art  of  tele 
graphy.  For  a  time  was  in  the  dry  goods  business  in  DesMoines. 
Coming  to  Oregon  in  1869  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
'for  ten  years;  held  the  office  of  city  recorder  of  Salem  in  1871. 
Owns  land  near  Salem  .and  resides  in  that  town.  Married  Miss 
Blanche  Gray  in  1872,  and  has  three  children — Edward  G.,  Beulah, 
and  Prudence  M. 

YEATON,  A.  T. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1840;  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  went 
into  the  Union  Army  and  served  ninety  days;  after  leaving  the 
army,  went  to  Massachusetts,  and  from  there  to  Michigan;  lived  in 
Detroit  six  years;  settled  in  Salem,  Oregon,  in  1869,  and  com 
menced  his  present  business,  as  dealer  in  furniture. 

1870. 

ARMSTRONG,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1829;  came  to  New  York  in  1845;  worked  at 
,  his  trade  of  shoemaker  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty -fifth  regiment  New  York  Volunteers  and  served 
during  the  war;  went  to  Michigan  in  1866,  but  left  that  State  for 
Oregon  four  years  later.  Resides  now  in  South  Salem,  but  has  a 
farm  in  Benton  County.  Married  Miss  Mary  Cams,  and  has  two 
children — George  and  William  H. 

BENTLY,  L. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1825,  and  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Ohio  and  from  thence  to  Michigan.  While  in  the  latter  State  he 
was  county  treasurer  for  Isabella  County  for  four  years  and  chair 
man  of  the  board  of  supervisors  for  an  equal  time.  He  came  to 
Polk  County,  Oregon,  in  1870,  and  was  elected  State  Senator  in 
1876.  Married  Miss  Parnelia  Parmelee  in  1848  and  they  have 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  867 

two  children,  named  Aylett  and  Rosa.  Mr.  Bently  owns  city  prop 
erty  and  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  and  at  present  is 
engaged  in  farming.  Residence,  Monmouth. 

BETTMAN,  L. 

Born  in  Bavaria  in  1850,  and  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1868, 
living  for  two  years  in  California  previous  to  his  arrival  in  Oregon 
in  1870.  He  served  as  clerk  in  Eugene  City  until  1874  when  he 
opened  a  store  in  Buena  Vista,  Polk  County.  Moved  to  Dallas  in 
1880;  formed  partnership  with  Mr.  Rosenblatt,  the  firm  doing  bus 
iness  in  Dallas. 

CLARK,  J.  C. 

Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  in  1856;  came  to  Oregon  when 
fourteen  years  old,  and  lived  on  a  farm  at  Woodburn,  Marion 
County,  for  ten  years,  and  then  removed  to  Gervais  and  learned  the 
drug  business.  Still  resides  in  that  town  and  has  become  proprietor 
of  the  drug  store  there.  Is  notary  public.  In  1882  he  married 
Hattie  Safford, 

ERB,  IRA. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1847;  lived  there,  and  in  Ohio  and  Illi 
nois,  until  the  beginning  of  the  Rebellion;  served  in  the  Union  Army 
throughout  that  struggle.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Salem. 
Married,  in  1880,  Hattie  Myers.  Mr.  ErVs  occupation  is  carpenter. 
Is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  Grand  Army  or 
ganizations. 

GIMBLE,  s.  s. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  1847.  Enlisted  in  the  Union 
Army  in  1861  and  served  in  the  several  campaigns  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  At  the  close  of  the  war  was  in  New  Orleans,  but  in 
1866  went  to  San  Francisco,  then  to  Arizona,  and  finally  settled  at 
Zena,  Polk  County.  Occupation,  shoemaker.  Was  in  mercantile 
business*  at  Zena  four  years. 

KNIGHT,  CHARLES,  M.D., 

Is  a  practicing  physician  of  Canby,  Clackamas  County;  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1828;  moved  to  Missouri  in  1845,  and 
lived  there  until  coming  to  Oregon.  He  was  the  first  to  settle  at 
Canby,  and  built  the  first  house  in  the  place.  The  town  now  con- 


868  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

tains  three  stores,  one  hotel,  one  drugstore,  one  blacksmith  shop, 
and  one  warehouse.  Dr.  Knight  married  Catharine  Schriber,  and 
his  children  are — Louise,  Henry  A.,  Charles  M.,  George  W.,  and 
Esther  C.  The  Doctor  also  deals  in  drugs  in  addition  to  his  pro 
fessional  practice. 

MILNE,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Scotland  in  1834;  is  a  miller  by  occupation ;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1870;  in  1871  went  to  Hillsboro  and  built  a  gristmill, 
which  he  runs  in  partnership  with  James  Garson.  The  mill  grinds 
annually  about  thirty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  and  a  very  large 
quantity  of  oats.  Mr.  Milne  owns  a  farm  of  seven  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  In 
1877,  married  Miss  Margaret  Linklater.  They  have  three  chil 
dren — John,  Elizabeth,  and  Jacob. 

NORTON,  EDWARD  OGDEN. 

Born  in  Yates  County,  New  York.  Came  to  Washington  Ter 
ritory  in  1868,  and  to  Oregon  two  years  after.  Resides  at  Salem 
and  is  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Vidette  and  Anti- Monopolist — a 
newspaper  of  large  circulation  and  of  great  value  to  readers.  In 
this  paper  Mr.  Norton  has  published  some  of  the  most  valuable  de 
scriptive  and  statistical  articles  which  have  ever  appeared  in  print, 
concerning  the  Northwest.  Mr.  Norton  married  Sophia  S.  Cole  in 
1854,  and  had  two  children — Letta,  and  Frederick  W.— but  these 
with  their  mother  are  deceased. 

REAMS,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  May  1,  1817;  was  married  in  1854,  to 
Miss  Eleanor  Gordon.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Linn  County, 
where  his  wife  died,  in  October,  1882.  By  her  his  children  were— 
Jessie  F.,  Lydia  C.,  Birdie,  and  Myra  F.  Mr.  Reams  is  a  cabinet 
maker  and  undertaker,  and  lives  at  Harrisburg. 

ROCKENFIELD,  C.  S. 

Born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1843;  was  in  Illinois  when  the  war 
broke  out,  and  enlisted  in  the  seventy -seventh  regiment  of  Illinois 
Volunteers,  and  served  on  Bank's  Red  River  expedition,  also  at  Mo 
bile,  and  Vicksburg — served  three  years.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  Illinois,  and  in  1869,  married  Miss  S.  M.  Reese.  In  1870  they 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  869 

caine  to  Oregon,  locating  at  Salem,  where  Mr.  Rockenfield  is  en 
gaged  in  merchandising,  while  his  wife  has  the  care  of  their  green 
house,  containing  a  fine  collection  of  plants,  etc. 

SMITH,  GEORGE  N. 

Born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1833.  When  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  43d  New  York  Volun 
teers,  and  served  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  Came  to  Oregon  in 
1870,  and  resides  nowr  at  Scio,  Linn  County.  Is  a  contractor  by 
occupation. 

SMITH,  I.  L. 

Born  in  Ohio,  May  16,  1827.  When  six  years  old  was  taken 
to  Illinois  by  his  parents.  He  served  three  years  in  the  Union 
Army;  was  in  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg,  Mobile,  Fort  Morgan,  and 
other  places.  In  1870  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Forest  Grove, 
and  is  still  a  resident  of  that  town.  He  kept  a  hotel  for  three  years. 
In  1884  resumed  his  former  occupation  of  cabinet -making,  and,  in 
connection  therewith,  has  a  sash  and  door  factory.  The  firm  name 
is  Smith,  Lee  &  Co.  Mr.  Smith  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
1880,  and  re-elected  in  1884.  Was  a  member  of  the  first  city 
council,  and  remained  a  member  of  that  body  for  four  terms.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Margaret  Mathews  in  1849,  and  their  family  now  consists 
of  nine  children,  namely — James,  George,  Elinor,  William,  Fred, 
Flora,  Etta  J.,  Lillie  D.,  and  Carrie. 

WELLS,  D.  R. 

Born  in  New  York  July  4,  1831 ;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in 
1855  and  mined  in  California  and  Nevada  until  1864.  In  the 
spring  of  1865  went  to  Hurnboldt  County,  Nevada,  and  prospected 
for  mineral  oil,  then  returned  to  California  and  mined  until  1870, 
in  which  year  he  came  to  Oregon  and  went  into  the  dairy  business, 
establishing  a  new  system  of  dairying  now  used  throughout  the 
State.  Since  1877,  Mr  Wells  has  been  engaged  in  raising  fine  stock, 
and  has  one  horse,  Woodbury,  an  English  thoroughbred  of  great 
value.  Mr.  Wells'  address  is  Salem. 

1871. 

GREEN,  N.   J. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1860;  lived  in  Folsorn,  California,  for  a  while 
attending  school;  located  in  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1871  and  staid 


870  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

two  years.  Lived  on  a  farm  at  Jefferson,  Marion  County,  for  a 
time;  learned  telegraphy,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  & 
California  Railway  as  general  agent  for  the  establishment  of  tele 
graph  stations  along  that  road's  southern  extension.  Has  charge 
of  the  Gervais  telegraph  office  at  that  town. 

HAMILTON,  A.  J. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1826;  came  to  America  in  1841.  Lived  in 
Illinois  and  New  Jersey  prior  to  coining  to  Oregon.  Is  now  a 
resident  of  Beaverton,  Washington  County,  and  a  merchant  b;y 
occupation.  Married  in  1856  Miss  Cynthia  Anthony,  who  had  two 
children — Mary  F.,  and  Jennie. 

HALLETT,  J.  L. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1836.  Married  Miss  Convers  of  Kansas, 
who  died  in  1868,  and  in  1872  he  married  Martha  Clerk,  a  native 
of  Oregon,  His  children  are — Kate,  now  Mrs.  Aben  of  Portland, 
and  two  sons,  Fred  and  Claude.  Mr.  Hallett's  principal  occupa 
tion  until  of  late  has  been  in  the  carrying  out  of  large  railway 
contracts,  requiring  the  work  of  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of 
men.  In  this  business  he  has  become  widely  celebrated.  He  built 
the  first  hundred  miles  of  the  East  Side  Railway,  acting  as  superin 
tendent  of  construction,  and  the  remainder  as  far  as  Roseburg  by 
contract.  Contracted  for  and  built  the  West  Side  road.  Super 
intended  the  building  of  the  Clark's  Fork  division  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad.  Having  amassed  wealth  he  retired  to  his  magnifi 
cent  farm  of  over  one  thousand  acres  on  the  Tualatin,  near  Forest 
Grove,  and  entered  upon  the  breeding  of  blooded  cattle  and  horses. 
The  place  is  known  as  "Spring  Hill  Farm.''  It  possesses  a  half- 
mile  track,  roofed  over  its  entire  length,  so  as  to  admit  of  training 
horses  the  entire  year.  The  conveniences  and  improvements  of  the 
farm  make  it  altogether  unique  in  Oregon,  and  far  beyond  every 
thing  of  the  sort  on  the  Coast  north  of  San  Francisco. 

HEARN,  E.  J. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1857;  came  to  Oregon  at  the  age  of  fourteen; 
resides  at  Jefferson,  Marion  County,  where  he  has  been  in  business 
for  eight  years;  present  occupation,  merchant. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  87 1 

SMITH,  T.  C,   M.D. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1844;  enlisted  in  the  twenty -seventh 
New  York  Volunteers,  and  was  promoted  for  bravery  at  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run;  after  expiration  of  term  of  service,  raised  a  company 
of  the  one  hundred  and  seventy-ninth  New  York,  and  fought  through 
the  war,  participating  in  all  the  most  important  battles,  including 
Chancellors ville  and  the  operations  in  front  of  Petersburg,  where  he 
was  wounded,  being  then  on  General  Griffin's  staff.  After  close  of 
the  war,  studied  medicine,  and,  in  1871,  came  to  Oregon;  kept  drug 
store  and  practiced  medicine  at  Portland  and  Oregon  City,  and 
finally  settled  in  Salem.  In  1881  he  withdrew  from  the  drug  busi 
ness'  and  began  the  practice  of  dentistry,  and  still  follows  it.  Was 
married,  in  1866,  to  Elvira  Chapman.  Their  children  are — Laura 
May,  James  A.,  and  T.  C. 

TRUITT,  WARREN. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1845.  Received  his  education  in  McKendree 
College,  graduating  in  1868.  Entered  a  law  office,  and  was  admit 
ted  to  the  bar  in  1870.  Came  to  Oregon  the  following  year,  and 
was  a  teacher  in  Bethel  Academy  three  years.  Was  elected  county 
judge  in  1874  and  served  one  term.  At  the  close  of  his  term  of 
office  he  commenced  practice  in  partnership  with  C.  A.  Johns.  Was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  188*2,  and  has  served  on  the 
judiciary  committee.  Is  now  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
LaCreole  Academy,  and  a  member  of  the  city  council;  also  a  prom 
inent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Was  presidential  elector 
in  1884.  Married  Miss  Mary  Basey  in  1874,  and  two  children  have 
been  born  to  them — Madison  (deceased),  and  Don  .W.  Residence, 
Dallas. 

1872. 

BINGHAM,  G.  G. 

Born  in  Wisconsin  in  1855;  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Yamhill  County;  studied  law  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michi 
gan,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  iu  that  State  in  1880.  Returned 
to  Oregon  in  the  same  year  and  practiced  for  a  year  in  Lafayette. 
Moved  to  McMinnville  in  1881,  that  now  being  his  place  of  resi 
dence,  and  in  1883  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Ramsey.  He 
was  elected  coroner  in  1884.  Married  Miss  Wilkie  Harris  in  1882. 


872  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

DAVIS,  GEORGE  W. 

Is  a  resident  of  Shedd,  Linn  County,  and  a  dealer  in  general 
merchandise;  he  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  May  16,  1844; 
married  Miss  Alice  T.  Bottsford,  and  their  children  are — James  R., 
George  E.,  Alice  M.,  Rex  W.,  and  Walter. 

HOWELL,  JONES. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1851.  Has  been  carpenter,  but  is  now 
engaged  in  hotel  keeping  at  North  Yanihill;  married  Miss  Julia 
Wright  in  1872,  by  whom  he  has  five  children — Maggie,  Minnie, 
George,  Dexter,  and  Jennie. 

McADAMS,  FRED. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1848;  entered  the  Union  army — one  hundred 
and  thirty-eighth  Illinois  regiment — in  1865  and  served  until  the 
close  of  hostilities.  Came  to  Walla  Walla,  Washington  Territory, 
in  1870  and  remained  two  years;  then  came  to  Portland,  and  sub 
sequently  to  Salem.  Married  Mary  Scovell  in  1881,  and  they 
have  two  children — William,  and  Lotta.  Mr.  McAdams  died  in 
the  winter  of  1884-85. 

POLLOCK,  ROBERT. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1819;  entered  the  United  States  Volun 
teers  in  1846,  first  in  the  Virginia  Volunteers  as  lieutenant, 
and  served  during  the  Mexican  war ;  was  mustered  out 
in  1848.  Came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1850;  in  1861  went 
into  service  again,  and  served  during  the  civil  war;  was  major 
in  the  first  regiment  of  California  Infantry ;  was  made  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  1861,  and  colonel  in  1863.  From  the  year  1865  to  1871, 
was  in  Arizona  among  the  Apaches.  During  the  Modoc  war  was 
at  Vancouver  and  Fort  Klamath ;  in  the  Nez  Perces  war  served 
under  Howard,  and  was  in  all  the  campaigns.  Returned  to  Oregon 
in  1884,  and  settled  near  Cornelius.  Married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Myers 
in  1860,  and  has  eight  children — Izatus,  Ella,  John,  Clara  J.,  Wil 
liam  M.,  Flora  Belle,  Lyle,  and  Charlie  Hodge. 

RIGBEY,  FRANCIS. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1843;  came  to  America  in  1860,  and  three 
years  later  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Army  (13th  New  York  Cavalry)  and 
served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  Removed  then  to  California  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  873 

resided  there  five  years;  canie  next  to  Oregoii,  and  after  a  short  time 
spent  in  Washington  Territory,  began  to  reside  permanently  in 
Gervais,  Marion  County.  Conducts  a  store  and  owns  a  farm. 

ROBERTSON,  L.  W. 

Born  in  Knox  County,  Indiana,  December  7,  1847.  When  he 
was  four  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Iowa,  where  they  remained 
until  1856,  when  they  returned  to  Indiana,  and  in  1864  he  entered 
the  Union  Army  in  Company  B  of  the  26th  Indiana  Volunteers, 
and  was  in  that  service  until  1866,  being  in  the  final  action  of  the 
war  at  the  Spanish  Fort,  near  Mobile.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Vicksburg  in  1866,  when  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  went  into  the 
stock  business.  In  1872  he  came  to  Oregon  and  farmed  in  Polk 
County,  near  Independence,  for  three  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  purchased  a  drug  store  in  that  town  which  he  owns  still.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Hooper,  and  their  children  are  the  fol 
lowing — Loreno  C.,  Alta  R.,  William  J.  (deceased),  Alice  E.,  and 
Lottie  L.  Mr.  Robertson  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

ROCK.  JOHN. 

Born  in  Barnstaple,  England,  December  5,  1848;  came  to  Ore 
gon  in  1872.  His  former  occupation  was  that  of  editor  of  the 
Oregon  City  Enterprise.  Residence,  Oregon  City. 

SHUSTER,  H.  S.,  A.M. 

Lives  in  Salem,  and  is  a  photographer.  Born  in  New  Jersey  in 
1830,  and  was  educated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  Middleton, 
Connecticut;  graduated  in  1860,  taking  afterwards  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  Taught  in  Pennington  Seminary,  New  Jersey,  two 
years.  Since  1866  has  been  in  the  photographer's  business;  and 
since  1879  in  Salem. 

VAUGHN,  j.  w. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County  Illinois,  May  28,  1848,  and  was  edu 
cated  to  become  a  teacher,  an  occupation  he  followed  for  some  time. 
He  came  to  Oregon  in  1872,  stayed  a  short  time  in  Baker  County, 
going  then  to  Union  County,  where  he  lived  four  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Dallas,  Polk  County,  and  was  clerk  for  J.  D.  Lee,  and 
was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Ida  Hutton.  They  have  a  child,  named 


874  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Clifford  W.,  and  had  one  other  that  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Vaughn 
came  to  Independence  in  1879  and  has  been  employed  as  clerk  ever 
since.  Is  a  member  of  the  City  Council  of  that  place. 

WAGGENER,  R. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1842;  served  three  years  in  the  United  States 
army,  being  attached  to  the  third  Indiana  Volunteers;  was  at  Shi- 
loh  and  all  the  battles  which  took  place  in  the  West.  Is  now  a 
member  of  the  Gr.  A.  R.  Came  to  Oregon  and  farmed  for  a  time, 
but  in  1881  took  charge  of  the  Tualatin  Hotel,  at  Hillsboro,  which 
he  still  conducts.  Was  married  in  1864  to  Anna  B.  Bailey.  They 
have  five  children — Lura,  Adella,  Lena,  D.  B.,  and  Willard. 

WILCOX,  DAVID. 

Born  in  Montgomery  County,  New  York,  in  1811;  went  to  Can 
ada  in  1818;  in  1842  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  lived  there  thirty 
years.  Then  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Washington  County, 
where  he  has  a  farm  on  the  Tualatin  River,  and  property  in  Cor 
nelius,  his  place  of  residence.  He  was  married  in  Canada,  in  1834, 
to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Davis.  Their  children  are  eight,  five  of  whom 
live  in  Oregon  and  three  in  the  Eastern  States. 

WRIGHTMAN,  FRANK  T. 

Born  in  Erie  County,  New  York,  in  1858;  came  to  Oregon  in 
1872;  occupation,  farmer;  present,  residence,  Sublimity. 

1873. 

BAKER,  L.  M. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1834;  lived  mostly  in  the  Western  States 
until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  II.  S.  Army,  and  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  nearly  all  the  other  great  encounters 
in  Virginia;  was  severely  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  and  disabled  for 
life.  He  now  draws  a  pension  therefor.  Married  in  1869  to  Mary 
McHarter,  by  whom  he  has  four  children — F.  O.,  F.  A.,  Ella  May, 
and  E.  D.  Residence,  Salem. 

CONOVER,  READING  B. 

Born  in  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1836.  Came  to 
Oregon  in  June,  1873,  and  settled  in  Salem.  Is  the  publisher  of 
the  daily  and  weekly  Talk,  an  afternoon  newspaper,  devoted  to 
the  news  of  the  day,  political  affairs,  etc.,  and  one  of  tne  principal 


HISTORY   OF  IMMIGRATION.  875 

papers  of  the  valley.  It  was  established  in  1878.  Mr.  Couover 
was  married  in  Indiana,  and  has  three  children — Frank  (assistant 
publisher  of  the  Talk\  Daisy,  and  Lula. 

DANIEL,  REMUS  R. 

Born  in  Kentucky.  Resided,  for  various  periods,  in  Minnesota 
and  Washington  Territory.  Game  to  Oregon  in  1873,  and  settled 
in  Yamhill  County.  Married  Miss  V.  V.  Williamson  in  1878,  and 
has  two  children — Ivan  H.,  and  L.  B.  Mr.  Daniel  had  acquired 
experience  in  flour-making  before  coming  to  this  valley,  and  in  1881 
he  purchased  the  steam  flour  mill  at  Lafayette,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Suiter.  They  carry  on  a  good  business  and  have  made  an  ex 
cellent  reputation  for  their  products,  which  they  ship  to  many  points 
in  the  valley,  as  well  as  to  Eastern  Oregon,  Washington  Territory, 
and  even  to  California.  They  handle  fifty  thousand  bushels  of 
wheat  annually. 

HARBORD,  M.  G. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1837;  farmed  principally  until  his  departure 
for  Oregon.  Was  married  in  1862,  to  Jane  Price.  Their  children 
are — Hetta  Esther,  born  in  1803;  Rolla  C.,  born  in  1864;  Ida  Maud, 
born  in  1865;  Kittie  W.,  born  in  1875;  and  three  others,  who  died 
young.  Mr.  Harbord  was  deputy  United  States  Marshal  in  1882- 
1883,  and  has  held  the  office  of  city  marshal  of  Salem  since  1879. 
Resides  in  South  Salem. 

HEMSTOCK,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Nottinghamshire,  England,  March  17,  1827;  in  1832 
he  went  to  Canada;  in  1837,  to  Wisconsin.  He  came  to  Oregon 
arid  settled  at  McMinnville,  where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in  farm 
ing  and  fruit -raising.  In  1850,  in  Racine  County,  Wisconsin,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Bingham,  also  a  native  of  England;  their  children 
are — George  H.,  Hannah  A.,  Fanny  J.,  and  Albert  B. 

HOLMAN,  THOMAS. 

Is  a  manufacturer  of  fanning  mills  and  grain  separators  in  Sa 
lem.  Was  born  in  England  in  1849;  came  to  America  in  1871, 
and  lived  in  Canada  until  coming  to  Oregon.  In  1877  he  invented 
the  Western  fanning-  mill  and  grain  cleaner;  manufactures  and 
sells  annually  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  mills.  Learned 
the  trade  of  machinist  in  England  and  has  worked  at  it  since. 


876  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

JOHNSON,  W.  P. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1846;  became  a  photographer,  and  has 
carried  on  that  industry  in  New  York,  Wisconsin,  and  Iowa,  previous 
to  his  coming  to  Oregon.  Is  now  located  at  Salem,  Marion  County, 
and  still  carries  on  the  business  of  photography.  In  1871  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Ella  Southwick,  by  whom  he  has  four  children- 
Frank  R.,  William  A.,  Aylett  N.,  and  an  infant. 

MALONEY,  HANDLEY  S. 

Born  in  Green  County,  Tennessee,  in  February,  1849;  was  a 
private  in  the  Fourth  Tennessee  Volunteers  in  1864;  and  second 
lieutenant  in  the  U.  S.  Infantry  in  1867;  resigned  in  1870.  He 
came  to  Oregon  in  1873,  and  in  1876  was  county  surveyor  of  Unia- 
tilla  County.  In  1880-82  was  county  surveyor  of  Yanihill  County. 
In  1884  became  first  lieutenant  of  Company  A,  Oregon  Cavalry. 
He  now  resides  at  Sheridan,  Yamhill  County,  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  surveying.  He  married  Mary  F.  Metzer  in  Umatilla 
County  in- 1873,  and  their  children's  names  are — Lillie  S.,  Mary  L., 
William  C.,  Minnie  S.,  and  Hugh  P. 

MCELROY,  E.  B. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  17,  1842. 
Was  educated  in  a  normal  school  in  that  State,  and  after  teaching 
a  while,  enlisted  (1861)  in  the  first  regiment  of  West  Virginia  Vol 
unteers,  and  afterwards  (1863)  in  the  one  hundredth  Pennsylvania, 
and  served  through  the  war;  afterwards  employed  himself  as  teacher 
and  farmer  until  his  departure  for  Oregon  in  1873.  Taught  in  the 
public  schools  of  Corvallis  until  1875,  then  assuming  a  professor 
ship  in  the  •  State  Agricultural  College.  Was  three  times  elected 
superintendent  of  schools  for  Benton  County,  and  in  1882,  became 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  Resides  at  Salem,  with 
his  wife  (formerly  Miss  Agnes  McFadden),  and  their  four  children. 

MENDENHALL,  W.  F.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Tennessee,  in  1833;  graduated  in  med 
icine  at  Knoxville  in  1866;  came  to  Oregon  in  1873,  and  has  prac 
ticed  at  Harrisburg,  Linn  County,  since.  Married  Miss  Eleanor 
Hoult  in  1876.  They  have  two  children — Frank  and  Fred. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  877 

PHILIPPI,  ANTONY. 

Born  in  Lewis  County,  Washington  Territory.  August  1,  1859. 
Was  reared  to  a  farmer's  life,  but  moving  to  Portland  when  four 
teen  years  old,  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  and  sign  painter, 
and  was  occupied  thereat  for  eight  years  in  that  city.  Subsequently 
he  resided  in  Hillsboro,  and  in  March,  1884,  removed  to  Independ 
ence,  his  present  abode,  and  there  continues  the  exercise  of  his  trade. 

STOLZ,  GIDEON. 

Born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  in  1844.  In  1873  he  arrived 
in  Oregon  and  settled  in  Salem,  where  he  has  established  a  cider 
factory,  run  by  steam  power,  where  he  also  manufactures  fruit  but 
ter  and  jellies.  In  1884,  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  apples  were  used 
in  the  mill,  and  several  workmen  were  employed.  Mr.  Stolz  mar 
ried  Miss  Margaret  Whittinger,  and  their  children's  names  are— 
Lenta  D.  and  Walter  T. 

TYLER.  ASHER. 

Born  in  Livingston  County,  New  York,  August  6,  1831;  went 
to  Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Was  educated  in  military 
affairs,  and  when  twenty -three  years  of  age  was  commissioned  by 
Governor  Harvey,  of  Wisconsin,  first  lieutenant  of  militia.  During 
the  Rebellion  he  was  promoted  to  captain;  was  taken  prisoner  at 
Lexington.  Was  in  active  service  more  than  four  years,  and  in 
Government  employ  seven  years.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1873,  and 
has  since  lived  in  Forest  Grove,  where  for  a  year  he  has  had  charge 
of  the  U.  S.  Military  School.  This  school  was  established  in  1879; 
in  1880  the  munitions  of  war  were  sent,  first  under  command  of 
Captain  Wilkinson,  next  Captain  Pierce,  and  then  Captain  Tyler. 
A  full  class  comprises  fifty -five  students  in  infantry,  and  twenty- 
four  in  light  artillery.  Their  drill  is  perfect,  says  their  instructor. 
Captain  Tyler  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hawley  in  1856,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children.  In  1869  he  married  Miss  H.  L.  Johnson. 
Captain  Tyler  is  an  able  linguist,  speaking  eight  languages. 

1874. 

BAILEY,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Barnesville,  Belmont  County,  Ohio;  came, to  Oregon, 
arriving  on  June  10,  1874;  settled  at  Forest  Grove.     His  present 


878  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

residence  is  Greenville,  and  occupation,  blacksmith.  He  married 
Miss  Ella  Hay,  January  24,  1883,  at  Forest  Grove,  and  they  have 
one  child — Blanche. 

BRINK,  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1830;  made  two  trips  to  California  and  re 
turned  East  as  often,  previous  to  his  arrival  in  Oregon.     Settled  in 
Albany  and   has  lived  there  since;  is  a  furniture  manufacturer. 
Married  Miss  Mary  E.  Vrooman  in  1859.     They  have  four  children 
— Margria  P.,  Manfred  A.,  Mason  E.,  and  Millard  D. 

CLARK,  J.  S.,  Sr. 

Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1816;  went  to  Illinois  in  1837  and 
learned  the  brick  and  mason  trade.  Came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Albany,  where  he  works  at  his  trade;  owns  a  brick-yard  and 
some  city  property.  Married  Miss  Harriet  Richards  in  1843,  by 
whom  he  has  had  nine  children,  namely — Francis  A.,  Mary  L., 
Henry  J.,  Hat  tie  A.,  Emma  B.,  Rose,  Josephine,  Joseph  S.,  and 
Carrie  C.  ' 

HUDSON,  WILLIAM  S.' 

Mr.  Hudson,  now  a  citizen  of  Forest  Grove,  was  born  in  New 
York  in  1827,  and  after  many  years'  residence  in  Massachusetts 
and  Wisconsin,  emigrated  to  Oregon  in  1874.  His  occupation  is 
that  of  blacksmith,  and  being  an  attache  of  the  Indian  school  at 
Forest  Grove,  he  has  charge  of  the  youths  who  learn  that  branch  of 
industry.  Mr.  Hudson  was  married  in  1853  to  Elizabeth  Rogers. 
They  have  four  children — Charles,  Hattie,  Harvey,  and  Paul. 

HYDE,  EDWIN  O.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  August  2,  1849,  and  educated 
at  the  Peabody  High  School.  Was  a  member  of  the  fifth  regiment, 
M.  V.  M.,  for  several  years;  also  librarian  of  the  Peabody  Institute. 
Visited  Missouri  and  Kansas  in  1869,  and  returning  east,  married 
E.  E.  Evans  at  Tamworth,  N.  H.,  October  16,  1873.  Set  out  for 
Oregon  in  the  following  spring  via  the  Isthmus.  Taught  school  in 
Albany  for  a  time  and  studied  medicine,  hearing  lectures  at  the  Wil 
lamette  Medical  College.  Practiced  at  Prineville  for  a  year.  Is 
now  an  inhabitant  of  Scio,  Linn  County,  practicing  his  profession. 
Children — Walter  S.,  Oscar  C.,  Archie  M.,  and  Edwin  H. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  879 

McPHERSON,  WILLIAM  H. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  November  24,  1848; 
is  a  mechanic  and  resides  in  Lebanon,  Linn  County.  Married  Eliz 
abeth  Burritt,  and  their  children  are — Maud  E.,  Charles,  and  Delia. 
Mr.  MePherson  was  a  body  guaid  of  Andrew  Johnson  in  1865. 

MONTANYE,  L.  H. 

Born  in  Indiana  November  8,  1840;  of  French  extraction; 
served  in  an  Indiana  regiment  during  the  Rebellion,  and  after  the 
close  of  the  war  lived  in  Louisiana  until  1874  when  he  came  to  Or 
egon  and  has  resided  since  at  Albany.  Is  a  lawyer,  and  studied 
the  profession  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Louisiana  in  1871. 
Is  still  engaged  in  that  pursuit.  Was  elected  to  the  Oregon » Legis 
lature  in  1884.  Is  active  among  the  various  secret  orders.  Was 
married  in  1876  to  Miss  Kate' Baynard,  and  they  have  two  children 
—George  B.,  and  Mary  H. 

NEIBERT,  CONRAD. 

Born  in  Calumet  County,  Wisconsin,  in  1848;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1874;  occupation,  blacksmith;  present  residence,  Turner;  wife's 
previous  name,  Rosie  Thomas.  Children — George  A.,  John  P., 
Edward  J.,  and  Geoi'ge  W. 

HANDLE,  S.  A. 

Born  in  Illinois,  November  29,  1839.  He  attended  high  school 
in  that  State,  and  attended  at  Asbury  University  in  Indiana  until 
the  senior  year.  Came  to  Oregon  and  taught  in  Salem  public 
schools;  in  1881,  took  the  senior  year  course  in  the  Willamette 
University,  and  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  1884;  now  holds 
the  position  of  principal  of  La  Creole  Academy  in  Dallas.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Ellen  Taggart,  and  has  five  children,  named — Harry  C., 
George,  Nellie,  Fay,  and  Maggie.  Mr.  Randle  was  in  the  Union 
army  from  1862  to  1865. 

TIFFANY,  G.  W. 

Born  in  Barkhamsted,  Connecticut,  a  descendant  of  English 
Puritans.  Spent  seventeen  years  in  mercantile  affairs  in  New  York, 
in  the  employ  of  a  large  firm,  and  in  1874  came  to  Oregon.  In  1879 
moved  to  Salem;  is  associated  with  Ben.  Forstner  as  agents  for  sew 
ing  machines  and  supplies.  Mr.  Tiffany  has  traveled  very  exten- 


880  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

si  very,  visiting  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  with  hardly 
an  exception.  When  twenty-three  years  old  he  married  Mary  B. 
Gardner,  of  Canandaigua,  New  York,  by  whom  he  had  three  boys, 
the  two  oldest  of  whom  survive.  Mrs.  Tiffany  died  in  October, 

1873. 

WILSON,  ANDREW. 

Resides  in  Independence,  Polk  County.  Was  born  in  Perry 
County,  Ohio,  in  1842.  He  entered  the  army  in  1861,  as  one  of 
the  Colorado  Cavalry,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Valverde, 
Sand  Creek,  Patch's  Canyon,  and  in  a  raid  into  New  Mexico.  After 
the  war  he  went  to  Missouri,  but  in  1874,  left  that  State  and  came 
direct  to  this  coast,  and  lived  for  a  while  in  Lane  County,  before 
settling  in  Independence.  He  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Martha 
Sodders,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — Thomas  and  Furman. 
His  wife  died,  June  28,  1873,  and  he  was  married  again,  in  1874, 
to  Mrs.  Margaret  Grouse",  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  named  Laura. 

WOQDIN,  A.  B. 

Born  in  New  York,  in  1834,  his  parents  removing  to  Michigan, 
they  being  among  the  pioneers  of  that  State.  Mr.  Woodin  was 
surveyor  of  Genessee  County,  Michigan,  and  afterwards  mined  at 
Pike's  Peak,  Colorado.  Served  four  years  in  the  Union  Army 
during  the  civil  war.  Coming  to  Oregon  he  settled  at  Albany  and 
engaged  in  milling.  Is  now  a  dealer  in  furniture.  Married  Miss 
Eliza  Barber  in  1868,  and  has  one  son,  Harry  by  name. 

1875. 

ABDILL,  G.  B. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1845,  and  lived  at  different  periods  in  Ken 
tucky,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota.  After  his  arrival 
in  Oregon  he  lived  one  year  on  a  farm  at  Amity,  then  moved  to 
Dayton  and  set  up  business  as  tinsmith,  and  is  still  residing  there, 
engaged  at  the  same  occupation  and  trading  agricultural  imple 
ments.  He  married  Miss  Charlotte  Gibbon  in  1869,  and  three 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  are  now  alive, 
named,  William  and  Daniel.  Mr.  Abdill  entered  the  Union  Army 
in  1865,  and  served  one  year. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  881 

ALLEN,  N.   H. 

Born  in  Ontario  County,  New  York,  in  1837;  came  to  Oregon 
and  entered  upon  lumbering  as  an  occupation.  In  company  with 
others  he  cut  a  vast  amount  of  timber  upon  the  Calapooia  Creek 
and  floated  it  to  the  mill  at  Albany.  Selling  out  in  1882,  Mr.  Allen 
engaged  in  mercantile  affairs  at  Albany  and  so  remains.  Married 
Miss  Mary  Hanawalt  in  1873.  They  have  three  children — Edna, 
Mamie,  and  Frank. 

BAKER,  A.  B. 

Born  in  Washington  Territory  in  1855;  came  to  Oregon  and 
lived  for  a  time  in  Lafayette,  moving  thence  to  McMinnville  in  1881. 
Is  recorder  of  the  latter  town.  Married  Miss  Phoebe  Henry,  in  1882. 
They  have  one  child,  Jessie  E.,  by  name.  Mr.  Baker  is  now  a  part 
ner  with  J.  H.  Robinson  in  the  drug  and  stationery  business  at 
McMinnville. 

CASTO,  JOSEPH. 

Is  a  resident  of  New  Era,  Clackamas  County,  and  proprietor  of 
a  general  merchandise  store;  also  postmaster  and  ageni  for  the  O. 
&  C.R.  R.     He  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  May  20,  1827. 
Married  in  Colorado  in  1861  to  Julia  A.  Lake;  their  children  are — 
Frank  E.,  Lottie,  Jessie  K.,  Seth  L.,  Julia  A.,  Ella,  and  Charles. 

COLLINS,  J.  H. 

Born  in  Gallia  County,  Ohio,  February  21,  1842;  in  1856  he 
went  to  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  and  entered  into  the  business  of 
stock-raising  and  farming.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1875  and  settled 
in  Polk  County,  his  present  home  being  on  his  farm  near  Inde 
pendence.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Gr.  Sears,  March  25, 
1869,  and  they  have  four  children,  named  as  follows — James  H., 
William  E.,  John  D.,  and  Charles. 

CONNAWAY,  W.  P. 

Mr.  Connaway,  who  now  resides  in  Independence,  Polk  County, 
was  born  in  Cedar  County,  Missouri,  May  3,  1850.  His  early  life 
was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  in  the  years  preceding  1875,  he  acquired 
a  very  good  academic  education.  In  the  year  mentioned  he  came 
to  Oregon  and  took  residence  in  Polk  County.  At  a  later  date  he 
was  successively  secretary  for  the  Willamette  Falls  Lock  and  Canal 
Company,,  and  book-keeper  for  a  firm  in  Harrisburg,  Linn  County. 


882  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mr.  Comiaway  was  married,  April  2,  1879,  to  Alice  Wells.  At 
present  his  occupation  is  agent  for  the  Salem  Flouring  Mill  Com 
pany,  which  handles  yearly  from  eighty  thousand  to  one  hundred 
thousand  bushels  of  wheat. 

HANEY,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Boston,  and  resided  there  until  the  age  of  seventeen. 
Enlisting  in  the  Regular  Army,  he  remained  in  the  military  service 
of  the  country  for  five  years.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Haney 
went  to  Texas,  stayed  there  half  a  year,  and  then  came  to  Yamhill 
County,  Oregon,  where  he  has  since  resided.  His  place  of  residence 
and  postoffice  address  are  Lafayette. 

HOWARD,  D.  C. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1828;  was  a  carpenter  in  early  life;  served  in 
the  First  Ohio  Regiment  and  rose  to  a  captaincy.  Came  to  Ore 
gon  and  located  at  Salem,  his  present  residence.  Present  occupa 
tion,  carpenter  and  house  mover.  Married  in  1847  to  Cora  Hat- 
field.  Their  children  are — William  J.,  Joseph  E.,  S.  E.,  Lizzie, 
Hattie,  Carrie,  and  George  B. 

HUMPHREY,  JOHN  A. 

Born  in  Sullivan  County,  New  York,  May  17,  1836.  Came  to 
Oregon  in  1875.  Residence,  Oregon  City.  Occupation,  miller. 
Married  Sophia  \7.  Wheeler.  Children — Charles  M.  (deceased), 
James  (deceased),  Pearl  D.  (deceased),  Mary,  and  Tessie  B. 

LAMKIN,  j.  c. 

Born  in  Arkansas  in  1846;  went  to  Nebraska  in  1860;  in  1875 
came  to  Oregon;  had  been  married  five  years  before  to  Mary  Arch- 
bold,  by  whom  he  has  had  Alta  and  Charles.  Dealer  in  hardware 
in  Hillsboro,  Washington  County,  and  possesses  a  residence  in  that 
town. 

LAUGHMILLER,  J.  A. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1837;  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and 
followed  it  for  a  time  in  Kansas.  Enlisted  in  1862  in  the  IT.  S. 
Army  and  served  until  November,  1865.  Coming  to  Oregon  he 
located  at  Woodburn,  Marion  County,  his  present  residence,  and 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  but  in  two  years  bought  a  warehouse 
and  conducts  it  now.  The  structure,  the  largest  in  that  section,  has  a 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  883 

capacity  of  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  grain.  Married  in 
1860  to  Vesta  E.  Ross,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  children — William 
E.,  and  J.  R. 

MASON,  I.  T.,  D.D.S. 

Born  in  Tennessee  in  1860.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1875  and  set 
tled  in  Eugene  City,  where  he  attended  the  State  University,  and 
nearly  completed  the  collegiate  course.  Commenced  a  dental 
course  under  Dr.  L.  M.  Davis,  of  Eugene,  in  1877.  In  1879,  went 
to  Philadelphia,  studied  there  and  received  the  degree  of  D.D.S.  in 
1880.  Returned  to  Oregon  in  that  year,  and  has  been  practicing 
in  Dallas  since.  Married  Miss  Mary  E.  Long  in  1881,  and  they 
have  one  child,  named  Clay. 

PERRINE  FINLEY  C. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1845;  enlisted  at  the  beginning  of  the  Re 
bellion  in  the  twenty -fourth  Indiana  infantry  regiment  and  served 
three  years,  taking  part  in  many  battles,  particularly  Pittsburg 
Landing,  and  was  at  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  the  operations  in  Ar 
kansas,  and  again  under  Banks  in  Louisiana.  On  the  close  of 
his  term  of  service  he  entered  the  secret  service  of  the  Government. 
Until  1875  he  was  in  many  portions  of  the  West  and  South,  en 
gaged  in  various  businesses,  and  in  that  year  left  for  Oregon.  Here 
he  has  been  in  several  pursuits  and  is  at  present  guard  of  the  State 
treasury,  and  resides  at  Salem.  He  married  in  1882  Miss  Irene 
Cosper. 

VENNER,  J.  F. 

Is  a  resident  of  Brownsville,  Linn  County ;  he  is  a  druggist,  and 
proprietor  of  the  only  drug  store  in  that  town.  Was  born  in  Ver 
mont,  December  3,  1846;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1865,  and 
lived  several  years  in  Washington  Territory  previous  to  coining  to 
Oregon.  In  1878  he  was  married  to  Miss  Diantha  Simons;  they 
have  had  one  child — Warren  D.  (deceased). 

1876. 

CLOUGH,  A,  M. 

Born  in  Vermont  in  1849;  went  to  Iowa  in  1858;  learned  the 
trade  of  wheelwright.  Was  married  in  1873  to  Adella  Ryder.  Their 
children,  Bernice  and  Arthur  B.,  are  both  deceased.  Came  to  Ore 
gon  in  1876,  located  at  Salem,  and  engaged  in  cabinet-making.  Res 
idence,  Salem. 


884  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

CLOW,  W.  C. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1852,  and  reared  in  Wisconsin.  Traveled 
through  the  United  States  with  a  theatrical  troupe  for  six  years; 
came  to  Oregon  in  1876;  went  to  Alaska  the  following  year,  but 
soon  returned  to  Washington  County,  Oregon,  and  now  resides  at 
Cornelius.  Married  Miss  Mary  Baker  in  1877;  has  three  children 
— Maud,  Genevieve,  and  Charles. 

COOPER,  G.  W. 

Born  in  North  Carolina,  February  27,  1855;  studied  dentistry 
in  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  now  follows  that  profession.  He 
came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  1876,  and  is  a  resident  of  Harrisburg, 
Linn  County.  Was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Hattie  Tupper.  Their 
children  are — Edith,  Clara,  and  Harry. 

DOUTY,  SYLVESTER. 

Born  in  Perry  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1840;  moved  to  Bur 
lington,  Iowa,  in  1848,  and  to  Colorado  in  1860;  was  the  pioneer 
miller  of  the  latter  State,  and  established  the  Red  River  flouring 
mills  there  in  1861.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1876  and  settled  at  In 
dependence,  Polk  County,  and  is  proprietor  of  a  saw  mill  in  that 
town,  said  mill  having  a  capacity  of  twenty  thousand  feet  per  day. 
He  married  Sarah  A.  Brown  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  in  1863,  and  their 
children's  names  are — Minnie,  Fred  A.,  Louisa,  and  William  O. 

FERGUSON,  H.  J. 

Born  in  Schoharie  County,  New  York,  in  1832.  His  early  years 
were  spent  in  farming.  He  entered  the  Union  Army  in  1862,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  closed  he  moved 
to  Iowa,  but  in  1876  started  for  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  came  to  Or 
egon  by  way  of  California,  and  after  visiting  several  of  the  princi 
pal  cities  of  this  State,  settled  in  Independence,  where  he  lives  now, 
a  partner  in  a  fire  insurance  firm,  its  name  being  Ferguson  &  Hall. 
Mr.  Ferguson  owns  city  property  in  Independence,  and  a  farm  in 
Washington  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Inde 
pendence.  Before  coming  West  he  married  Miss  Mary  L.  Craig, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  grown  and 
are  living  in  the  Eastern  States.  His  wife  died  in  1865,  and  Mr. 
Ferguson  married  Miss  Ellen  Eaton. 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  -S'Sf> 

DU  GAS,  E.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Georgia  in  1850;  settled  at  Charnpoeg,  Marion  County, 
and  resides  there  still;  occupation,  physician.  Married  Annie  L. 
Jones,  in  October,  1882. 

KRIESEL,  WILLIAM. 

Born  in  Dodge  County,  Wisconsin,  February  28,  1848;  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Marion  County;  moved  to  Linn  County  in 
1882.  Is  a  tinner  by  trade  and  located  at  Harrisburg.  Was  mar 
ried  in  1873  to  Miss  Albertina  Wedde.  Their  children  are — Rich 
ard,  Fred,  Alma,  Ella,  and  Emma. 

McINTOSH,  J.  M. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1848;  went  to  Minnesota  in  1861,  and 
learned  the  Hour  milling  business.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1876,  and 
is  now  superintendent  of  the  extensive  Flouring  Mill  at  Turner, 
Marion  County.  This  mill  holds  a  high  rank  as  regards  its  prod 
uct.  Its  capacity  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  per  day,  it  is  run 
by  water  power,  and  is  owned  by  a  corporation  styling  itself,  "The 
Oregon  Milling  Company.  It  uses  the  "  roller  process." 

MILLER,  F.  M. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1844.  Served  in  the  Union  Army  as  a  member 
of  the  Third  Iowa  Cavalry.  Returning  home  after  the  end  of  the 
war,  he  studied  law,  and  also  held  a  civil  office — that  of  superin 
tendent  of  schools.  Coming  to  Oregon,  he  located  in  Lebanon  and 
opened  a  law  office.  Was  recorder  in  1882.  Married  in  that  year, 
Hulda.S.  Armstrong.  They  have  three  children — W alter,  Bessie, 
and  Kate. 

REDMOND,  F.  W. 

Born  in  Canada  in  1852;  coming  to  this  coast  in  1876,  he  set 
tled  in  Yamhill  County.  Is  proprietor  of  a  store  and  warehouse  in 
McMinnville.  Handles  about  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat,  be 
sides  other  grain,  yearly.  Married  Miss  Martha  Garrison,  Novem 
ber  19,  1882. 

SEGUIN,  LOUIS. 

Born  in  St.  Mary,  Canada,  in  1847;  married,  in  1866,  Albina 
Cormier.  Their  children  are — Elphas,  M.  Geqrgiana,  E.  Louisa, 
G.  E.,  N.  Rose,  A.  Augusta,  Arthur  A.,  Louis  M.,  Josephine  Lina, 


886  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Mary,  and  Lucy  S.  M.  In  1878,  Mr.  Seguin  located  in  Gervais, 
Marion  County,  and  began  to  deal  in  liquors  and  cigars,  and  follows 
that  occupation  at  present. 

TRAIN,  SAMUEL  S. 

Born  in  Essex  County,  New  York,  in  August,  1841.  Came  to 
Oregon,  May,  1876,  and  settled  at  Harrisburg,  Linn  County.  Estab 
lished  the  Disseminator  newspaper,  at  Harrisburg,  in  February, 
1882.  In  June,  1884,  he  took  into  partnership  Joseph  R.  Whitney, 
a  native  of  Marion  County,  Oregon,  born  May  1,  1860,  and  gradu 
ated  from  the  University  of  Oregon  in  1884.  They  consolidated 
their  paper  with  the  Herald,  of  Albany,  November  1,  1884,  and 
removed  to  that  town.  The  combined  publication  is  termed  the 
Herald-Disseminator.  Mr.  Train  married  Mary  J.  Ricks,  in  Wis 
consin,  May  26,  1866,  and  they  had  a  daughter — Minnie  O. — who 
died  July  21,  1884,  aged  sixteen  years. 

1877. 

BERGMAN,  M.  L. 

Born  in  Sweden  in  1843,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1871. 
Went  to  California  and  spent  several  years,  arriving  in  Oregon  in 
1877.  Is  a  potter  by  occupation,  and  a  most  expert  workman.  Has 
a  numerous  collection  of  medals  and  diplomas  which  have  been  pre 
sented  him  in  recognition  of  his  skill.  Is  foreman  of  the  Buena 
Vista  Pottery. 

COOK,  LYMAN  HALL. 

Born  in  New  York,  March  23,  1830.  Settled  in  California  and 
farmed  in  the  San  Benito  region,  near  Hollister,  for  some  years 
with  good  success.  Was  a  locomotive  engineer  for  various  rail 
ways.  Came  to  Oregon,  settled  at  McMinnville  and  now  resides 
there,  conducting  the  Central  Hotel,  a  far-famed  hostelry,  at  that 
place.  Married  Miss  Lydia  Jane  Reed  in  Branch  County,  Michi 
gan.  Children — Charles  Hamlet,  and  E.  Eloise. 

DENNIS,  P.  M. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1841.  At  the  age  of  twenty -one  entered  the 
Union  Army  and  served  four  years;  was  with  Sherman  in  his  fa 
mous  u March  to  the  Sea";  and  at  Shiloh,  Vicksburg,  and  other 
battles.  Was  sergeant  when  the  war  closed.  Came  to  Oregon  and 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  887 

now  lives  in  liillsboro,  Washington  County;  has  held  the  office  of 
deputy  sheriff  four  years.  Married  Miss  Julia  A.  Steel  in  1866,  and 
they  have  six  children. 

FERRIN,  WILLIAM  NELSON,  A.M. 

Born  in  Barton,  Orleans  County,  Vermont,  in  October,  1854. 
Graduated  from  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1875,  and  two  years 
later  came  to  Oregon,  and  accepted  the  professorship  of  mathematics 
in  the  Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove,  which  he  still  retains. 

GRAHAM,  JAMES. 

Born  in  Scotland;  came  to  the  United  States  when  one  year  old; 
lived  with  his  parents — Adam  and  Agnes  Graham — in  Kentucky 
and  Chicago.     Coming  to  Salem,  he  worked  for  four  years  at  his 
trade  of  wood-turner,  and  in  1881  bought  the  Salem  Soda  Works 
and  now  continues  to  carry  it  on. 

HARDING,  S.  F. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1821.  Was  educated  at  the  Genessee 
Academy  in  New  York.  Taught  school  and  studied  law  in  Michi 
gan;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Indiana  in  1873.  Came  to  Oregon, 
located  at  McMinnville,  and  now  occupies  his  energies  in  the  prac 
tice  of  the  not  incompatible  pursuits  of  the  law  and  shoemaking. 
He  is  likewise  notary  public  and  justice  of  the  peace.  Mr.  Hard 
ing  married  Miss  Abigail  M.  Whitman,  in  1842.  Children — Phoebe 
E.,  E.  X.,  and  Frank  S. 

JANNEY,  PHINEAS. 

Born  in  Ohio,  May  4,  1824;  came  to  Oregon  in  1877;  occupa 
tion,  shoemaker;  present  place  of  residence,  Turner.  Wife's  pre 
vious  name,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Porter.  They  have  one  child,  named 
Worth  H. 

JOHNSTON,  W.  B. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1854;  at  the  age  of  eight  moved  to 
Illinois  and  lived  there  for  fourteen  years.  Came  to  Oregon  in 
1877.  Was  married  in  1876,  and  has  two  children — William  C., 
and  Cora  V.  Is  proprietor  of  the  Johnson  Livery  Stable,  Hills- 
boro,  Washington  County. 

LANNING,  E.  J. 

Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1842;  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in 
1867,  and  to  Oregon  in  1877.  Bought  an  interest  in  the  fiouring 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

nr.ll  at  Albany  in  1881.  The  firm  owiiig  it  is  now  known  as 
Isom,  Lanning  &  Co.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  thirty  thousand 
barrels  of  flour  per  year,  and  ships  to  all  points  on  the  Northwest 
Coast.  Married  Miss  Virginia  L.  Isom  in  1880,  and  by  her  has 
one  child,  named  Lillian  May. 

NEWMAN,  ALEXANDER. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1825;  resided  subsequently  in  Kentucky, 
Missouri,  Texas  and  California.  Was  married  to  Mary  Wright  in 
1851.  Children — Mary  E.,  William  A.,  Susan  A.,  James  A.,  Da- 
rilla  L,  and  Luther  E. 

REDFIELD,  F.  M. 

Born  in  Vermont,  September  6,  1842.  Came  to  the  Pacific  Coast 
in  1862;  lived  in  various  localities  subsequently;  was  sub-agent  at 
the  Nez  Perce  Indian  Reservation  for  five  years;  lives  now  at  Al 
bany  and  deals  in  groceries.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Farrell,  in 
April,  1869.  Children— Charles  M.,  Ethel  E.,  and  Frank  M.  They 
have  lost  two — Velle  M.,  and  Elbert  W. 

ROSS,  GEORGE  W., 

Lives  at  New  Era,  Clackamas  County,  and  is  a  millwright  by 
occupation;  he  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  New  York;  married 
Lydia  McCalley. 

SAVAGE,  H.  w. 

Born  in  England  in  1842;  came  to  America  when  fifteen.  Mar 
ried  in  1861  to  Eliza  Dove.  Their  children  are— F.  A.,  T.  R.,  and 
H.  L.  Settled  in  Salem  in  1877,  purchased  seven  acres  of  land 
which  he  converted  into  a  garden  for  raising  vegetables,  etc.,  for 
the  "Salem  market.  His  success  was  immediate  and  great.  His 
sin  a1!  tract  supplies  a  large  proportion  of  the  vegetables  consumed 
in  that  city. 

1878. 

RUDDER,  MARCH  C. 

#  Born  in  Kentucky,  in  1842;  emigrated  northward  in  1856,  and 
staid  in  Indiana  and  Illinois  for  several  years.  Removing  to  Mis 
souri,  in  1861,  he  entered  the  Confederate  army  as  private  in  the 
first  Missouri  Cavalry  regiment,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Wilson  Creek,  Pea  Ridge,  Corinth,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  889 

and  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place.     Was  married  in  Illinois, 
in  1805,  to  Sarah  E.  Wiley,  and  they  have  children — Maggie  E., 
Etta  M.,  and  Eugene.    Mr.  Rudder  resides  at  Lafayette;  occupation, 
carpenter  and  bridge  builder. 
SMITH,  D.  A. 

Mr.  Smith's  address  is  Hillsboro;  his  occupation,  miller,  he  being 
one  of  the  firm  of  Smith  Brothers,  flour  millers  of  that  place.  Mr. 
S.  was  born  in  NewT  York  in  1846,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1878. 
The  mill  owrueid  by  the  firm  stands  by  the  railroad  track,  is  called 
"  Eed  Jacket  Mill,"  and  has  a  capacity  of  seventy-five  barrels  of 
flour  per  day.  Its  machinery  is  new,  and  its  capacity  sufficient  for 
the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed.  Buhr  stones  are  in  use  for 
grinding,  and  sufficient  of  the  newly  invented  milling  appliances 
have  been  introduced  to  enable  its  work  to  be  acceptable  and  its 
product  of  the  finest. 

VAN  HORN,  DAVID. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  July  14,  1837.  His  ancestors  were  of 
the  Knickerbocker  stock,  having  come  from  Holland  to  New  York 
—then  New  Amsterdam — and  become  proprietors  of  estates  on 
Manhattan  Island.  The  family  property  (now  estimated  to  be 
worth  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars),  descending  irreg 
ularly,  has  passed  from  the  possession  of  the  later  representatives, 
who  instituted  suits  for  its  recovery,  which  suits  from  their  magni 
tude  have  become  celebrated  throughout  America.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  bred  up  to  the  manufacture  of  pianos,  and  now  de 
votes  himself  to  the  tuning  of  instruments.  His  nominal  residence 
is  at  the  Holton  House,  in  Portland.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1878. 

WHITE,  ASHLEY. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1841 ;  moved  to  Pennsylvania  when  quite 
young;  entered  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  served  eighteen 
months;  was  wounded  when  Burnside  crossed  the  Rappahannock. 
Came  to  Oregon  in  1878,  and  now  lives  in  Polk  County,  near  Oak 
Grove,  and  receives  mail  at  Zena;  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Mar 
ried  Miss  Caroline  Pinkley  in  1865,  and  has  two  children — Archie, 
and  William  Charles. 

WHITMER,  CHARLES. 

Born  in  Iowa  in  1858;  twenty  years  later  came  to  Washington 
County,  Oregon,  and  moved  from  thence  to  Yainhill  County  in  1880. 


890  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

In  the  same  year  went  to  Klickitat  County,  Washington  Territory, 
but  returned  to  Yamhill  County  in  1881.  In  January,  1884,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Sheridan,  which  position  he  still  holds, 
and,  since  1883,  has  had  charge  of  a  hardware  and  tinware  store 
which  he  now  owns.  Married  Miss  Laura  Graves,  September  24, 
1882;  they  have  one  child,  named  Thomas  Lloyd. 

1879. 

GATHER,  EZRA. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1842;  farmed  in  Illinois  during  his  youth; 
fought  through  the  Rebellion  as  a  private  in  the  38th  Illinois  Vol 
unteers,  serving  five  years  and  doing  service  at  Nashville,  Atlanta, 
etc.,  and  was  wounded  at  Murfreesboro.  In  1879  came  to  Oregon 
and  located  at  Junction,  and  in  1882  at  Salem,  where  he  now  lives. 
Married  Susan  E.  Hanson,  and  has  a  son,  Lawrence,  by  name. 

HOSLER,  W.  H. 

Born  in  Iowa,  March  12,  1859,  and  came  to  California  in  1869, 
with  his  parents,  and  lived  there  ten  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  he  came,  with  his  father,  to  Polk  County,  Oregon,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  carriage  and  sign  painter.  Resides  at  Inde 
pendence. 

1880. 

BROWN,  GEORGE  W. 

Born  in  Penobscot  County,  Maine;  came  to  Oregon  in  1880; 
occupation,  carpenter;  present  place  of  residence,  Turner,  Marion 
County. 

CAMPBELL,  GEORGE  D. 

Born  in  England  in  1830;  came  to  America  when  three  years 
old.  After  various  experiences,  as  whaler  in  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
soldier  in  the  Crimean  war,  traveler  in  Mexico,  etc.,  came  to  Oregon 
in  1880.  Has  been  in  the  livery  stable  business  mostly  since  his 
arrival.  Address,  Hillsboro,  Washington  County. 

EVEREST,  ERNEST,  M.D. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1852.  Commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1869,  and  pursued  his  studies  at  the  schools  in  Iowa  and  Nebraska, 
graduating  in  1877.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1880,  and  settled  in  Bea- 
verton,  Washington  County,  in  1884,  where  he  now  practices.  He 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  891 

is  now  pursuing  a  course  in  surgery  which  will  be  completed  in 
1885.  Married  Miss  Annie  Hawkins  in  1878,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children — Edna  and  George. 

MOORE,  PHILIP  M. 

Present  residence,  McMinnville;  birth-place,  Illinois;  date  of  birth, 
1855 ;  came  to  Oregon  in  1880 ;  is  a  printer  by  trade;  has  no  family. 

1881. 

BARNES,  FRANK  P. 

Born  in  Indiana  in  1852;  emigrated  to  Washington  Territory  in 
1880,  and  arrived  in  Oregon  a  few  months  later;  was  clerk  of  the 
Qhenieketa  Hotel  in  Salem  for  a  time.  Is  now  a  resident  of  Salem. 

TALKINGTON,  F.  P. 

Born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois,  April  25,  1853.  Went  to 
California  in  1869,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1881.  Residence,  Sa 
lem.  Wife's  previous  name,  Carrie  J."  Schnider.  They  have  one 
child,  named  Cora  M. 

1882, 

BATCHELOR,  JAMES. 

Born  at  Great  Bend,  Pennsylvania,  May  4,  1830;  vvas  a  carpen 
ter  until  1860  when  he  went  to  Illinois  and  fartned.  Enlisted  in 
1862  in  the  ninety-third  Illinois  Infantry  and  served  through  the 
war.  Was  at  Vicksburg,  and  with  Sherman  on  his  "  March  -to  the 
Sea."  Draws  a  pension  for  disability  incurred  at  Altoona.  Married 
Elizabeth  J.  Schock  in  1873.  They  have  three  children — James 
F.,  C.  A.,  and  William  L.  Postoffice  address,  Knight,  Marion 
County.  Occupation,  farming. 

BRIGGS,  JAMES  J. 

Captain  Briggs,  now  of  Salem,  Marion  County,  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  16,  1840.  He 
served  with  credit  in  the  Union  Army  throughout  the  civil  war, 
participating  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  En 
tering  the  service  as  a  private,  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain  and 
adjutant  of  his  regiment.  He  received  a  severe  wound  at  the 
Battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Coming  to  the  Pacific  Coast  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  set  foot  in  Portland  in  May,  1882,  and  soon 
after  entered  into  business  as  the  proprietor  of  a  large  drug  store  in 


892  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

Salem,  of.  which  he  is  still  at  the  head.     Captain  Briggs  married 
Miss  Mary  E.  McCreery,  January  16,  1865.     Their  children  are- 
Anna  V.,  Richard  Coulter,    John  McCreery,  George  Curry,  and 
Walter  Roscoe. 

LeMAHIEU,  ISAAC. 

Born  in  the  province  of  Zealand,  Holland,  September  13,  1841. 
Came  to  Oregon  in  May,  1882.  Present  residence,  Oregon  City; 
Occupation,  Unitarian  minister  and  editor  of  the  Courier 
newspaper. 

SHOBE,  LUTHER. 

Born  in  Kentucky  in  1838;  lived  in  Missouri  until  1858;  spent 
the  following  years,  until  1867,  in  various  mining  regions;  built  the 
first  house  erected  in  Virginia  City,  Nevada.  Was  married  in  1867, 
to  Miranda  France;  was  a  resident  of  Missouri  again,  from  the  last 
mentioned  year  until  1882,  holding  some  civil  offices  and  carrying 
on  a  traffic  in  general  merchandise;  came  to  Oregon  in  1882;  is  now 
a  dealer  in  musical  instruments  in  McMinnville,  with  agencies  in 
various  parts  of  the  State. 

STAPLETON,  JOHN. 

Born  in  Connecticut  in  1856;  worked  for  the  Union  Metallic 
Cartridge  Company  for  four  years ;  went  to  the  Lake  Superior  mines 
and  worked  two  years;  traveled  extensively  in  the  Eastern  States 
and  in  Cuba;  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Regular  Army  in  1877,  and 
attained  the  rank  of  sergeant;  served  five  years;  at  the  end  of  service 
came  to  Oregon,  in  1882,  and  located  at  Salem;  became  guard  at 
the  State's  prison  and  holds  that  place  still. 

ZINNE,  GEORGE. 

Born  in  Illinois  in  1844;  removed  to  Missouri  when  twelve;  en 
listed  in  the  2nd  Ohio  Cavalry  in  1862,  and  fought  in  most  of  the 
battles  in  the  West.  Married  in  1865  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Tucker, 
by  whom  he  had  Zina  J.,  and  Willis  W.  Mrs.  Zinne  died  in  1879. 
He  was  married  next  to  Flora  E.  Welch,  to  whom  was  born  one 
child — W.  T.  Residence,  Salem. 

1883. 

HOWARD,  A.  D.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Massachusetts;  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1848,  and  graduated  at  Philadelphia  in  1852;  during  the  Re- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  893 

bellion  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Union  Army.  He  came  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  in  1882;  lived  in  California  a  year,  then  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  McMinnville,  his  present  residence.  Married  Miss  Eliza 
beth  Payne  in  1850,  and  has  one  child. 

LADUE,  WILLIAM  N. 

Born  in  Troy,  New  York  in  1838;  lived  in  Michigan  from  1847 
until  1883,  then  coining  to  Oregon.  Is  now  vice-president  and 
manager  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Salem,  which  was  first 
opened  on  the  eleventh  of  June,  1883.  The  institution  possesses  a 
very  fine  building,  one  of  the  handsomest  in  Oregon.  Its  capital 
is  $60,000.  Mr.  Ladue  was  married  in  1867,  and  has  four  children 
-William  B.,  Kate  Stuart,  George  Franklin,  and  Robert  Stuart. 
Mrs.  Ladue  is  of  the  Stuart  family,  two  of  whose  members  were 
partners  with  John  Jacob  Astor  in  the  Pacific  Fur  Company. 

MULTNER,  F. 

Born  in  Baden,  Germany;  came  to  Oregon  in  April,  1883,  and 
lived  for  a  short  period  in  Portland.  His  present  place  of  resi 
dence  is  McMinnville,  and  occupation,  proprietor  of  the  St.  Charles 
Hotel.  He  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1856,  and  has 
one  child,  F.  W.  Multner,  born  in  Oroville.  California. 

PATTERSON,  JAMES  H. 

Born  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  in  1837.  Married  Wealthy 
J.  Foster,  in  Michigan,  in  1861.  Their  children  are — Homer  J., 
Earnest  F.,  Elmer  M.,  and  Ora  R.  Mr.  Patterson's  address  is  Hills- 
boro,  but  he  lives  at  the  Jolly  Sawmill;  his  occupations  are  milling 
and  farming. 

1884. 

HYDE,  CLARENCE  B. 

Born  in  Geauga  County,  New  York,  April  4,  1856;  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Marilla  Hyde;  removed  thence,  in  1869,  to  Cass  County, 
Missouri,  and  from  thence  to  Oregon.  Settled  in  Scio,  Linn  County, 
which  is  his  present  residence. 

MASTON,  G.  W.,  M.D. 

Born  in  Ohio,  December  14,  1849;  studied  medicine  and  took 
his  diploma  at  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College.  Served  as  surgeon 
in  the  United  States  Regular  Army  for  several  years.  Resigned 


894  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

therefrom  in  -  — ,  and  established  himself  in  practice  at  Waitsburg, 
Washington  Territory.  Came  to  Oregon  in  1884  and  practices  at 
Albany.  Married  Miss  Nellie  O.  Canon,  daughter  of  Sylvester 
Canon,  of  Linn  County,  in  1879.  They  have  one  child,  named 
Vida  M. 

McPHERSON,  MATTHEW  S. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  June  13,  1826.  Came 
to  Oregon  in  1884,  and  located  at  Lebanon,  Linn  County.  Mr. 
McPherson's  occupation  is  that  of  a  carpenter.  He  married  Catharine 
Brubaker,  and  their  children's  names  are — William  TL,  Joseph 
A.,  George  W.,  and  Emma. 

UNCLASSIFIED. 
CHRISMAN,  JOEL  D. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1795;  moved  to  Illinois  in  1833,  and  eleven 
years  later  to  Oregon.  Settled  in  Yamhill  County,  and  died  there 
in  1875.  He  was  a  farmer.  Married  Polly  Sprowl,  in  Virginia,  in 
1817,  and  they  had  a  large  family,  of  whom  the  following  are  the 
survivors — Elizabeth  (Mrs.  B.  Robinson),  Gabriel,  Eleander  (Mrs. 
Darr),  William  M.  C.,  and  Campbell  E. 

CHRISMAN,  WILLIAM  M.  C. 

Born  in  Virginia  in  1830;  accompanied  his  parents  to  Missouri 
in  1833,  and  to  Oregon  in  1844.  Served  in  the  Yakinia  war.  He 
is  proprietor  of  a  very  large  farm  at  Amity.  Married  Margaret 
Parrish  in  1853,  and  they  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased. 

DAVIS,  SAMUEL. 

Born  in  New  Jersey,  December  13,  1804;  went  to  Ohio  when 
young  and  there  married  Mary  Brocken.  Her  birth  occurred  on 
March  2,  1806.  The  pair  removed  to  Missouri  in  1836,  and  to 
Oregon  in  1846.  They  lived  a  year  in  Washington  County,  mov 
ing  to  Yamhill  at  the  expiration  of  that  time.  Here  Mr.  Davis 
lived  until  his  demise,  which  happened  on  the  twenty -seventh  of 
February,  1875.  His  wife's  decease  took  place  on  the  sixth  of  Jan 
uary,  1872.  Their  children  were— J.  B.,  William  B.,  Martha  A. 
(died  January  4,  1882),  Albertis  C.,  Levi  T.,  Sarah  (died  August 
13,  1873),  Elizabeth  E.  (died  July  20,  1879),  Rachel  A.  (died 
October  20,  1870),  and  May  M.  (died  May  10,  1868). 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  895 

DINSMORE,  JAMES  M. 

Born  in  Maine  in  1883;  served  in  the  60th  New  York  Infantry 
regiment,  and  was  wounded  in  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Rebellion.  Is 
now  a  member  of  Can  by  Post  G.  A.  R.,  No.  13.  Occupation,  lum 
bering.  Family  contains  but  one  child,  Isabella  by  name.  Resi 
dence,  Cornelius,  Washington  County. 

GRIFFITH,  ELISHA. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1803;  in  1845  came  from  Illinois  to 
Oregon,  and  settled  at  Oregon  City;  moved  subsequently  to  Linn 
County.  He  superintended  the  burning  of  the  first  kiln  of  brick 
ever  burned  in  Oregon  City;  but  subsequently  was  engaged  at 
shoemaking.  He  married  Elizabeth  Finlay  in  Indiana,  and  their 
children  were — William  N.,  Sabra  J.,  David,  Sarah  A.,  Nancy  J., 
Mary  M.,  John,  Delila  E.,  Elisha  W.,  James  M.,  and  Lydia  M. 
Mr.  Griffith  died  in  Linn  County  in  1871. 

HEWITT,  HENRY. 

Born  in  Huntirigton  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1822;  came  to 
Oregon  in  1843,  settling  in  Washington  County;  lives  now  in 
Yamhill  County,  and  is  a  farmer.  Was  elected  county  commis 
sioner  in  1864.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  Matheny  in  1841.  Chil 
dren — Annie  E.,  D.  M.,  Henry,  Adam,  James,  Isaac,  Matthew, 
Jasper,  Harry,  and  L.  L. 

LYONS,  H.  w. 

Residence  and  address,  Dallas.  Born  in  Shelby  County,  Iowa, 
in  1858.  Received  his  education  in  LaCreole  academy,  at  Dallas. 
In  1883,  entered  the  real  estate  business  in  connection  with  H.  J. 
Ellis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ellis  <fe  Lyons.  In  connection  with 
the  real  estate  office,  has  the  agency  for  several  fire  insurance  com 
panies. 

MCDONALD,  NATHANIEL  G. 

Born  in  Orange  County,  North  Carolina,  August  10, 1818;  came 
overland  to  Oregon  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  settled  in  Marion 
County  and  remained  there  three  years,  then  moved  to  Linn  County, 
near  Scio,  where  he  still  lives.  In  the  spring  of  1848  he  served  in 
the  Cay  use  war,  under  Colonel  Gilliam.  Was  in  all  the  engagements 
of  the  war  and  received  a  wound  in  the  right  lung  at  the  battle  of 
Well  Springs  and  was  carried  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  on  a 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

litter  to  Whitman's  station.     Married  Rebecca  Jane  Hunkers,  who 
was  born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri,  in  1825;  their  children  are- 
Mary  P.,  Alex.  R.,  Benjamin  F.,  Eliza  W.,  Virginia  A.,  William 
G.,  Minnie  V.,  Elizabeth  J.,  and  Robert  L. 

MEADE,  N.  B. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1842;  moved  to  Wisconsin  and  resided 
there  for  twenty -five  years.  Served  in  the  Federal  Army  during  the 
Rebellion,  and  was  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  Atlanta,  and  other  renowed 
historical  engagements;  his  regiment  was  the  seventeenth  Wiscon 
sin.  Was  married  in  1866,  to  Eliza  Collins.  Children — Van 
Rensselaer,  John  H.,  N.  B.,  and  Margaret.  Residence,  Hillsboro; 
occupation,  farming. 

ROBINSON,  BENJAMIN  MORGAN. 

Born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  in  1815.     Came  to  Ore 
gon  in  1844,  settling  in  Yarnhill  County,  where  he  still  resides,     Is 
a  farmer.  Married  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Chrisman  in  1845.  Children- 
Mary  A.,  John  M.,  Eliza,  Araminta  and  Ruth. 

ROQT,  LORENZO. 

Born  in  Ohio  in  1825;  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  went  to  Iowa 
with  his  parents,  thence  to  Illinois,  and  left  that  State  three  years 
later  for  Oregon.  On  arriving  on  this  coast  they  went  to  Astoria 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  several  years  with  his 
parents  on  a  farm.  Removed  thence  to  Yamhill  County  and  pro 
cured  a  farm  in  Chehalem  Valley.  Went  to  McMinnville  in  18Y9 
and  in  1882  commenced  the  business  of  grocer  wThich  he  yet  follows. 
Mr.  Root  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  West  Chehalem  two  years, 
and  was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Martha  Vedder. 

SLOAN,  JOSEPH. 

Born  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  1,  1826.  Moved 
to  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1850,  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1851,  in  com 
pany  with  V.  Trevitt  and  W.  Connie.  Arrived  in  Oregon  City  in 
September.  In  1854  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Ore 
gon  Penitentiary  at  Portland,  and  held  that  position1  over  five  years. 
He  was  also  president  of  the  board  of  penitentiary  commissioners. 
He  subsequently  held  various  positions  on  the  Portland  police  force, 
withdrawing  in  1881.  Married  Lucinda  F.  Lichtenthaler  in  An- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  897 

gust,  1854.   Children— Mary  J.  (deceased),  and  Nellie  (Mrs.  Squires). 
Mrs.  Sloan  died  in  March,  1881. 

WALLER,  A.  F. 

Born  in  Abingdon,  Luzerne  County,  Pennsylvania,  May  8,  1808. 
Was  brought  up  in  the  teachings  of  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which 
he  became  a  member  when  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty -one,  and 
three  years  later  he  began  to  preach.  In  1833  he  wedded  Miss 
Elpha  White,  and  immediately  after  entered  the  Lima  Theological 
Seminary,  in  order  to  fit  himself  more  perfectly  for  his  chosen  call 
ing.  In  1839  he  came,  in  the  ship  Lausanne,  to  Oregon,  having 
chosen  the  life  of  a  missionary.  With  him  came  his  wife  and  their 
two  children.  (See  page  232.)  "  For  thirty-two  years — half  of  his 
life — he  was  a  faithful  laborer  and  cheerful  supporter  of  charitable 
and  religious  institutions.  He  helped  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
Oregon  Institute,  from  which  grew  the  Willamette  University.  He 
was  the  principal  agent  in  establishing  the  Pacific  Christian  Advo 
cate,  in  1853.  His  good  works  were  innumerable,  and  were  per 
formed  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit,  as  all  old  Oregonians  will  testify." 
This  reverend  missionary  died  on  December  26,  1872.  Mrs.  Waller 
survived  him  by  nine  years,  dying  on  the  thirtieth  of  December, 
1881.  Of  their  children,  O.  A.  Waller  (g\  v.)  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Hall 
reside  in  Salem;  Mrs.  C.  C.  Stratton  in  Santa  Clara,  California. 

WALKER,  LOUIS. 

Born  in  New  York  in  1833;  was  educated  in  Madison  Univer 
sity  at  Hamilton,  New  York.  He  left  his  native  State  in  1856; 
lived  for  some  time  in  Minnesota,  then  in  Chicago  for  two  years, 
and  went  from  thence  to  Kansas,  where  he  assumed  the  editorship 
of  the  Register,  of  lola,  Allen  County.  Went  to  California  in 
1 875,  and  was  postmaster  of  Woodland  eight  years,  and  owned  a 
newspaper  part  of  the  time.  Has  been  married  twice;  first  to 
Miss  Mary  Lang,  who  died  in  1877,  and  in  1879  to  Miss  Georgie 
Wall.  Two  children  by  each  wife  were  born  to  him.  Mr.  Walker 
edited  the  Albany  Herald  until  the  beginning  of  1885. 

WILLIAMS,  E.  C. 

Born  in  Ontario  County,  New  York,  September  24,  1818,  re 
moved  to  Michigan  in  1830,  and  to  Illinois  in  1835.  Came  to  Or 
egon  in  1845,  settling  on  a  donation  claim  in  Yanihill  County, 


898  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

which  he  still  owns  a  portion  of.  Resides  in  Amity,  having  re 
tired  from  the  active  pursuit  of  farming.  Mr.  Williams  served  as 
county  commissioner  for  a  term.  In  1848  he  married  Miss  Wilhel- 
mina  Maly,  who  died  in  January,  1882. 

ATKINSON,  REV.  G.  H.,  D.D. 

Born  in  Newlmryport,  Massachusetts,  May  10,  1819,  and  went  to 
Newbury,  Vt.,  in  1830.  Spent  the  years  in  alternate  farm  work 
and  teaching  until  1839,  when  he  entered  Dartmouth  College  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  1843,  spending  a  portion  of  each  year  in 
teaching  to  defray  college  expenses.  Spent  three  years  in  the 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  graduating  in  184(>,  and  then  was 
appointed  to  missionary  work  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  to  South 
Africa,  or  the  Zulu  country.  Upon  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the 
A.  H.  M.  S.  his  destination  was  changed  to  Oregon,  then  the  only 
United  States  territory  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  After  waiting  one 
year — which  was  spent  in  Andover  Seminary,  and  in  making  special 
preparations  for  Bible,  tract  and  school  work  in  Oregon — there  be 
ing  no  opportunity  of  engaging  passage  sooner,  he  left  Boston  on 
the  bark  Samoset,  Ootober  24,  1847,  and  reached  Sandwich  Islands 
in  February,  1848.  After  waiting  at  Honolulu  three  months  for  a 
vessel  bound  for  Oregon,  he  went  in  the  British  bark  Cowlitz,  a 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  vessel,  and  crossed  the  Columbia  bar 
June  12,  1848.  He  settled  in  Oregon  City  and  remained  there 
fifteen  years  as  pastor,  of  the  Congregational  Church.  During 
this  time  he  secured  the  erection  of  its  house  of  worship,  and  also 
the  Clackamas  Female  Seminary,  and  provided  its  first  corps  of 
teachers.  He  also  brought  the  plan  of  the  academy  and  college  at 
Forest  Grove,  and  arranged  for  its  establishment  there  through  the 
Association  of  Congregational  churches,  which  had  been  formed 
with  reference  to  that  .work.  This  institution  was  incorporated  by  the 
first  Oregon  Legislature  in  1849,  and  in  1852  Mr.  A.  returned  to 
New  York  and  secured  its  adoption  by  the  American  College  and 
Educational  Society,  thus  obtaining  its  first  funds  to  defray  ex 
penses  of  teaching.  Mr.  A.  brought  $2,000  worth  of  public  school 
books  to  this  Territory,  and  procured  the  establishment  of  a  public 
school  system  by  the  Legislature  of  1849,  Governor  Lane  strongly 
recommending  the  same  in  his  first  message.  He  was  the  first 
.school  superintendent  of  Clackamas  County,  and  held  the  same  po- 


HISTORY  OF  IMMIGRATION.  899 

sition  in  Multnomah  County  two  terms,  after  taking  up  his  resi 
dence  in  Portland  in  1863,  rendering  efficient  service  in  building  up 
the  excellent  system  of  public  schools  which  now  prevails  in  that 
city.  At  this  time  he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  of  Portland,  and  so  continued  nine  years.  In  1872  he 
was  employed  as  Home  Missionary  by  the  Am.  H.  S.,  and  in 
1880,  became  Superintendent  of  the  Home  Missions  of  the  Con 
gregational  Churches  for  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  In 
1846  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Bates  in  Springfield,  Vt., 
by  whom  he  has  had  six  children — Sophia  B.  (deceased),  Dr.  Geo. 
H.,  a  physician  and  surgeon  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  (died  December  27, 
1884),  Anna  Sophia  B.  (Mrs.  Frank  M.  Warren),  Edward  M., 
now  a  lawyer  in  New  York  City,  Sarah  Frances  (deceased),  and 
Charles  William  (deceased).  He  has  contributed  much  useful  mat 
ter  to  the  press  descriptive  of  Oregon  and  its  resources,  and  daring 
his  frequent  trips  East  has  delivered  many  lectures  upon  the  same 
subject. 

DOANE,  REV.  NEHEMIAH,  D.D. 

Born  in  Eastham,  Mass.,  January  22,  1820;  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  1845.  He  w^as  sent  out  from  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  as  a  foreign  missionary  in  1849, 
being  the  first  ever  sent  to  a  foreign  mission  from  any  of  the  Meth 
odist  theological  schools,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Oregon 
Institute,  now  the  Willamette  University,  and  afterwards  of 
Portland  Academy.  He  has  served  many  terms  as  presiding 
elder,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  held  in  Bal 
timore  in  1876.  He  has  written  several  theological  works,  and  is 
now  pastor  of  Salem  circuit. 

EATON,  CHARLES. 

Born  near  Erie  Pennsylvania,  in  1819.  Came  to  Oregon  in 
1843,  and  settled  at  Oregon  City,  where  he  was  employed  by  J. 
W.  Nesmith  for  a  time.  Went  to  California  in  1849,  and  engaged 
in  mining  with  his  brother  Nathan.  In  1880  went  to  Puget  Sound 
and  settled  on  Tenalquot  Prairie.  During  the  Indian  vvar  of 
1855-56  he  was  in  active  service  as  captain  of  a  company  of  rang 
ers  who  helped  greatly  in  protecting  the  frontier.  Afterwards  he 
became  a  prominent  stock-raiser  in  Eastern  Washington,  and  died 
in  1879. 


1)00  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

EATON,  NATHAN. 

Was  born  near  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  in  1824.  Came  to  Oregon 
in  Nesmith's  company  in  1843,  and  settled  near  LaFayette,  Yam- 
hill  County.  Was  in  the  Caynse  war  in  1847.  Went  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1849  to  dig  gold.  Returned  in  1850,  and  removed  to 
what  was  afterwards  known  as  Thufston  County,  Washington 
Territory,  that  year,  and  located  on  a  farm  twelve  miles  from  Olym- 
pia.  Here  he  lived  until  1882,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed 
to  Elma,  Chehalis  County,  W.  T.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  merchandising.  He  died  in  1883,  leaving  a  wife — formerly 
Miss  Lestina  Z.  Hiines— by  whom  he  had  four  children — Lestina, 
Hugh,  Mary,  and  John.  Mr.  Eaton  rendered  efficient  service  to 
the  country  during  the  Indian  war  of  1855-56. 

HINES,  Rev.  GUSTAVUS. 

Born  in  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  in  1809;  entered  the 
itinerant  ministry  in  1832  in  the  Genessee  Conference;  remained 
there  until  1839,  when  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  Oregon, 
and  arrived  here  in  1840;  he  was  an  active  participant  in  the  for 
mation  of  the  provisional  government.  In  1845  he  returned  to 
New  York,  from  Avhence  he  returned  to  Oregon  in  1853.  He 
represented  the  Conference  of  this  State  in  the  General  Conference 
in  1868.  He  died  in  1871  at  Oregon  City  aged  sixty-four.  He 
was  the  author  of  two  works  relating  to  Oregon. 

HINES,  H.  K.,  D.D. 

Born  in  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  1828,  and  was  reared 
upon  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  country  schools.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  was  made  a  licensed  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  having  already  served  as  a  public  exhorter  for 
three  years.  At  twenty  he  began  his  itinerant  ministry  in  the 
Genessee  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1852 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Oregon  Conference,  and  at  the  first  session 
of  that  body  was  appointed  to  the  city  of  Portland.  He  crossed 
the  plains  with  an  ox-team,  driving  his  own  oxen,  in  the  summer 
of  1853,  reaching  Portland  on  October  3,  and  occupying  the  pulp'.t 
of  old  Taylor  Street  Church  on  the  following  Sunday.  In  1856 
he  organized  the  first  society  of  his  Church  at  The  Dalles,  and  in 
1859  was  made  presiding  elder  of  the  Salem  district.  In  1865 


HISTORY   OF   IMMIGRATION.  901 

he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Fuget  Sound  district;  arid  in  1869  of 
the  Walla  Walla  district,  which  then  included  all  Eastern  Oregon, 
Eastern  Washington  and  a  part  of  Idaho.  He  was  presiding  elder 
of  the  La  Grande  and  Boise  district  from  1875  to  1879,  during 
which  time  he  founded  and  built  the  Blue  Mountain  University  at 
La  Grande.  In  1880  lie  was  elected  editor  of  the  Pacific  Christian 
Advocate,  which  place  he  has  filled  to  the  present  time.  In  1882 
Mr.  Ilines  received  the  degree  of  P.  I).  He  has  occupied  several 
public  positions;  served  two  years  as  a  member  and  president  of 
the  upper  house  of  the  Washington  Territory  Legislature;  and  one 
year  as  chaplain  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  was  for  four 
years  representative  of  the  Twelfth  General  Conference  district  of 
his  Church,  including  all  the  Pacific  Coast,  Utah,  Montana,  Wyo 
ming,  Colorado  and  Nebraska  in  the  General  Missionary  and 
Church  Extensions  Committees  of  the  Church;  one  of  the  most  im 
portant  representative  positions  in  that  body. 

HIGHFIELD.  WILLIAM  F. 

Born  in  London,  England,  December  16,  1818;  came  to  Oregon 
in  1849;  occupation,  jeweler.  Present  residence,  Oregon  City. 

RIGGS,  DANIEL  L. 

Was  born  in  Baskingridge,  N.  J.,  in  1815.  Learned  the  car 
riage  blacksmith  trade  in  Newark.  Married  Sarah  W.  Edwards 
in  1836.  Removed  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1837,  and  in 
1838  to  East  Haven,  where  seven  children  were  born  to  them — all 
but  Theodore  L.  and  Anna  F.  (Mrs.  Geo.  H.  Himes)  being  de 
ceased.  In  April,  1853,  Mr.  Riggs  came  by  steamer  to  Oregon, 
and  built  the  first  steam  flouring  mill  in  the  Willamette  Valley, 
if  not  in  the  State.  Returned  to  Connecticut  in  1855,  and  came 
back  to  Oregon  in  1858,  bringing  his  family  and  settling  at  Eola, 
where  he  conducted  a  small  machine  shop  until  1866,  when  he  re 
moved  to  Salem,  where  lie  lived  until  his  death  in  1883,  carrying 
on  the  same  branch  of  business.  Mr.  Riggs  was  an  ingenious  man, 
patenting  several  inventions,  the  most  notable  being  that  of  a  pro 
cess  of  mending  broken  bells  so  as  to  retain  their  original  tone.  In 
is 7 6  he  made  a  trip  to  Philadelphia  with  a  view  of  mending  the 
old  Liberty  bell,  being  inspired  by  the  patriotic  desire  of  hearing  it 
peal  forth  once  more.  He  had  the  support  of  Gen.  Hawley  and 


902  HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 

other  influential  men,  but  the  city  authorities,  who  had  the  custody 
of  the  bell,  claimed  that  it  had  fulfilled  its  mission,  and  hence 
would  not  permit  the  repair  to  be  made. 

ROBERTS,  WILLIAM,  L.L.D. 

Born  in  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  in v  1812;  was  admitted  into 
the  Philadelphia  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  1834.  In 
1846  he  was  selected  by  the  Board  of  Bishops  as  superintendent 
of  the  Oregon  mission,  and  sailed  from  New  York  with  instruc 
tions  from  the  Missionary  Board  to  explore  California.  He  stopped 
six  weeks  in  that  country  and  organized  the  first  church  in  San 
Francisco,  visiting  San  Jose,  Monterey  and  other  places,  and 
reached  Oregon  in  Jane,  1847,  taking  the  place  of  Rev.  George 
Gary  as  superintendent  of  the  mission  work  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
In  1849,  by  direction  of  Bishop  Waugh,  he  organized  the  Oregon 
and  California  Mission  Conference,  which  was  under  his  superin- 
tendency  four  years,  when  the  Oregon  Conference  was  organized. 
In  1856  he  was  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  at  Indianapolis. 
For  the  next  three  years  he  was  agent  of  the  American  Bible 
Society  for  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  after  which  he  was 
stationed  in  Portland,  and  served  as  presiding  elder  of  Portland 
district.  He  is  still  in  the  active  ministry,  and  is  stationed  at 
Astoria,  Oregon. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


A. 

Abernethy,  George,  232.  250,  251,  2,52,  253,  286,  303, 
328,  603. 

\bdill,  G.  B.,880. 

Vborigines  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  478,  491. 
Adams,  E.  M.,  6<>3. 
Adkins,  E.  S.,  795. 
Adventure,  sloop,  121,  122. 

Agriculture,'  the  first  beginnings  of,  228 :  consid 
ered  in  general,  518  to  590. 

Aguilar,  Martin  de.  discovers  Cape  Blanco,  49. 

Aikeu,  A.  G.,  795. 

Alarcon,  Ferdinand  de,  25. 

Alava,  Gen.  Jose  M.  de,  Spanish  Cornm.,  128, 129. 

Albany,  railway  celebration  at,  49 1. 

Albatross,  American  ship,  145, 146. 

Albright,  C.,  750. 

\lcorn"s  Company,  deeds  of,  401,  402. 

Alden,  Capt.  B.  R,,  U.  S.  A.,  339,  353,  351,  356,  357. 

Alderman,  A.  L.,  051,  652. 

Alderman,  O.,  663. 

Allen,  J.  C.,  708,  709. 

Allen,  N.  H.,  881. 

Allingham,  1).  W.,  751. 

American  Uoard  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  208,  210,  264,  2i>3,  305. 

American  explorations  of  the  Northwest  Coast, 
100,  101,  114. 

American  Fur  » Vmipany,  190,  202,  206,  212. 

American  traders  on  the  Northwest  Coast,  147, 

ft  saq. 

Vmerican  society  for  the  settlement  of  Oregon 
Territory,  the,  223,  224,  225. 

Andrews,  David,  854. 

Angell,  Martin,  killed  by  Indians,  402. 

Auian,  Straits  of,  22-36. 

Ankeny  Farm,  the,  576. 

Antiquities  of  the  Valley,  487. 

Apperson,  J.  T.,  6(33,  664. 

Applegate  Creek,  siege  of  the  cabins  upon.  402, 

\pplegate.  Charles,  275,  fill. 

Applegate,  Jesse,  275,  2*7,  298,  299,  338,  492,  611. 

Applegate,  Lindsay,  275,  611,  612. 

Applegate  Route,  sen  Hoitthern  Route. 

Apples,  566,  567. 

Ardnzazit,  Spanish  exploring  vessel,  117. 

Argonaut,  English  ship,  105,  106,  107,  UK),  114. 

Armstrong,  William,  8<>fi. 

Arteaga,  Ignacio,  explorations  of,  91. 

Arthur,  l>avid,  275,  <>li^. 

Ashburton,  Lord,  English  Ambassador,  264. 

Ashburton-Webster  treaty,  270. 

Ashland,  railway  reaches,  503. 

Ashley,  Gen.  W.'H.,  191,  193. 

Astoria  founded,  and  derivation  of  name,  153, 
156,  157;  custom  house  established  at,  333. 

Astoria  and  Willamette  Valley  Railroad  Com 
pany,  incorporation  of,  463. 

Astor,  John  Jacob,  164,  16(5,  167. 

Atkinson,  Rev.  Geo.  H.,  898. 

Augur.  Captain  C.  C.,  I".  S.  A.,  408. 

Av.M-ill,  H.  J.  C.,  751. 

15. 

Babcock,  Dr.  J.  L.,  232,  243,  244,  251,  281. 
Baber,  G.  H.,631. 
Backenstos,  E.  D.,  700. 


Bacon,  J.  M.,  631. 
Bagley,  O.,  838. 
Bailey,  Caroline  E.,  631. 
Bailey,  H.,  murder  of,  377. 
I    Bailey,  Joseph,  877,  878. 
i    Bailey,  Captain  Joseph,  399. 

Bailey   DrTW.  J.,  226,  243,  24 1,  281,  286,  304. 
'•    Baker,  A.  B.,  881. 
'    Baker,  Andrew  J.,  275,  612. 
i    Baker,  L.  M.,  874. 
!    Baker,  John  G.,  275,  612,  613. 

Baker,  John  W.,  796. 
'<    Baker,  Senator  E.  D.,  262. 

Baldra.  William,  599. 
i    Ballard,  D.  W.,  751. 
!    Ball,  Isaac  692. 
i    Barger,  S.  P.,  847. 

Barley,  -558,  5-59;  production  of,  in  1880,  559. 
!    Barlow,  John  L.,  631. 
!    Barnes,  F.  P.,  85)1. 
I    Barnum,  E.  M.,  351. 
Barrett,  N.  W.,  832. 
Barrett,  Richard  A.,  796. 
Basalt,  536,  537,  -538. 
Batchelor,  James,  891. 
Bates,  James  M.,  594,  595. 
Bauer,  A.,  692. 
Baughman,  J.  H.,  709. 
Bayiey.  J.  R.,  ,832. 
Bean,  ,f.  \V.,  S41. 
Bean,  R.  S.,  827. 
Bear,  the,  516. 

Beaver,  American  ship,  arrives  at  Astoria,  160. 
Beaver  monev,  330,  331. 
Bedwell,  E.,  664. 

Beers,  Alanson,  missionary,  21<>,  251. 
Beet  Sugar,  571. 
Beets,  563. 

Behring's  discoveries,  57  to  59. 
Bell,  G.  G.,  727. 
Bellinger,  J.  H.,  664. 
Belt,  A.  M.,  709. 
Belt,  B.  F.,  751. 
Belt,  George  W.,  827. 

Bennett,  Captain,  408,  41:!,  414;  killed,  418,  420. 
I    Bennett,  Levi,  692,  693. 
i    Bentlcy,  L.,  866,  867. 

I    Benton,  Thomas  H.,  services  of,  to  Oregon,  245, 
2 Hi,  31  !l,  320,  321.  322,  32-5,  32U.     Nct>  frontispiece. 
"Ben  Wright  Massacre,"  the,  439. 
r.enyowsky ,  <  'ount  M.  de.  escapes  from  Siberia, 

61. 

1'x'i-miian.  M.  !-.,  88(i. 
Berries,  570. 
Berry,  Jos.-ph  F..  7<u;. 
i    Berry,  S.  J.,  751. 
!    Besser,  L.,  752. 
:    Bettman.  L.,  887. 
Bevens,  J.  S..  s_>7. 
Bevens,  T.  O.,  s-JT. 
Bevens,  W.  P.,  827. 
Bewley,  T.  R.,  664. 
Biddle,  Captain  J.,  165,  167. 
Big  Meadows,  battle  of,  443,  444. 
Bill,  Congressional,  establishing  territorial  gov- 

vernment  in  Oregon,  321,  327. 
Bills,  Cincinnati,  796. 
Bilyeu,  A.  J.,  752. 
Bilyeu,  J.  AM  752. 
Bilyeu,  Peter,  752. 


11 


HISTORY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Bilyeu,  William,  752. 

Bilyeu,  W.  R.,  848. 

Bingham,  G.  G.,  871,  872. 

Bingrnan,  J.  K.,  727. 

Bird,  John,  664,  665. 

Black,  survivor  of  the  Umpqua  Massacre,  198. 

Black,  Captain,  R.  N.,  103. 

Blain,  Jay  W.,  796,  797. 

Blain,  L  E.,  693. 

Blain,  Wilson,  328,  333,  693. 

lUaine,  James  G..  views  upon  the  Oregon  Ques 
tion,  291-297. 

Blakeley,  James,  652. 

Blanchard,  J.  P.,  72S. 

Blanchet,  A.  M.  A.,  missionary,  305,  306,  307. 

Blanchet,  Francois  N.,  missionary,  74,  217,  243, 
244,  281,  305. 

Blossom,  English  man-of-war,  167. 

Bodega  y  Quadra,  Lieutenant,  explores  the 
Northwest  Coast,  7!),  SO,  82,  107,  124,  125, 128. 

Bohemia  mining  district,  539. 

Boise,  R.  P.,  350,  351,  728. 

Bolan,  A.  J.,  Indian  agent,  murder  of,  386,  387. 

Bonham,  B.  F.,  797. 

Bonneville,  Captain  B.  U  K.,  202-204. 

Bonney,  Jairus,  652. 

Boon,  H.  D.,  632. 

Boon,  John  D.,  351,  6:!2. 

Boothby,  R.  R.,  700. 

Booth,  Robert,  752,  753. 

Bounds,  J.,  652. 

Bowlby,  Wilsc  n,  753. 

Boyle,  J.  W.,  632i 

Branson,  B.  B.,  693. 

Branson,  E.  T.,  728. 

Bridgefarmer,  B.,  665. 

Briedwell,  George  W.,  8:38. 

Briedwell,  J.  W.;709,  71t). 

Briedwell,  John  W.,  753. 

Briggs,  J.  J.,  891,8!L>. 

Briggs,  W.  W.,  797. 

Brink,  Thomas,  878. 

Bristow,  W.  W.,  693. 

Broadwell,  J.  C.,  710. 

Brock,  Mrs.  Eunice,  652. 

Bronson,  L.,  865. 

Broughton,  Lieutenant,  second  in  command  to 
Vancouver,  118.  126. 

Broughton,  W.,  75.". 

Brouillet,  Father  J.  B.,  priest,  308,  310,  311. 

Brown,  A.  C.,  665,  600. 

Brown,  E.  M.,  838. 

Brown,  G.  M.,  754. 

Brown,  George,  665. 

Brown,  George  W.,  890. 

Brown,  J.  H.,  710. 

Brown,  J.  Henry,  28:?. 

Brown,  Orus,  275,  613. 

Brown,  Samuel,  710. 

Brown,  W.  C.,  666. 

Brownsville  Woolen  Mill,  57!>,  5*0. 

Bruce,  Major  James,  3!)6,  :J'AS,  :;w,  400,  403.  4-'«,  434, 
437.  438,  442. 

Brush,  J.,  666. 

Brush  lands,  519-522. 

Buccaneers,  sketch  of,  27,  2X.  Attack  the  Span 
iards,  53,  54. 

Buchanan,  Lieutenant-Colonel  t:.  s.  A.,  140,  441. 
442,  443,  444,  445. 

Buchtel,  Joseph,  754. 

Buckingham.  A.  L.,  S35. 

Buck,  W.  W.,  632. 

Buffum,  W.  G.,  632. 

Bulletin  newspaper,  the,  502. 

Bump,  W.,  844. 

Burbank,  A.  R.,  797. 

Burch,  Benjamin  F.,  298,  313,  350,  633. 

Burial  mounds,  487,  48s. 

Burkhart,  C.  G.,  s:;2. 

Burkhart,  C.  P.,  728,  729. 

Bur  K  hart,  J.  H.,  72!l. 

Burnell,  C.  B.,  797,  79S. 

Burnett,  G.  W..  IML',  653. 

Burnett,  Peter  H.,  273,  301,  :J2s. 

Burns,  D.  N.,  694. 

Burns,  Hugh,  magistrate,  257. 

Burns,  John,  6!>4. 

Burns,  W.  E.,  694. 

Burrows,  Lieutenant,  killed,  417,  420. 

Burrows,  Thomas,  854. 


Burton,  J.  J.,  633. 

Bush,  Asahel,  335,  351,  391,  710,  711. 

Butler,  George  W.,  666. 

Butler,  Isaac,  633. 

Butler,  Ira  F.  M.,  798. 

Butler,  I.  M.,  711. 

Butler,  J.  B.  V.,  700. 

Butler,  J.  J.,  711. 

Butler,  N.  L.,  700. 

Butler,  Sandford,  798. 

Butt,  John,  633. 

Buxton,  Henry,  606,  607. 

Byars,  W.  H.,  798,  799. 

C. 

Caamano,  Lieutenant  J.,  explorations  of,  117. 

Cabrillo,  Juan  Rodriguez,  voyages  of,  25,  26. 

Calapooia  Indians,  the,  480. 

Calbreafh,  J.  F.,  M.D.,  597. 

Caldwell,  William,  754. 

California,  discovery  of,  24-26. 

California,  Lower,  colony  planted  in,  54. 

Campbell,  George  I).,  890. 

Campbell,  G.  S.,  754. 

Campbell,  Hector,  701. 

Campbell,  H.,  251. 

Campbell,  James  G.,  799. 

Campbell,  J.  M.,  799. 

Campbell,  W.  C.,  754. 

Campbell,  W.  G.,799. 

Canon,  W.  R.,  729. 

Canyon,  the  Umpqua,  its  difficulty,  299,  303. 

Cape  Disappointment,  seen  by  Vancouver,  119. 

Cape  Flattery,  discovered  by  Cook,  86. 

Cape  Orford,  named  by  Vancouver,  119. 

Capital  of  Oregon,  location  of,  345,  346,  347,  348, 
349. 

Caples,  L.,  701. 

Caples,  J.  W.,  711,  712. 

Carey,  John,  667. 

Carlin,  J.,  6-53. 

Carmichael,  — ,  230. 

Carmon,  Waters,  712. 

Carpenter,  W.  R.,  712. 

Carpenter,  Dr.,  582. 

Carriere,  Michael,  159. 

Carrots,  563. 

Carr,  Sumner,  845. 

Carson,  J.  C.,  729. 

Carter,  W.  D.,  712. 

Cartwright,  Theodore,  799. 

Carver,  Captain  Jonathan,  travels  of,  72-74. 

Cary,  Cyrene  B.,  275,  614,  615. 

Cascades,  Indians  besiege  the,  448-453. 

Cascade  Mountains,  the,  514,  515,  516,517. 

Case,  William  M.,  288,  621,  622. 

Casey,  Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  339,  426,  456. 

Cason,  Adoniram  J.,  615. 

Cason,  Feudal  C.,  275,  615. 

Cason,  F.  C.,  or  James,  280. 

Casto,  Joseph,  881. 

Caswell,  murder  of,  by  Indians,  116. 

Cather,  Ezra,  890. 

Catholic  Missionaries  in  Oregon,  74,  217-221,  232, 
25o-  stations  of,  2KO,  281;  progress  of  s.,  305, 
306;  aggravating  behavior  of  m.,  307,  308; 
their  connection  with  the  Whitman  mas 
sacre,  310,  311;  influence  over  Flathead  In 
dians,  382;  they  labor  to  avert  war,  470. 

Catron,  Jonathan,  754. 

Cattle,  573-577;  introduction  of,  301,  573;  im 
provement  of  breeds,  574,  575;  present  status 
of  stock-raising,  575;  dairying,  575,  576;  beef 
raising,  576;  total  number  of  cattle  in  1880 
and  18X3,  577. 

Caufield,  R.,  666. 

Cavallo,  Juan,  98. 

Cave,  Rev.  James,  283,  615. 

Cave,  Riley,  275,  615. 

Cavendish,  Thomas,  adventures  of,  32. 

Cay  use  Indians,  the,  213,  259;  attitude  towards 
missionaries,  306;  their  murder  of  Whit 
man,  309-311;  war  against,  312-317;  hosta 
ges  of,  executed  at  Oregon  City,  335;  treaty 
with,  381. 

Cay  use  War,  the,  312-317;  organization  of  troops, 
313 ;  fight  at  Well  Springs,  314, 315 ;  retreat  to 
the  Touchet,  316. 

Chadwick,  S.  F.,  350,  730. 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Ill 


Chambers,  Roland,  633,  634. 

Chambers,  W.  N.,  730. 

Champoeg,  political  meetings  at— first,  242;  sec 
ond,  253;  third,  255. 

Chandler,  Mrs.  N.,  730. 

Chapman,  M.  N..  667. 

Chapman,  \V.  W.,  333,  39$),  434,  436,  437,  438,  492, 
6(57,  668. 

Chapman,  W.,  667. 

Chapman,  Wm.,  668. 

Charlton,  A.  D.,  N.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  51 1. 

Charltou,  J.  K.,  862. 

Charman,  Frederick,  835,  836. 

Charman,  Thomas,  800. 

Charman,  T.  L.,  843. 

Chenamus,  brig,  603. 

Chenoweth,  F.  A.,  701. 

Cherry,  J.  G.,  888, 839. 

Chinese,  the,  521. 

Chinn,  Major  M.  A.,  406,  407,  411.  412,  413. 

Chinook,  name  of  Indian  family,  482. 

Chisham,  J.  M.,  712. 

Chrisman,  J  D.,  894. 

Chrisman,  W.  M.  C.,  894. 

( 'lackamas  Indians,  the,  479. 

Clark,  General,  U.  8.  A.,  473. 

Clark,  J.  C.,  867. 

Clark,  J.  S.,  Sr.,  878. 

Clark,  Stephen,  800. 

Clark  T.  W.,  854. 

Clarke,  Emeline,  603. 

Clarke,  Rev.  Harvey,  missionary,  232,  603. 

Clarke,  John,  161,  162. 

Clarke,  J.  T.,755. 

Clarke,  S.  A.,  713. 

Clarke,  Captain  Wm.,  134. 

Clarke's  Fork,  136. 

Clearwater  River,  Lewis  and  Clarke  reach  the. 
136,  137. 

Clerke,  Captain  Charles,  84,  89. 

Clough,  A.  M.,  883. 

Clow,  W.  C.,  884. 

Coast  Range,  the,  description  of,  516. 

Coast  Reservation,  Oregon  Indians  removed  to, 
446. 

Cochran,  Wm.,  668. 

Cockstock,  Indian  chief,  279,  280. 

Coffey,  James,  832,  833. 

Coffin,  Stephen,  6(58,  669. 

Cole,  Chauncey,  755. 

Coleman,  D.  C.,  730. 

Coleman,  James,  669. 

Collard,  E.  B.,  (569. 

Collier,  Professor  G.  H.,  524,  811. 

Collins,  F.  M.,  653. 

Collins,  George,  863. 

Collins,  J.  L.,  653,  (554. 

Collins,  J.  N.,  881. 

Collins,  Smith,  654. 

Collins,  W.  W.,  654. 

Colnett,  Captain,  105-108. 

Columbia  Rediviva,  ship,  100,  101,  103.  109,  116,  117, 

Columbia  River,  intimations  of  its  existence, 
67,  (58 ;  narrowly  missed  by  Heceta,  80 ;  passed 
by  Vancouver,  119;  discovered  by  Gray,  122. 

Columbia  River  Fishing  and  Trading  Com 
pany,  204. 

Colville,  gold  mines  of,  discovered,  3x2. 

Corncomly,  Indian  chief,  lf»3,  164. 

Com  ley,  J.  B.,  833. 

<  'ondit,  C.,  827. 
Condit,  Ph.,  828. 
Condit,  S.,  731. 
Cone,  G.  A.,  731. 
Congle,  J.  B.,  800. 

Congress,  its  attitude  towards  Oregon,  224,241; 
fails  to  pass  essential  laws,  318-  delav  of,  :!83 
Conklln,  Charles,  669. 

<  'onnaway,  W.  P.,  881,  882. 
Conner,  Nathan,  670. 
Conners,  R.  S    836. 
Connett,  I.,  W.  L.,  and  J.,  755. 
Connor,  J.,  670. 

Conovur,  R.  B.,  874,  875. 

Couser,  Jacob,  333. 

Constitution,  .State,  344,  315. 

Constitutional   convention    proposed,    344,  345, 

346,  319;  meets  at  Salem,  350,  351. 
Constitutional  election  of  1855,  287. 


Cook,  Captain,  62,  82,  84-89;  killed  in  Hawaii, 

89. 

Cook,  L.  H.,  886. 
Cook,  J.  W.,  755. 
Cook,S.  M.,  755. 
Cooley,  B.  F.,  713. 
Cooley,  E.  C.,  634. 
Cooley,  George  C.,  800. 
Coombs,  Nathan,  249,  250. 
Cooper,  E.  W.,  850,  851. 
Cooper,  G.  W.,  884. 
Cooper,  J.  R.,  756. 
Cooper,  J.  S.,  854,  855. 
Corey,  G.  R.,  756. 
Corker,  D.  L,  851. 
Cornelius,  Jesse,  634. 
Cornelius,  O.  H.  P.,  701. 
Cornelius,  Thomas  R.,  407,  408,  413,  427,430,431, 

432,  447,  634,  635. 
Cornoyer,  Captain,  411,  413,  414;  elected  major, 

427,  429. 

Cornwall,  Rev.  J.  A.  C.,  600,  001. 
Corouado,  F.  V.  de,  travels  of,  25. 
Cortereal,  Gaspar  de,  voyage  of,  22-24. 
Corvallis,  becomes  capital  of  Oregon,  345,  .">!U. 
Corwin,  Thomas,  great  speech  upon  the  passa-r 

of  the  Oregon  bill,  325,  326. 
( 'osgrove,  H.,  670. 
Coshow,  O.  P.,731. 
Cosper,  David,  756. 
Cosper,  Romeno,  845. 
Couch,  John  H.,  328,  603,  004. 
Cougar,  the,  517. 
Cow  Creek,  war  on,  394. 
Cowls,  J.  W.,  756,  757. 
Cox,  A.  M.,  757. 
Cox,  E.,  757. 
Cox,  Joseph,  350. 
Cozine,  Samuel,  275,  615,  616. 
Crabtree,  John  J.,  635. 
Craig,  Col.  William,  trapper,  308. 
Cranston,  S.  B.,  731. 
Crawford,  G.  F.,  757. 
Crawford,  J.  W.,  862. 

Crawford,  Medorem,  248,  249,  2-50,  303,  6i'7,  MS,  tnn>. 
Crawford,  R.  II.,  758. 
Crawford,  T.  H.,  758. 
Creameries,  practicable  in  Oregon,  576. 
Croasman,  A.  B.,  855. 

Crooks,  Ramsey,  in  Hunt's  party,  157,  158,  161. 
Cross,  L.  D.,  758. 
Crowley,  Solomon,  758. 
Curry  county,  Indian  war  in,  43S- 142. 
Curry,  George  L.,  301,  311,  315.  3(>1,  3S,s.  3sn,  :;HD,  :«u, 

394,  405,  411,  427,  431,  432,  456,  654. 
Curtis,  J.,  758,  759. 
Cusick,  Solomon,  801. 
Cusick,  W.  A.,  801. 
Cyrus,  Henry,  694. 
Cyrus,  William,  670. 

I). 

Daedalus,  English  store-ship,  124,  12t;. 

Daniel,  R.  R,,  875. 

D'Arcy,  P.  H..  S3!». 

Dart,  An  son,  338. 

Davenport,  T.  W.,  732. 

Davidson,  A.,  6-54. 

Davidson,  C.  F.,  759. 

Davidson,  Elijah,  713. 

Davidson,  E.  B.,  713,  714. 

Davidson,  H.,759. 

Davidson,!.  G.,  714. 

Davidson,  I.  N.,  759. 

Davidson,  J.  E.,  670,  671. 

Davidson,  J.  O.,  671. 

Davidson,  W.  M.,  759. 

Davies,  Horace  G.,  801. 

Davies,  Miles,  801. 

Davis,  A.  C.,  654. 

Davis,  K.  E.,  759. 

Davis,  George,  731. 

Davis,  George  W.,  872. 

Davis,  H.  A.,  760. 

I  >avis,  Jefferson,  732. 

havis,  Captain  John,  explorations  of,  .",•_'. 

Davis,  Governor  John  W.,  344,  345. 

Davis,  J.  W.,  714. 

Davis,  Joseph,  655. 

Davis,  Levl  T.,  655. 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Davis,  Mrs.  Nancy,  635. 

Davis,  N.,  855. 

Davis,  Samuel,  655,  894. 

Dawson,  William,  65.'). 

Day,  I.  T.,  581. 

Day,  John,  157,  160. 

Day,  Lieutenant,  388. 

Deady,  Matthew  P.,  344,  350,  351,  358,  359,  701,  702. 

Dearborn,  R.  H.,  802. 

Deardorff,  A.  G.,  828. 

Deardorff,  C.,  714. 

Deckard,  Anderson,  802. 

Deer,  the,  516. 

DeLashmutt,  J.  K.,  760. 

De  Letts,  J.,  802. 

Demers,  Rev.  Modest,  217,  250. 

Dempsey,  I.  I.,  s!8. 

Dennis,  P.  M.,  S86,  887. 

Denny,  A.  H.,  732. 

Denny,  O.  N.,  760. 

Denny,  Robert,  702,  703. 

Desertion  of  United  States  troops  from  Oregon 
City,  etc.,  331. 

Deskins,  D.,  655. 

De  Smet,  Father  P.  J.,  missionary,  232,  305. 

Dice,  E.  C.,  656. 

Dickey,  I.  C.,  802,  803. 

Dickinson,  O.,  803. 

Dierdorff,  William,  828. 

Dinsmore,  J.  M.,  895. 

Discovery  and  Chatham,  British  ships,  US,  124,  126. 

Districts,  Oregon  divided  into,  281,  2X6. 

Dixon,  Jesse,  732. 

Doane,  Rev.  N.,  899. 

Dodson,  McMinn,  803. 

Donation  Law  proposed,  246,  261. 

Donner  Party,  the,  2«>8. 

Dorioii.  Pierre,  157. 

Dorris,  J.  J.,  671. 

Dorsey,  G.,  76'). 

Douglas,  Jas.,  Hudson's  Hay  Co.  Factor,  311,  312. 

Douglas  fir,  the,  524,  .",25. 

Douglas,  Levi,  711,  715. 

Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  senator,  322.    * 

Douglas,  Captain  William,  OS,  101,  103. 

Douty,  Sylvester.  884. 

Dove,  Bethuel,  635. 

Downing,  Susan,  missionary,  216. 

Do  well,  B.  F.,  732,  7.']:!. 

Drain,  Charles,  760  761. 

Drake,  B.  F.,  733. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  28;  Hakluyt's  account  of, 
2! I ;  story  of  the  pilot  Morera,  30 ;  did  not  dis 
cover  San  Francisco  Bay,  30;  names  the 
country  "New  Albion,"  31;  returns  to  Eng 
land,  32. 

Drummoiid,  Sir  W.,  213. 

Dryer,  T.  J.,  335,  350,  363,  391,  715. 

Du  Gas,  E.,  885. 

Dunn,  John,  author,  235,  245. 

Durham,  D.  O.,761. 

Durham,  G.  H.,  671. 

E. 

Earhart,  R.  P.,  .583,  833. 
Earnest,  W.  B.,  761. 
East  India  Company,  engages  in  the  fur  trade, 

96  j  97. 

Eaton,  Chas.,  275,  suit. 
Eaton,  Nathan,  275, 900. 
Ebberts,  George  W.,  232,  257,  595. 
Eccleston,  E.,  761. 
Eccleston,  H.,  761,  762. 
Edinburf)  Rcvir.iv,  opinions  of,  235. 
Ed  wards,  J.,  733. 
Edwards,  P.  L.,  20S,  217,  230,  337. 
Eel  Is,  Reverend  dishing,  214,  265 
Eight-Dollar  Mountain,  battle  of,  435,  436. 
Eilers,  G.  H.,  762. 
Election  of  1844,  281.  282  (table);  of  1845,  285,  286; 

of  1846,  300;    of  1847,  303,  304;   of  1849,  333;  ol 

1850.  335 ;  of  1858,  351. 

Elisa,  Lieut.  Francisco,  voyages  of,  114  to  117. 
Elkins,  J.  E.,  6.°,5. 
Elkins,  W.  S.,  762. 
P^lliott,  S.  G.,  proposes  a  railway  to  California, 

492,493. 

Elliott,  W.,  656. 
Ellis,  M.  M.,  858. 
Ellis,  Nez  Perce  chief,  258. 


Embree,  C.  D.,  284,  622. 

Emerick,  Solomon,  275,  616. 

Emmons,  Lieutenant,  U.  S.  N.,  244. 

England,  William,  762. 

English  explorations  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  83, 

et  seq. 

Ennis,  A.,  733. 
Ennis,  J.  E.,  763. 
Enos,  renegade  Indian,  kills  Ben  Wright,  439, 

446. 

Epperly,  George  A.,  844. 
Erb,  Ira,  867. 

Ermatinger,  Francis,  H.  B.  Co.  Factor,  246,  247. 
Evans'  Creek,  battle  of,  356. 
Evans,  J.  G.,  855. 
P^verest,  E.,  890,  891. 
Ewing,  F.  Y.,  217. 

F. 

Failing,  Josiah,  733,  734. 

Farms,  average  size  of.  at  various  dates,  585 ; 

number  of,  585. 
Faulconer,  A.  B.,  656. 
Fawk,  J.,  734. 
Feller,  Peter,  803. 

Felice  Adventurer,  ship,  98,  101,  105. 
Fenton,  F.  W.,  858. 
Fenton,  W.  D.,  858,  859. 
Ferguson,  H.  J.,  884. 
Ferguson,  J.  L.,  763. 
Forrelo,  Bartolome,  successor  of  Cabrillo,  25,  2i»; 

discov.  rs  Oregon,  26. 
Ferriu,  W.  N.,  887. 
Fickle,  Abner,  803. 

Fidalgo,  Salvador,  explorations  of,  118,  125. 
Fields  and  Cunningham,  murder  of,  370. 
Fields.  A.,  703. 
Fields,  Hugh,  636. 
Fields,  Thomas  R.,  763. 
Filipino,  Spanish  ship.    8ee  Kan  Carlo*. 
Financial  history  of  Indian  wars,  475,  476,  477. 
Finlayson,  J.  J.,  7651. 
Fishback,  J.  L.,  864. 
Fisher,  C.  G.,  859. 
Fitzgerald,  J.  J.,  7651 
Fitzgerald.  Major,  II.  S.  A,  376,  399. 
Five  Crows,  Cayuse  chief,  259,  308,  315. 
Flannery,  Mrs.  T.  L.,803. 
Flathead  Indians,  romance  of,  208.   Treaty  with, 

382. 

Flax,  560,  561;  production  of,  in  1880,  561. 
Flickinger,  H.,  734. 
Flinn,  M.  A.,  855,  856. 
Flood  of  1S52-53,  341,  312. 
Florida  Purchase,  165. 
Flour,  quality  of,  549. 

Foiite,  Admiral  B.  de,  romance  of,  42-44,  82. 
Foote,  Senator,  demagoguery  of,  326,  327. 
Forbes,  J.  Alexander,  201. 
Ford,  Nathaniel,  2S3,  284,  333,  622. 
Ford,  Robert,  804. 
Forests  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  517,  518,  523- 

528;  list  of  forest  trees,  524. 

Forest  fires,  destruction  wrought  by,  526,527,52s. 
Fort  Boise,  built  by  Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  205. 
Fort  Chipewyan,  131. 
Fort  Clatsop,  138. 

Fort  Defiance,  built  at  ( ilayoquot,  116,  121. 
Fort  George,  163  et  seq. 
Fort  Hall  built  by  Wyeth,  205,  274. 
Fort  Henrietta,  411. 

Fort  Henry,  on  Snake  R.,  established,  157,  191. 
Fort  Umpq.ua,  established  by  Laframboise,  201. 
Fort  Walla  Walla  abandoned,  409. 
Fort  Williams  on  Sauvie's  Island,  205. 
Fossils,  535. 
Foster,  Philip,  281. 
Fouts,  William,  715. 
Frazar,  Thomas,  734. 
Fredericks,  J.  M.,  672. 
Fremont,  John  C.,  enters  Oregon,  277,  278. 
French  and  Indian  war,  results  of,  71,  72. 
French  explorations  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  93. 
French  Prairie  settled,  228  -230,  234,  249. 
Frink,  W.  S.,  865. 
Frizzell,  J.  P.,  763,  764. 
Frost,  Rev.  J.  H.,  missionary,  232. 
Fruit  and  fruit  raising,  561-570;   production  iu 

1880,  571. 
Fuca,  Straits  of,  99. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Fulkerson,  J.  W.,  672. 
Falkerson,  W.  HL  672. 
Funter,  Captain  Robert,  103. 
Fur-bearing  animals,  517. 

Fur  trade,  the,  55,  56,  03,  89,  90,  93-96,  132,  146,  186- 
194. 

G. 

Gaines,  A.  P.,  715. 

Gaines,  Governor  J.  P.,  334,  335,  338,  342,  346,  362. 

Gale,  Joseph,  of  the  Executive  Committee,  256. 

Galena,  539. 

Galice  Creek,  394 :  battle  with  the  Indians  at,  395. 

Galiano  and  Valdez,  explorations  of,  118,  123. 

Galloway,  Charles,  764. 

Galloway!  William,  764. 

Game,  ,316,  517. 

Garrison,  J.  M.,  657. 

Gary,  Rev.  George,  missionary,  280. 

Gaston,  Joseph,  848. 

Gay,  George.  250,  595,  596. 

Gearin,  J.  M.,  734. 

Geary,  E.  R.,  7*5. 

Geer,  F.  W.,  657. 

Geer,  J.  C.,  Sr.,  672,  673. 

Geer,  Ralph  C.,  301,  561. 

Geiger,  William,  M.D.,  239,  599,  600,  601. 

Geisel  family,  the,  murder  of,  439. 

Geisy,  August,  843. 

Gelston,  Captain  R.,  321;  duplicity  of,  322. 

General  Warren,  steamer,  wrecked,  339,  340. 

Geology,  535  to  546. 

George,  M.  C.,  735. 

Gervais,  Joseph,  199,  226,  244,  2-52. 

Gibbs,  A.  C.,  715,  716. 

Gibson,  Daviess,  703. 

Giuson,  S.  D.,  764. 

Gibson,  W.  O.,  673. 

Gilmore,  John,  828. 

Gilmore,  J.  W.,  836. 

Gilllam,  A.  J.,  673. 

Gilliam,  Cornelius,  283,  313.  317;  killed,  316,  317. 

Glaciers,  ,538. 

Gleason,  John  E.,  845. 

Goats,  ,581,  582. 

Godley,  H.  D.,  828,  829. 

Gold  discovered  in  California,  329,  330. 

Gold  discovery,  effect  of,  on  Oregon,  330. 

Gold  and  silver  veins,  538,  539. 

Goltra,  W.  H.,  804. 

Good,  D.  H.,  657. 

Good,  G.  E.,  765. 

Goodman,  A.  J.,  765. 

Gowdy,  J.  T.,  765. 

Graf,  Fred.,  833,  834. 

Graham,  George,  694. 

Graham,  James,  887. 

Graham,  J.  K.,  695. 

Grand  Ronde  Valley,  battle  in,  459-461. 

Grant,  R.  J.,  765. 

Grant,  Captain,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  274. 

Grasses,  natural  and  cultivated,  562,  563. 

Grave  Creek,  394;  murders  at,  359,  360. 

Graves,  C.  B.,  657. 

Graves,  G.  W    673. 

Graves,  J.  B.,  333,  673. 

Graves,  Thomas  N.,  673,  676. 

Graves,  Wesley,  765,  766. 

Graves,  William,  844. 

Gray,  G.  W.,  766. 

Gray,  Captain  Robert,  arrives  on  the  Northwest 

Coast,  100;  his  discoveries,  116  to  122. 
Gray,  W.  H.,  251,  252,  254;  his  history  of  Oregon, 

195;  becomes  a  missionary,  212,  214;  story  of 

Whitman's  mission  to  Washington,  267,  268. 
Gregg,  J.  T.,  856. 
Green,  James,  674. 
Green,  N.  J.,  869,  870. 
Greenwood,  trapper,  288. 
Griffith,  Elisha,  895. 
Griggs,  A.  B.,  716. 

Griffin,  Mrs.  Desire,  missionary,  232,  601,  602. 
Griffin,  Rev.  John  Smith,  missionary,  232,  333, 

601,  602. 

Grim,  J.  W.,  333,  674. 
Ground,  Luther,  804. 
Grover,  Lafayette,  350,  351 ,  358,  476. 
Groves,  J.  F.,  856. 
Guthrie,  D.  M.,  657,  658. 
Gwin,  J.  L.,  716. 


H. 

Hackleman,  A.,  674. 

Hackleman.  T.  P.,  766. 

Hadaway,  E\  C.,  766. 

Hagey,  M.,  695. 

Hagood,  H.,  695. 

Hakluyt,  Richard,  the  geographer,  Jl. 

Hale,  G.  N.,  848,  849. 

Hale,  Milton,  636. 

Haley,  P.  W.,  804. 

Hall,  B.  F.,  735. 

Hall,  C.  H.,  836. 

Hall,  E.  C.,  658. 

Hall,  R.  B.,  658. 

Hall,  R.  P.,  658. 

Hall,  William,  716. 

Haller,  Major  G.  P.,  IT.  S.  A.,  362,  363,  364,  388,  391, 
392,  408,  425,  448. 

Hallett,  J.  I,.,  575,  870. 

Hamilton,  A.  J.,  870. 

Hamilton,  Edward,  335. 

Hanna,  James,  engages  in  the  fur  trade,  93. 

Haney,  John,  882. 

Hannum,  L.  L.,  766,  767. 

Harbord,  M.  G.,  875. 

Harding,  B.  F.,  344,  345,  703,  704. 

Harding,  S.  F.,  887. 

Hare,  W.  D.,  805. 

Harger,  L.  W.,  735,  736. 

Harmon,  C.  H.,  865. 

Haro,  Lieutenant  Gon/alo  de,  explorations  of, 
102,  et  seq. 

Harrel,  D.,  767. 

Harris,  Mrs.,  heroic  defense  of,  375,  376. 

Harris,  Hugh,  805. 

Harris,  James,  862. 

Harris,  Reuben,  674,  675. 

Harris,  W.  H.,  767. 

Harritt,  Jesse,  636. 

Hartman,  B.  F.,  843. 

Harvey,  Amos.  636. 

Harvey,  Mrs.  E.  (McLoughlin),  593. 

Hastings,  A.  L.,  767. 

Hastings,  J.  C.,  767. 

Hastings,  L.  W.,  248,  249,  2.50. 

Haswell,  Robert,  diary  of,  116;  commands  the 
Adventure,  121. 

Hathaway,  Felix,  283. 

Hawkins,  J.  S.,  767. 

Hawkins,  W.  E.,  841. 

Hawley,  J.  H.,  284,  623. 

Hawxhurst  or  Hawchurst,  Webley,  230. 

Hay  and  grasses,  562, 563;  production  in  18SO.  561. 

Hay,  Jerry,  829. 

Hayden,  B.  B.,  704. 

Hayes,  Mrs.  Sarah,  658,  659. 

Hayes,  R.  B.,  767,  768. 

Hayes,  S.  W.,  768. 

Hearn,  E.  J.,  870. 

Hearne,  Samuel,  travels  in  Northwest  America, 
76,  77. 

Heceta,  Captain  Bruno  de,  explores  the  North 
west  Coast,  79, 82 ;  fails  to  explore  the  Colum 
bia,  80,  81. 

Hedges,  Joseph,  768. 

Helm,  George  R.,  494. 

Helmick,  Henry,  636,  637. 

Hembree,  A.  J.,  900,804,388,408;  killed,  428,  IL'II. 

Hembree,  J.  J.,  704. 

Hembree,  J.  M.,  675. 

Hembree,  W.  C.,  616. 

Hemstock,  William,  875. 

Henderson,  J.  F.,  805. 

Henderson,  J.  J.,  659. 

Henderson,  L.,  859. 

Henderson,  T.  B.,  768.  769. 

Henderson,  W.  G.,  862. 

Hendrecson,  O.  P.,  829. 

Hendrex,  J.  F.,  851. 

Hendricks,  Thomas  G.,  H9.5. 

Henry,  A.  B.,  769. 

Herren,  Dosha  R.,  637. 

Herren,  W.  J.,  2S9,  H:17. 

Hess.  Daniel,  695,  696. 

Hewitt,  Henry,  895. 

Hiashaw,  S.,  637,  638. 

Hiatt,  William,  849. 

Hicks,  Mrs.  E.  P.,  736. 

Hicks,  Urban  E.,  736. 

Higgins,  S.,  737. 


VI 


HLSTOKY  OF   WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Highfield,  W.  F.,  898. 

Hill,  Almeran,  276,  616. 

Hill,  Henry.  675. 

Hill,  Dr.  J.  L.,  487,  488,  805,  806. 

Hill,  Tom,  renegade  Indian.  306.  3<>7. 

Hiltibrand,  Paul,  637. 

Himes,  George  H.,  806. 

Hines,  Rev.  Gustavus,  missionary,  232,243,251, 

2V),  900. 

Hines,  Rev.  H.  K..  WO. 
Hinman,  Alansoii.  281,  623,  624. 
Hirsch,  Leopold,  769. 
Hodgin,  W.  L.,  841,  8 12. 
Hogg,  Colonel  T.  Egerton,  energy  of,  509. 
Hogs,  580,  581 ;  number  of,  in  1880  and  1883,  -581. 
Holden,  Horace,  285,  62 1. 
Holladay,  Ben,  joi.  495,  et  sen. 
Holland,  H.  i',.,  769. 
Holman,  D.  8.,  276.  616,  617. 
Holman,  George  P.,  609. 
Holman,  Hardy,  675. 
Holman,  Mrs.  Joseph,  232. 
Holman,  Joseph,  561,  602,  603. 
Holman,  J.  D.,  33 
Holman,  J.  .S.,  675,  676. 
Holman,  Nathaniel.  670. 
Holman,  Preston,  676. 
Holman,  Thomas,  875. 
Holmes,  H.  R.,  829. 
Holmes,  W.  H.,  716,  717. 
Holmes,  William  L.,  275,  617. 
Hooker,  D.  D.,  61)6. 
Hoover,  Jacob,  281,  621. 
Hope,  trading  vessel,  122. 
Hopkins,  Henry,  862,  86-3. 
Hops,  56!,  562;  production  of,  in  18SO.  562. 
Horner,  John  B.,  845. 

Horses,  number.)!,  in  is.su  and  JSS3,  577. 
H os ford,  E.  F.,  63s. 
Hosier,  \V.  H.,  ,s90. 
Hoult,  Enoch,  350,  806,  807. 
Howard,  A.  D.,  893.  SOI. 
Howard,  D.  C..  5 

llosve,  .1.   M.,  S51. 

Ho  well,  Jones,  872. 

Howison,  Lieutenant.    ,•>>  <•  Shark. 

Howitzer,  Captain  Judah's,  100. 

Rowland,  J.  s.,  638. 

Hubbard.  G.,  676. 

Hubbard,  T.  J.,  226.  233. 

Muck,  or'llouk,  James, 275,  617. 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the,  170  to  178,  259.  298, 
573;  commencement  of,  54,  55;  powers  and 
privileges  of.  55;  policy  ol,  55,  76.  S3.  1: :;3,  203, 
304,238,234,285,241;  servants  of.  iss,  IS!»:  be 
havior  toward  Americans,  18,;  to  lS!i,  25s-  re 
lations  with  Indians,  370. 

Hudson,  Captain  Henry,  explorations  of.  5:',. 

Hudson,  Captain  Thomas.  105. 

Hudson,  W.  S.,  87s. 

Hulery.  J.  M.,  807. 

Humasou,  O.,  737. 

'•Humbug  war"  in  California,  story  of,  371. 

Humphrey,  J.  A.,  882. 

Humphreys,  George,  859,  860. 
Humphreys,  T.  D.,  676,  677. 
Humphreys,  T.  M..  807. 

Hungry  Hill,  battle  of,  396  to  308. 

Hunt,  J.  A.,  677. 

Hunt,  G.  W.,  677. 

Hunt,  Wilson  Price,  lead*  a   partv  to  <)re»on 

157  to  160.  16-1. 
Hurley,  A.  M.,  597. 
Huston,  Walter,  561. 
Hutchinson,  Thomas  H..  807. 
Hutchinson,  T.  O.,  831. 
Hyde,  E.  < ).,  878. 
Hyde,  H.  O.,  863. 
Hyde,  Perry,  737. 

I. 

Ide,  W.  B.,  288. 

Her,  W.  E.,  677. 

Iinbrie,  James,  650. 

Immigration  of  is<],  245.  246,217,  006,  607 

—1842,  217-2M),  6:17-610. 

—  IS  13;  described  by  J.  W.  Nesmith,  273-270- 
list  of  arrivals,  275,  276,  610-621. 

—1814;  lists,  2S3,  2S1,  621-031. 

—1845,  2S8,  289,  290,  631,  651. 


Immigration  of  1846,  297,  298,  651-663. 
-1847,  301-303,  663,  692. 
-1848,  692-700. 
—1849,  700-708. 
—1850,  708-727. 
—1851,  727-750. 
—1852,  340,  341,  750-795. 
—1853.  795-826. 
—1854,  827-832. 
—1855,  832-835. 

Independent  Protestant  Missionaries,  232. 

Indian  corn,  5-58 ;  production  of,  559,  585. 

Ingalls,  General  Rufus,  476. 

Ingraham,  Captain,  124. 

Inland  explorations  by  Portala,  in  California, 
64,  65;  by  La  Hontan,  Marquette,  La  salle, 
and  others,  66;  by  the  Verendryes  on  the 
upper  Missouri,  69-71 ;  by  Carver,  72,  73;  by 
Hearne  in  British  America,  76,  77;  by  Mac 
kenzie,  131,  132 ;  by  Laclede,  189. 

Iphigento,  ship,  98,  101,  103,  104,  105. 

Iron  and  iron  smelting,  540-542. 

Irvine,  E.  L.,  842. 

Irvine,  J.  D.,  769,  770. 

Irving,  Washington,  author,  245. 

I'xntip  Todd,  English  ship,  162. 

Isom,  John,  807,  808. 

J. 

Jackson,  David,  193,  201. 

Jacksonville,  troops,  muster  at,  394. 

James,  W.  H.,  770. 

Janney,  P.,  887. 

Jarnigan,  A.  J.,  845,  846. 

Jeatmetle,  schooner,  328. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  opinion  of,  regarding  Ore 
gon,  133, 134,  1.50. 

Jeffries,  F.  S.,  770. 

Jennings,  B.,  677. 

Jenny,  English  brig,  126. 

Jessup,  Gen.,  U.  S.  A.,  proposes  a  chain  of  forti 
fications,  181. 

Jessup,  S.  R.,  851,  852. 

Jesuits,  the,  in  Lower  California,  64. 

Jette,  A.,  770. 

John,  Rogue  River  Chief,  402,  403,  442,  414,  145, 416. 

Johnson,  Daniel,  284,  624,  625. 

Johnson,  David,  284,  625. 

Johnson,  Elvira,  missionary,  216. 

Johnson,  H.  A.,  678. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Hezekiah,  1538. 

Johnson,  H.  V.  V.,  770. 

Johnson,  James,  284,  625. 

Johnson,  L.,  737. 

Johnson,  Mrs.  P.  O.,  770.  771. 

Johnson,  Walter,  829. 

Johnson,  W.  C.,  638,  639. 

Johnson,  William,  243,  244,  607. 

Johnson.  W.  P.,  876. 

Johnston,  John,  717. 

Johnston,  W.  B.,  887. 

Jolly,  W.  B.,  678. 

Jones,  Ben.,  achievement  of,  158. 

Jones,  D.  M.,  771. 

Jones,  Harvey  L.,  80S. 

Jones,  John,  771. 

Jones,  M.  L.,  808. 

Jones.  8.  T.,  696. 

Jones.  W.  T.,  659,  660. 

.lory,  H.  S.,  678. 

Joseph,  chief  of  the  Xez  Perces,  358,  382. 

Juan  de  Fuca,  claims  to  have  discovered  the 
Straits  of  Fuca,  37,  38;  discussion  of  his 
claims,  $  M  2. 

Judah,  Captain  H.  M.,  399. 

Judson,  Rev.  I,.,  missionary,  232,  251,  257,  604.      , 

K. 

Kama-i-akun,  chief  of  the  Yakimas,  380,  381, 

429,  458. 

Kautz,  Lieutenant  A.  V.,  U.  S.  A.,  396. 
Kay,  Thomas,  852. 
Kearney,  Philip  H.,  338. 
Keene,  Granville,  murder  of,  370. 
Keene,  P.  T.,  O.  R.  &  X.  Co.,  511. 
Keith,  agent  Northwest  Company,  107. 
Keizer,  T.  D..  280. 
Kelley,  Hall  J.,  proposes  the  occupation  of  Ore 


gon,  223,  225,  224]. 
Kelly,  Andrew,  771. 


GENERAL  \N1 )  K  X . 


VI 1 


Kelly,  E.  DM  808. 

Kelly,  J.  K.,  :i50,  351,  406,  411,  118,  414,  415,  416,  427, 

737,  738. 

Kelly,  Penumbra,  696. 
Kelsay,  John,  350,  434,  4.%,  437,  80s. 
Kendricks,  Captain  John,  arrives  on  the  North 

west  Coast,  100,  108. 
Kennedy,  Barney,  678. 
Kennedy,  M.,  80S. 
Ketchum,  W.  M.,  678. 
Keyt,  E.  C.,  717. 

King  George's  Sound  Company,  !>•">. 
Kinney,  R.  C.,  333,  350,  078,  67!). 
Kinsey,  Anson,  660. 
Kinsey,  James,  679. 
Kizer,  F.  M.,  809. 
Klickitats,  the,  481,  482. 
Knapp,  George  W.,  809. 
Knight,  Charles,  867,  868. 
Knight,  Joseph,  809. 
Knight,  Rev.  P.  S.,  80it. 
Knight,  William,  852. 
Knighten,  Thomas,  679. 
Kriighton,  H.  M.,  32S. 
Koehler,  R  ,  manager  O.  &.  C.  R.  R.  Co.,  504,  510, 

511. 

Kone,  Rev.  W.  W.,  missionary,  232. 
Koontz,  M.  V.,  772. 
Kriesel,  William,  885. 
Kunoft;  J.  W.,  562. 
Kuteh,  W.  T.,  856. 


Laehapelle,  Andre,  592. 

Ladd,  W.  8.,  737. 

Lady,  John  T.,  809,  810. 

Lady    Washington,  American  ship,   100,  101,  107, 

108,  115,  116,  118,  120. 
Lafollett,  Charles,  810. 
Lafollett,  I).  H.,  717. 
Laframboise,  Michael,  i!01. 
Lame,  J.  H.,  737. 

Lamerick,  John  K.,  339,  398,  434,  436,  437,  442,  445. 
Lam  kin,  J.  C..  882. 
Lancaster,  Columbia,  248,  333. 
Lancefield,  A.  J.,  660. 
Lance,  J.  W.,  852. 
Land  grants  to  railroads,  509,  510. 
Lane  county,  volunteers  from,  394. 
Lane,  Joseph,  327,  328,  :tM,  337,  :53S,  3(4,  345,  346,  £31, 

&54,  356,  357,  358,  359,  360,  475,  704.      ' 
Lanning,  E.  J.,  887,  888. 
La  Perouse,  French  navigator,  93. 
Lapwai,  mission  at,  214,  306. 
Large,  Francis,  717,  718. 
Laroqne,  George,  679,  680. 
Laughlin,  Lee,  680. 
Laughlin,  Samuel,  680. 
Laughmiller,  J.  A.,  882,  883. 
Lava,  536,  537,  538. 
Lawyer,  Nez  Perce  chief,  211,  382. 
Lead,  539. 
Le  Breton,  George,  243,  252,  254,  255,  2-57  ;  killed  at    I 

Oregon  City,  280. 
Ledford,  G.  T.,  829,  830. 
Ledyard,  John,  proposes  to  explore  Northwest 

America,  133,  134. 
Lee,  A.,  772. 

Lee,  Ann  Maria  P.,  missionary,  232,  596. 
Lee.  Rev.  Daniel,  208,  210. 

Lee,  H.  A.  G.,  312,  313;  appointed  colonel,  317. 
Lee,  Rev.  Jason,  208,  231,  242,  243,  250,  251,  573;  his    : 

attitude  upon  the  question  of  local  govern-    ! 

m  en  t,  253. 
Lee,  J.  T).,  697,  698. 
Lee,  Nicholas,  680,  681. 
Lee,  P.,  681. 
Lee,  Thomas  ,]..  846. 
Leese  [Lease],  Jacob  P.,  brings  the  first  sheep  to    ! 

Oregon,  577,  578. 

itive  Committee,  meeting  of,  288. 
-lature,  members  of,  of  isiii,  3iN»;  of  isi7,  -ii)3. 

301:  <,f  is  IS,  301. 
Leininger,  W  .  II..  S.YJ. 
Leisy,  Isaac,  7  is. 

•    M  a  hieu,  Isaac,  s<r_'. 
Lennox,  David  T.,  617. 
Lennox,  Louise,  6is. 
Leonard,  author,  his  statement    regarding   the 

wheat  crop  of  1844,  547. 


Lesley,  Geor-e,  772. 

Leslie,  Rev.  David,  missionary,  217,  2:tt,  251,5%. 

Lewelling,  or  Luolling,  5H6. 

I  ,e\vis  and  ( 'lai'ko's  expedi  t  ion,  131  to  143. 

Lewis.  cl<-rk  of  ship  T<nn/nin.     .Vv  '/'<,, i'/i'in. 

Lewis,  B.  F.,  772,  773. 

Lewis,  Isaac,  697. 

Lewis.  Joe,  renegade  Indian.  307.  3'i\  :;o!i,  310;  de 
serts  his  friends,  317. 

Lewis,  J.  W.,  773. 

Lewis,  Captain  Merriwether,  134. 

Lewis,  W.  H.,  689. 

Lewis,  W.  P.,  773. 

Linn  county,  volunteers  from.  31 1. 

Linn,  Senator,  2iO,  241,  245,  246. 

Linville,  H.,  304,  660. 

Linville,  W.  S.,  705. 

Literature,  early,  treating  of  <  )regon  :  its  elit •<•! , 
261. 

Llewelyn,  A.  W.,  810. 

Logan,  David.  350,  718. 

Long,  A.  H.,  810. 

Long,  Gabriel,  773. 

Looking  Glass,  Ne/  Perce  chief,  3^_'. 

Loring,  Colonel,  334. 

Lot  Whitcomb,  steamboat,  imilt  at  Mihvaukie. 
.336,337,341. 

Loughary,  L.  W.,  811. 

Lovejoy,  Asa  Lawrence.  218.  219,  21 «.  •_"=!,  26! »,  2SH, 
300,303,304,609;  accompanies  Dr.  Whitman 
to  the  East,  269,270. 

Lovelady,  T.  J.,  661. 

Lownsdale,  D.  H.,  300,  039. 

Lucier,  Etienne,  199,  226,  22s,  229,  21:',. 

Luelling,  Henderson,  nursery  of,  301.  3  >•_>. 

Lumber,  varieties  and  amounts  of,  525,  52ti. 

lAiptou,  James  A.,  killing  of,  372,  373. 

Lydia,  American  ship,  enters  the  Columbia,  1-s. 

Lyman,  Horace,  705,  706. 

Lyons,  H.  W.,  895. 

M. 

Mackenzie,  Alexander,  discovers  Ma«-ken/ie's 

River,  131.    Crosses  the  A  meriran  continent, 

131,  132. 

Mack,  W.  O.,  773. 
Madonna,  bark,  604. 
Magers,  J.  E.,  773,  774. 
Magers,  W.  B.,774. 
Magistrates,  the  first,  1^3. 
Mail  service  provided  by  Government,  319. 
Malaspina,  Captain  Alejandro,  explorer,  115. 
Maldonado,  Captain  L.  F.  de,  claims   to  have 

found  the  Northwest  Passage,  33-3i;. 
Maloney,  H.S.,876. 
Mammoth,  remains  of  the,  536. 
Mandan,  Indians,  135. 
Manis,  W.  R.,  774. 
Mansfield,  D..  71S. 
Maquinna,  Indian  chief  of  Nootka.  98;   grants 

land  to  the  Americans,  lit;. 

Marshall,  J.  W.,  discovers  gold  in  ( 'alifornia,  329. 
Marsh,  Joseph  W.,  Sll,  864. 
Marsh,  S.  H.,  811,  812. 
Martine/,  Estevan,  78,  79,  102- KI7. 
Martin,  J.  L.,  718,  719. 
Martin,  J.  M.,  S4<). 
Martin,  Thomas  J.,  si;.'. 
Martin, 'Thomas,  860. 
Martin,  William  J.,  396,  3W,  \:\:\. 
Martin,  W.  W.,  860. 
Marvin,  A.  M.,  738. 
Marvin,  Mrs.  L.,  KM  . 
M< in/  Darren,  American  brig,  201. 
Maryland,  American  brig, 243,  241,  W«. 
Mary's  Peak,  516. 
Mason,  I ).  C.,  S5<i,  S57. 
Mason,  I.T.,883. 

Massacre  of  October  ninth,  1855,  374-376. 
Massacre,  the  Ward,  361,  362. 
Massacre,  the  Whitman.    <svv  whitman. 

Mathieu,  Francois  X.,  248,  249,  2-56,  Hi  19,  610. 

Mathiot,  .lean  .1.,  812. 

Mattice,  murder  of,  385,  386. 

\Iattoon,  (J.  H.,  739. 

Maurelle,  Antonio,  79,  81. 

Mau/ev.  William.  27H,  tils. 

Maytield,  W.  L,  774. 

May,  George  E.,  .562. 

May,  H.  B.,  681. 


Ylll 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


May,  Thomas  W.,681. 

McAdams,  Fred.  872. 

McAfee,  W.  E.,  830. 

McBean,  Win.,  of  Fort  Walla  Walla,  cowardice 

of,  311. 

McBride,  George  W.,  830. 
McBride,  James,  32S,  039,  640. 
McBride,  John  R.,  &50. 
McBride,  T.  A. ,681. 
McCain,  J.,  739. 
McCain,  Paris,  6S:>. 
McCarty,  E.  W.,  082. 

McCarver  Morton  M.,  276,  2^3,  287,  399,  618. 
McClai n,  Daniel.  S6<>. 
McClane,  John  B.,  276,  618. 
McCord,  J.  S.,  719. 
McCorraick,  M.,  719. 
McCown,  F.  O.,  771,  775. 
McCown.  William,  775. 
McCnlly,  A.  A.,  775. 
McDaniel.  Ellsha  P.,  284,  625. 
McDonald,  H..  719. 
McDonald,  X.  G.,  895,  896. 
McDougal,  Duncan,  160.    See  Pacific  Fur  Co. 
McDowell,  F.  D.,  834. 
McElroy,  E.  B.,  S76. 
McFadden,  O.  B.,  812. 
McGrew,  J.  W.,  SI!). 
Mclntosh,  J.  M.,885. 
McKay,  A.  and  J.,  248. 
McKay,  Alexander,  151,  153. 
McKay,  Charles,  60!). 
McKay,  James,  682. 

McKay,  Thomas.  1H5,  2(«,  307,  308,  309,  313,  315. 
McKenzie,  Donald,  157.    See  Pacific  Fur  Co. 
McKf-nzie  River,  520,  521,  .539,  -562. 
McKinney,  Charles,  640. 
McKinney,  E.  E.,  697. 
McKinney,  J.  N.,  640. 
McKinney,  William,  682. 
McKune,  Robert,  775. 
McLaughlin,  Robert,  812,  813. 
McLean,  John,  335. 

McLellan,  Robert,  in  Price's  party!  157,  159, 161. 
McLench,B.  F.,719,720. 
McLeod.  Alexander  R.,  trapper,  199.  21:;. 
McLeod  River  named,  200,  213. 
McLoughlin,  Eloisa,  593. 
McLoughlin,  Dr.  John,  214,  2.59,  593,  594;   locates 

at  Willamette  Falls,  233;    character  of,  197, 

213,  236-239. 


McLoughlin,  Joe,  19!).  21!). 
McNary,  Alexander,  640. 


McNary,  A.  W.,  640. 

McNary,  Hugh,  641. 

McNemee,  Job,  641. 

McPherson,  M.S.,  894. 

McPherson,  W.  H.,879. 

McTavish,  J.  G.,  162. 

Meade,  N.  B.,  896. 

Mead,  J.  E.,  739. 

Mead,  M.  M.,  730. 

Meadows  campaign,  the  first,  399,  400;  the  sec 
ond,  436-438. 

Meares,  Capt.  John,  explorations  of,  95, 97-110. 

Medical  Lake,  battle  of,  473,  474. 

Meek,  Courtney,  598. 

"  Meek's  cut-off,"  289,  290. 

Meek,  Joseph  L.,  232,  216,  2-54,  257,  281,  288.  300,  303, 
328,  335, 597,  598 ;  delegate  to  Washington,  322 ; 
his  journey  eastward,  323,  324;  return,  328. 

Meek,  Stephen  Hall,  trapper  and  guide,  248,  289, 
290,  516. 

Meek,  William.  566. 

Mel  drum,  John.  641. 

Meldrum,  John  W.,  641,  642. 

Memorial,  Mr.  Thornton's,  to  Congress,  322. 

Mendenhall,  W.  F.,  876. 

Menes,  Francois,  706,  707. 

Meredith,  J.  W.,  813. 

Merwin,  M.,  863. 

Meteorological  tables,  534,  535. 

Methodist  Board  of  Missions,  208 

Mexico,  conquest  of,  19. 

Michaux,  Andre,  botanist,  134. 

Mickels,  P.,  86-5,  866. 

Military  company  enrolled  at  Chain poeg,  280. 

Milne,  John,  868. 

Miller,  A.  H.,  839. 

Miller,  C.  M.,  740. 


Miller,  D.  A.,  776. 

Miller,  F.  M.,  839. 

Miller,  F.  M.,  885. 

Miller,  G.  A.,  720. 

Miller,  H.  B.,  720. 

Miller,  J.  D.,  720. 

Miller,  Captain  John  F.,  354,  356,  360,  740. 

Miller,  J.  F.,  720. 

Miller,  Joseph,  in  Hunt's  party,  157. 

Miller,  J.  P.,  776. 

Miller,  J.  R.,  836. 

Miller,  J.  W.,  720. 

Miller,  Louis,  834. 

Miller,  M.,  720. 

Miller,  R.  B.,  721. 

Miller,  Samuel,  721. 

Miller,  S.  E.,  776. 

Miller,  W.  C.,  813. 

Miller,  William  P.,  642. 

Milwaukie,  rivalry  with  Portland,  333;  orchard 

at,  566. 

Minto,  John,  284,  515,  574,  577,  625,  626. 
Minto  Pass,  the,  515. 
Missi9ns,  258, 280,  281,  487 ;  backward  state  of,  305 ; 

missionaries  favor  a  local  govei'nment,  245 ; 

hostility  of,  to  Catholics,  258. 
Missionaries — the  Jesuit,  in  Lower  California,64. 

—the  Dominican,  do,  64. 

— the  Franciscan,  do,  64,  65. 

—Methodist,  204,  208-210,  216,  217,  232,  233,  249, 
250. 

—American  Board  of,  214-216. 

—Influence  of  Protestant,  207. 
Missouri  Fur  Company,  formed,  145. 
Mitchell,  M.,  842. 
Molalla  River,  mines  on,  539. 
Molallas,  the,  481. 
Monroe  Doctrine,  the,  180. 
Montana  explored  by  the  Verendryes  in  1743, 

69,  70. 

Montanye,  L.  H.,  879. 
Monteith,  Thomas,  682,  683. 

Montgomei'y,  Capt.,  IT.  S.  N.,  takes  Mr.  Thorn 
ton  to  Boston,  323. 
Montgomery,  J.  A..  683. 
Montgomery,  R.  M.,  813. 
Montgomery,  William,  683. 
Moody,  Z.  F.,  740,  741. 
Moore,  M.,  284,  626, 
Moore,  P.  M.,  891. 
Moore,  Robert,  chairman  of  the  first  legislature, 

254,  255. 

Moores,  C.  B.,  776. 
Moores,  I.  R.,  350,  776,  777. 
Moreland,  J.  C.,  777. 
Moreland,  S.  A.,  777,  778. 
Morgan,  J.  W.,  857. 
Morris,  Daniel,  813. 
Morris,  H.  Taylor,  707. 
Morris,  John  S.,  813. 
Morrison,  R.  W..  284,  626. 
Morse,  Capt.  F.,  killed  by  accident,  336. 
Moss,  S.  P.,  778. 
Moss,  Sydney  W.,  249,  610. 
Mount  Edgecombe,  82. 

Mount  Fairweather,  discovered  by  Cook,  87. 
Mount  Hood,  named  by  Vancouver,  126;  alti 
tude  of,  515. 
Mount  Jefferson,  515. 
Mount  St.  Elias,  discovered  by  Behring,  58;  by 

Cook,  87. 
Moyer,  J.  M.,  778. 
Mudge,  N.  F.,721. 
Mulkey,  J.  L.,  333. 
Mulkey,  M.  F.,  683. 
Mulligan,  Robert,  741. 
Multnomah  Indians,  the,  479,  480. 
Multnomah  River.    See  Willamette. 
Munger,  Rev.  Asahel,  missionary,  232,  601. 
Munson,  Captain,  411,  417. 
Murphy,  J.  M.,  741,  742. 
Murphy,  J.  T.,  778. 
Murphy,  W.  P.,  778. 
Myer,  Henry,  683. 
Myers,  George  779. 
Myers,  David,  837. 

N. 

Narrow-  gauge  railroad.    See  Oreg&tiian  Railway 
Company. 


GENERAL   TNDKX. 


IX 


Xathman,  B.  A.,  864. 

Naylor,  T.  G.,  604. 

Neah  Bay,  a  port  of  the  Spaniards,  114,  125. 

Neal,  Olday  or  Attey,  284,  ($26. 

Nealy,  Nelson,  721. 

Neibert,  C.,  879. 

Nelson,  George  S.,  284,  626,  027. 

Nelson,  J.  C,  284,  627. 

Nesmith,  J.  W.,  273,  287,  304,  333,  344,  358,  3<>3,  405, 
406.  407,  408,  411,  413,  425,  427,  618,  619. 

Xewbill,  B.  H.,  779. 

Xewby,  W.  T.,  276,  020. 

Newell,  Dr.  Robert,  232,  246,  247,  288,  300,  304. 

New  Georgia,  name  applied  by  Vancouver,  123. 

Newman,  Alexander,  888. 

Xez  Perces  Indians,  141,  142,  202,  203,  211,  213,  214, 
258,  2-59,  309,  312,  382,  423;  called  Chopunnish, 
141,  142. 

Nichols,  B.  F.,  284,  627. 

Nichols,  M.,  742. 

Xixon.  Joseph,  779. 

Nolan d,  N.,  779. 

Nookamis,  Indian  chief,  153. 

Nootka  Convention,  the,  111,  112,  123,  129. 

Xooka  Sound,  discovered  by  Perez,  78;  re-dis 
covered  by  Co«k,  87. 

Nerthrup,  E.  J.,  779. 

Northwest  America,  schooner,  100,  101,  103,  105, 
110,  121. 

Northwest  Coast,  explored  by  Heceta,  79-83;  by 
Quadra.  79, 80;  by  Cook,  86-S8;  by  Arteaga, 
91 :  by  I,a  Perouse,  93 ;  by  Meares,  95, 1)7-100 ; 
by  Eiisa,  114:  by  Malaspina  and  Bustam- 
ente.  115;  by  Caamano,  117;  by  Galiano  and 
Valdez,  118;  by  Vancouver,  118-128. 

Northnyest  Passage,  search  for,  21-115;  reward 
for  its  discovery,  76,  83;  Spanish  opinion  on. 

Northwest  Fur  Company  formed,  131 ;  establish 
stations  bevond  the  Rockies,  144,  145;  expe 
dition  to  Columbia  River.  I(i2.  163,  165.  167, 
169,  170;  consolidated  with  IT.  B.  Co.,  171. 

Norton,  E.  O.,  868. 

Notre  Dame,  sisters  of  the  order  of,  281. 

Noyer,  P.  S.,  834. 

Nursery,  traveling,  brought  in  1847,  301,  302. 

O. 

Oak  Flat,  Council  of,  442,  443. 

Oatman,  H.  B.,  narrow  escape  of,  370. 

Oats,  558:  production  of  in  1880,  55!),  58-5. 

O'Bryant,  H.  D.,  in  Cayuse  war,  313. 

O'Connor,  Frank,  849. 

Odell,  W.  H..  742. 

Odeneal.  T.  B.,814. 

O'Donald,  Jonathan,  721. 

Ogden,  Peter  Skeen,   English  Hudson's  Bay  Co. 

Factor,  200:  rescues  Americans,  312. 
Olds,  D.  G.,  780. 
Olds,  G.  W.,  742. 
Olds,  J.H.,  742,  74.",. 
Olds,  Mrs.  N.,  780. 
Olley,  Rev.  A.  P.,  missionary,  232. 
Olney,  Cyrus.  344,  743. 

Olney,  Nathan,  exploit  of,  316, 362, 409,  410,  414,  H5. 
O'Meara,  James,  351. 

O'Neil,. lames,  226,  249;  presides  at  "Wolf  meet 
ing,"  2-->2. 
onions,  563. 

Ortfftrin,  American  man-of-war,  165,  167. 
Ord,  Capt.  E.  O.  C.,  TT.  S.  A.,  422,  4-10. 
o,-r>/<»nni>,  newspaper,  established  at  Portland, 

6,  *M. 
m  .sv  ntinel,  newspaper,  372. 

-'ttor,  newspaper,  established.  3oo. 
-"    \Veckly   Times,  newspaper.    «SVv    We^'mi 
Steer. 

on  and  California  Railroad,  the,  492>  501,510; 
fond  granf,,  528. 
Oregon  Central  Railroad  Co.,  organization  <>f, 

w»5.  196. 
Oregon  Pacific  Railroad  Co.,  difficulties  in  its 

way.  .Vi'i.  m.  k 

i  >r.>-on  Railway  and  Navigation  ( 'o.,  511. 

,.ian  Railroad  <  'ompany,  5(»',  509. 
on— American  titles  to,  165,  !<•<••. 
--Uritish  titles  to,  lu;. 
-Derivation  of  name.  72  to  76. 
—Its  former  boundaries,  144. 
Oregon  Bills,  of  Senator  Linn,  246,  2bl. 


Oregon  City,  Indian  tight  at,  279,  280;  execution 

of  five  Cayuse.s  at,  :!1S. 
Oregon  City  Woolen  Mills,  579. 
"Oregon  Fever,'1  the.  described,  261,  262. 
Oregon  Institute.    8ce  W>Ut«nrit<-  University. 
( )regon  Mining  Bureau  formed,  510. 
Oregon  Question,   the,  165,   166,  167,  168,  179-185, 

289,  290. 

"Oregon  Rittes,"  militia,  312,  313. 
t  K\\ -<»4-o,  iron  mines  of,  540. 
Otoiido,  Admiral  Isidro  de,  54. 
Outrages  against  Indians,  359,  360. 
Owens,  Thomas,  276,  620. 


Pacific  Fur  Company,  organization  of,  150-161, 

166. 

Pacific  Telegraph  Company.    See  Telegraph. 
Pacific  University,  the,  sli,  812. 
Palmer,  Gen.  Joel  L.,  313,  344.  358,  :J*2,  >:;,  H2,  l>42, 

Parnbrun,  P.  C.,  203,  213,  247. 

Panther.    See  Cougar. 

Parker,  Allen,  780'. 

Parker,  Rev.  Samuel,  210-212,  213;  Intolerance 
of,  219,  271. 

Parrish,  L.  M.,  780. 

Parrish,  J.  L.,  missionary,  232,  243,  2-31,  604,  HU>, 
606. 

Partlow,  W.  B.,  780. 

Patterson,  F.  A.,  839,  840. 

Patterson,  Jerry  M.,  866. 

Pat  ton,  Thomas  McF.,  743. 

Paul,  W.  A.,  722. 

Payne,  J.  M.,  864,  865. 

Peaches,  569. 

Pearce,  Thomas,  743,  744. 

Pearl,  J.  A.,  781. 

Pearl,  James.  781. 

Pearl,  Joseph,  781. 

Pears,  569. 

Peck,  G.  W.,  8JO. 

Pedlar,  American  brig,  164. 

Peebles,  George  A..  83U. 

Peebles,  J.  C.,  350,  722. 

Pennington,  S.  M.,  683,  684. 

Pentland,  Robert,  643.. 

Peo-peo-mox-mox,  Indian  chief,  259,  381,  409,  414; 
killed  by  whites,  418. 

Percival,  R.  C1.,  HI  4. 

Perc-ival,  William,  814. 

Perez,  Captain  Juan,  explorations  of,  78, 79;  dis 
covers  Nootka  Sound,  78. 

Perkins,  H.  K.  W.,  missionary,  217. 

Perrine,  F.  C..  883. 

Peterson,  A.  H.,  64-3. 

Peterson,  H.  J.,  644. 

Peterson,  W.  A.,  614. 

Pettingill,  W.,  781. 

Pfau,  Jacob,  814. 

Philippi,  Antony,  877. 

Philip  II.  orders  a  survey  of  the  Pacific  coast  of 
North  America,  45,  46. 

Phillips,  D.  T.,  8JO. 

Phillips,  Edward,  murder  of,  36!). 

Phillips,  (i.  \V.,  782. 

Phillips,  John,  (ill. 

Pierce.  A.,  684. 

Pierce,  S.  A.,  782. 

Pilcher,  Major,  leads  a  band  of  trappers  to  <  > re- 


gon,  200,  201,  213. 
ilsb 


Pi  Isbnry,  S.  G.,  X52,  8-53. 

Pioneer  Oil  Works,  560,  .561. 
'    Pitman.  Anna  Maria.  216  .".id;. 

Plums.  569. 

i    Point  of  Rocks,  fight  at,  226,  227. 
i    Polk,  President,  signs  Thornton's  bill,  327. 
;    Pollock,  Robert,  872. 
:    Pomeroy,  F.  F.,  661. 

Pomeroy.  F.  F..  Jr.,  0!)7. 

Pomeroy,  Lyman,  782. 
i  Pomeroy.  Walter,  249. 
i  Pope,  T.  A..  7 1 1. 

Poppleton,  Edgar,  815. 

Population  of  Oregon— In  1835,  226. 
—In  1840,  232.  233,  239. 
—In  1.S13,  277. 
—Table  of,  591. 

Porter,  J.  A..  782. 
I    Porter,  R.  M.,  722. 


X 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  T ALLEY. 


Porter.  Thomas  L.,  815. 

Porter,  \V.  !>.,  X15. 

Porter,  William,  697. 

PorteiTn.'ld.J.  !•:.,  723. 

Port  Montgomery,  122. 

Port  Nunez  Gaona.    <SVr  f\cn/i  ttny. 

Portsmouth,  American  sliip  of- war,  322. 

Potatoes,  563,  5ii4,  572;  production  of,  in  1880,  564. 

Potato  starch,  a  possible  industrial  product,  572. 

Potter,  .1.  M..  sio. 

Potter,  Robert,  7*2. 

Poujade,  I,.  H.,  681. 

Powell,  A.  T.,  782,  78:!. 

Powell,  F.  S.,  741. 

Powell,  J.  A.,  744. 

Powell.  .1.  M.,  8:57. 

Powell,  L.  J.,  684,  6X5. 

Powell,  \V.  S..  7S:i. 

Prairies,  518, 619. 

IVather,  \V.  !'..,  2SI,  (127,628. 

Pratt,  I..  C'.,  810. 

Pratt,  O.  C.,  328. 

Precious  metals,  the,  53s ,  V'.'.i. 

Prescott,  C.  II.,  manager  O.  R.  <&  N.  Co.,  oil. 

Prettyman,  1>.  i>.,  (>S5. 

Prevost,  J.  15.,  V.  S.  Comm.,  16;"),  167. 

Price,  Nimrod,  841. 

Price,  \V.  L.,  723. 

Prinaesa  Jim/,  Spanish  ship.  M2,  103,  107. 

f'riHcesH  and  Favorita,  Spanish  ships,  91. 

Provisional    Government.  !'•". ;,    210-215,    251-257; 
meetings  preliminary  to  organization,  251- 
2-V,:  election  «>r  isii,  _si,  -s2,  286,  287;  election 
of  1S47,  803,  301 :  election  of  1848,  304. 
—The  Legislative  Committee,  254;  first  legis 
lative  session,  25 1;  ollicers  ot,  256,257. 
—  Dissolution  of,  328. 

Prunes.  5ns. 

Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company,  organized, 
2:54,  247,  57S. 

Puget  Sound,  derivation  of  name,  128;  first 
A  meriea  n  sett  lenient  at,  285 ;  Indian  troubles 
at,  4215,  46S,  Hi!). 

Purvine,  A.  J.,  6!)7,  61)8. 

Purvine,  J.  L.,  »»!>8. 

Putnam,  R.  B.,  S37. 

Putnam,  D.  B.,  (585. 

o. 

t|ueener,  J.  P.,  8.57. 

quick,  I).  O.,  84!),  850. 

0,'uimper,  Lieut.  Alfere/,  JM.,  explorations  of,  114. 

II. 

.Rdcc.oon,  English  man-of-war,  163. 

Railways,  treatise  upon.  491-513. 

Raines,  Major,  U.  S.  A.,  362,  386,  ;•}»!,  393,  405,  106, 

•I1 17,  408,411,  412,425,426. 
Rainfall,  52ii,  530,  5:53-535. 
Ralph,  Walter,  748. 
Ramsby,  R.  C.,  723. 
Ramsey,  David,  68"). 
Ramsey,  W.  M.,  6*5. 
Randle,  S:  A.,  879. 
Ranes,  J.  T.,  815. 
Ray,  Charles,  723,  724. 
Ray's  Landing,  508. 
Raymond,  H.  C.,  783. 
Reams,  II.,  8ti8. 
Redfield,  F.  M.,  888. 
Redmond,  F.  W.,  885. 
Red  River  Immigration,  234,  247,  606,  607. 
Reed,  C.  A.,  724. 

Reed,  John,  159, 162;  killed,  164. 
Reed,  S.  G.,  575. 
Reed,  W.  H.,  707. 
Rees,  AVillard  H.,  283,  284,  303,  304. 
r\<>Kohition  and  Discovery,  Capt.  Cook's  ships,  84, 

90. 

Revilla-Gigedo,  Viceroy  of  Mexico,  107, 115,  127.    i 
Rhoades,  T.  W.,  841. 
Rice,  J.  N.,  724. 
Rice,  Samuel,  744. 
Rice  Settlement,  descent  upon  by  Indians,  400, 

401. 

Richards,  Rev.  G.  P.,  missionary,  232. 
Richards,  James,  815,  816. 
Richardson,  A.  J.,  837. 
Richardson,  E.  H..  837. 
Richardson,  Enoch,  745. 


Richardson,  N.  C.,  686. 

Richardson,  John,  745. 

Richardson,  John  W.,  745. 

Richmond,  T.  G.,  816. 

Rickey,  James,  724. 

Ridgeway,  William,  644. 

Rigbey,  Francis,  872,  873. 

Rigdon,  W.  T.,  724. 

Riggs,  Silas  T.,  745. 

Riggs,  Daniel  L.,  898. 

Riley,  J.  B.,  725. 

Rinearson,  Capt.  Jacob,  engages  in  the  Rogue 

River  war,  379. 
Rinearson,  P.  M.,  563,  641. 
Risley,  Jacob  S.,  645. 
Risley,  Orville,  645. 
Ritner,  S.  B.,  615. 
Robertson,  L.  W.,  873. 
Robertson,  R.  M.,  783. 
Robinson,  B.  M.,896. 
Robinson,  J.  B.,  645. 
Rock,  John,  873. 
Rockenfield,  C.  S.,  868,869. 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Co.,  192,  193,  201,  202. 
"Rocky  Mountain  Retreat,"  602 
Rogers,  Cornelius,  214. 
Rogers,  J.  L.,  843. 
Rogers,  J.  W.,  645, 
Rogue  River  Indian  Wars ;    war  of  1853,  353-360; 

war  of  185-5-6,  367-379,  391-104,  433-446. 
Rogue  River  Valley,  503.— - 
Roland,  David,  783. 
Roork,  J.  H.,  853. 
Root,  L.,  896. 

Roseburg,  railway  reaches,  502. 
Ross,  George  W.,  888. 

Ross,  John  E.,  312,  -'539,  ,3-56,  357,  358,  361,  378,  396. 
Roth,  Charles,  686. 
Rowell,  J.  M.,  686. 
Rowell,  Z.  M.,  816. 
Rowland,  Jeremiah,  284,  628. 
Rowland,  J.  O.,  784. 
Rowland,  L.  L.,  628.  629. 
Ruble,  WTilliam,  552. 
Rudder,  M.  C.,  888,  889. 
Rush,  American  Commissioner,  181. 
Russell,  Osborn,  281,  2S6. 
Russia,  her  subjects  in  America,  56;   fur  trade 

of,  56-63;  explorations,  56-63;  activity  of,  77  ; 

treatment  of  natives,  149. 
Russian  explorations  of  the  Northwest  Coast, 

92,  93. 

—Claims  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  180. 
Ryswick,  treaty  of,  65. 


Salmon,  and  Salmon  fishing,  204,  484,  485 

Sampson,  J.  K.,  784. 

Km  no-Ins,  Spanish  ship  65,  79,  102,  103,  104. 

San  Francisco,  bay  of,  Drake's  proximity  to, 30; 

discovered  by  Portala,  64,  65. 
Mm.tii/i/o,  Spanish  ship,  78,  79. 
Santiam  mines,  539. 
Sappington.  G.  W.,  645,  646. 
Sappington,  J.  A.,  646. 
Sappington,  J.  M.,  646. 
Savage,  E.,  816. 
Savage,  H.  W.,  888. 
Savage,  William,  646. 
Saylor,  A.  L.,  784. 
Schieffelin,  Clinton,  371. 
Scheurer,  W.  R.,  830. 
Schmeer,  John,  814. 
Scholfield,  Benjamin,  842,  843, 
Schooling,  J.  P.,  784,  785. 
Schwatka,  F.,  816,  817. 
Scoggin,  W.  G.,  629. 
Scott,  Harvey  W.,  817,  8 is. 
Scott,  John  T.,  785. 
Scott,  Levi,  298. 
Scott,  L.  S.,  846,  847. 
Scott,  T.  B.,  818. 
Scottsburg,  foundation  of,  337. 
Scovell,  L.  C.,  818. 
Scurvy,  desci'iption  of  the,  49. 
Second  Regiment,  O.  M.  V.,  organization  of,  433. 
Seguiu,  Louis,  885,  886. 
Semple,  General,  speech  by,  262. 
Serra,  Father  Junipero,  65. 
Shadden,  Thomas  J.,  249,  250,  620. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


XI 


Shark,  schooner,  U.  S.  N.,  shipwrecked,  300. 

Shasta,  Mt.,  first  named  McLoughlin,  200. 

Shattuck,  E.  D.,  818. 

Shaw,  A.  C.  R.,  578. 

Shaw,  B.  F.,  284,  629. 

Shaw,  Joshua,  578. 

Shaw,  J.  R.,  785. 

Shaw,  Thomas  C.,  284,  629. 

Sheep,  577-580;  number  of,  in  1880  arid  1883,  580. 

Shelley,  R.,  698. 

Shelton,  Harvey,  686. 

Shelton,  H.,  686. 

Shelton,  Isaac,  murdered,  374. 

Shelton,  J.  W.,  661. 

Shepard,  Cyrus,  208,  210,  217. 

Sheridan,  Lieut.  Philip,  U.  S.  A.,  407,  408. 

Sheriff,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  English  Comm.,  167. 

Shields,  James,  785. 

Shively,  J.  M.,  U.  S.  official,  319,  321. 

Shobe,  L.,  892. 

Shuck,  Andrew,  686,  687. 

Shuster,  H.  S.,  873. 

"Siege  of  Galice  Creek,"  395,  396. 

Simms,  H.  H.,  725. 

Simpson,  Ben.,  661,  662. 

Simpson,  G.  B.,  S18,  819. 

Simpson,  Isaac  N.,  646,  647. 

Simpson,  Sir  George,  195,  227,  247. 

Sippy,  John,  819. 

Sitton,  N.  R.,  620,  621. 

Skinner,  Alonzo  A.,  328,  339,  344,  647. 

Slaughter,  Lieutenant7387,  425. 

Slavery,  Oregon's  firm  stand  against,  350,351. 

See  Rill,  Congressional. 
Sloan,  Joseph,  896,  897. 
Sloan,  Mrs.  S.  A.,  847. 
Slocum,  Lieut.  W.  A.,  U.  S.  N.,  assists  Orego- 

nians,  230. 

Small,  I.  H.,  830,  831. 
Smith,  Rev.  A.  B.,  missionary,  214,  258,  ,358,  371, 

373. 

Smith,  Capt.  A.  J.,  396,  399,  434,  435,  443,  476. 
Smith,  A.  T.,  606. 
Smith,  Benj.  F.,  745,  746. 
Smith,  B.  F.,  662. 
Smith,  B.  M.,  819. 
Smith,  D.  A.,  889. 
Smith,  Damon,  785. 
Smith,  David  (of  Forest  Grove),  746. 
Smith,  David  (of  Lebanon),  785,  786. 
Smith,  Delazon,  350,  a51,  786. 
Smith,  Delevan,  786,  787. 
Smith,  Elijah,  President  O.  R.  &  N.  Co.,  311. 
Smith,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  662. 
Smith,  G.  H.,  597. 
Smith,  George  N.,  869. 
Smith,  Hiram,  647. 

Smith,  Hiram  (of  Harrisburg),  819,  820. 
Smith,  I.  L.,  869. 
Smith,  J.  D.,  662. 
Smith,  Jedediah  S.,  first  overland  journey  by, 

192-195;   battle  on  the  Umpqua,  194,  et  sea., 

200,  201. 

Smith,  J.  S.,  647,  648. 
Smith,  John  T.,  787. 
Smith,  L.  S.,  662. 
Smith,  S.  A.,  787. 
Smith,  Solomon,  226. 
Smith,  S.  W.,  820. 
Smith,  Sydney,  232,  249,  597. 
Smith,  T.  C.,  871. 
Smith,  Thomas,  303. 
Smith,  W.  P.,  746. 
Snake  River  Indians,  murder  by,  164 ;  hostilities 

with,  361-364. 

Soils,  discussion  of  the,  542-546,  552,  553. 
Sonora,  Spanish  ship,  79,  80,  81,  83. 
Southern  Route,  explored   by   the   Applegate 

party,  298,  299;  its  subsequent  use,  302,  :<03. 
Southern  Oregon,  discovery  of  gold  in,  330,  337, 

338. 

South  Sea  Company,  its  monopoly,  9  J;  its  fall,  95. 
Spain — Commerce  of,  27. 

—Policy  of  its  government,  17. 

—Conquests  of,  in  the  New  World,  17-129 ;  in 
the  Philippine  Islands  27. 

—Apathy  in  making  scientific  explorations, 

Spalding',  Rev.  H.  H.,1  missionary,  212,  214,  308, 
310,311,3X5. 


Spanish  Voyageurs — Unscientific  methods  of,  si. 
— Adventurers  in  America,  character  of,  is. 
—Explorations  of  Northwest  Coast,  102-107. 

Sperry,  T.  B.,  74<i. 

Sportsman,  Wm.,  lilts. 

Springer,  B.  II.,  72-5. 

Spring  Hill  Farm,  870. 

Staats,  Isaac,  fits. 

starts,  Stephen,  649. 

Staiger,  J.  F.,  sr,.;. 

Staiger,  Wm.,  853. 

Stan  ton,  W.  G.,787. 

Stapleton,  J.,  892. 

Starkweather,  W.  A.,  725. 

Starr,  I.  W.,  820. 

State  Election,  the  first,  351. 

State  House,  the  first.  257;  at  Salem,  burned, 
347. 

State  Insurance  Company,  749,  762. 

Statesman,  newspaper,  346. 

Stearns,  L.  B.,  820. 

Stephenson,  John,  820. 

Stephenson,  William,  820. 

Steptoe,  Col.,  IT.  S.  A.,  453,  45<>.  463,  470,  471. 

Steptoe's  Retreat,  471-473. 

Stevens,  Isaac  I.,  :HS,  124,  425.  120,  427,  45<>.  4-57,  itfl. 
468;  letter  by,  4<>4-467;  attacks  Gen.  Wool,  423 
et  sea.:  makes  treaty  witli  Yakimas,  380,  381, 
382,  383:  indiscretion  of,  382. 

Stewart,  B.  E.,  »M7. 

Stewart,  Capt.  See  Drummond,  Sir  W. 

Stewart,  Capt.,  U.  S.  A.,  killed  on  the  Rogue 
River,  338. 

Stewart,  James,  821. 

Stewart,  P.  G.,  281. 

St.  George  Sound.    See  Nootka  Sound. 

Stillwell,  L.  L.,  831. 

Stimpson,  George  W.,  834. 

Stites,  T.  .L,  8.50. 

St.  Louis  (Fort),  established,  189. 

Stock  Whitley,  chief  of  the  Des  Chutes,  420. 

Stolz,  G.,  877. 

Stone*  Samuel,  821. 

Stott,  J.  M.,  Sr.,  747. 

Stott,  J.  M.,  Jr.,  831. 

Stott,  John  S.,  834,  835. 

Stott,  Raleigh,  747. 

Strahan,  R.  S.,  857. 

Straight,  Hiram  A.,  276,  (121. 
i    Strang,  Ben.,  787. 

Stratton,  C.  P.,  821. 
I  Stratton,  J.  A.,  831. 
;  Stratton,  R.  E.,  351. 
!  Strong,  J.  E.,  847. 

Strong,  William,  335. 

Stuart,  David,  161.    See  Aiiti'ricmi  AVr  Oo. 

Stuart,  Robert,  161.    See  Amcrinfin  Fur  Cb. 

Stump,  David.  649. 

Sublette,  William,  193,  201. 
i    Suiter,  L.  T.,  837,  888. 
I    Summerville,  H.  B.,  747. 

{    Sutil  and  Mexicans,  Spanish  schooners,  117,  123. 
1    Sutter,  John  A.,  32». 

Suver,  Joseph  W.,  (W ». 

Swafford,  Elias  W.,  787. 

Swafford,  J.  L.,  821. 

Swearingen,  Isaac  S.,  7S7,  7.ss. 

Swegle,  Charles,  698. 

Swick,  B.F.,  821. 

Swick,  L.,  822. 

Swick,  Minor,  822. 

T. 

Talkington,  F.  P.,  8M. 

Ta-ma-has,  a  bad  Indian,  executed  at  Oregon 
City,  318. 

Tam-su-ky,  Indian  chief, .'««,  309,  317,318. 

Tanner,  A.  H.,  835. 

Taylor,  Anderson.  TSS. 

Taylor,  Christopher,  (JS7. 

Telegraph.  317. 

Territorial  Government,  petition  tor,  240,  241; 
Thornton's  hill,  321 ;  its  passage, 325-327 ;  first 
election,  32S,  :!2!>;  organization  of,  333. 

Tetherow  G.  A.,  707. 

Tetherow,  T.  B.,  til!*. 

Thayer,  A.  J.,  492, 822. 

The  Dalles  Mission,  217,  220,  2-38;  bought  by  Whit 
man,  305,  307. 

— Taken  possession  of  by  American  troops, 
312, 


Xll 


HISTORY  OF  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Thomas,  I).  C.,831. 

Thomas,  E.  N.,  822. 

Thomas,  F.,  649. 

Thompson,  D.  M.,  707. 

Thompson,  Jacob,  788. 

Thompson,  James  I.,  843. 

Thompson,  John,  844. 

Thompson,  J.  M.,  822. 

Thompson,  T.  W.,  841. 

Thorn,  Capt.  Jonathan.    Nee  Tanqttin. 

Thornton,  J.  Q,ulnn,  328;  extract  from  writings 
of,  240;  concerning  the  Applegate  Route,  299; 
his  errand  to  Washington,  321 ;  presents  me 
morial  to  Congress,  322. 

Thorp,  Major,  283. 

Thurston,  Samuel  R.,  302,  304,  :533,  337. 

Tibbetts, .  230. 

Tiffany,  G.  W.,  879,  880. 

Tilleson,  Kd.,  stiO.  SHI. 

Tillotson,  George,  788. 

Tipsu  Tyee.  Indian  chief,  301,  309. 

'J'onquin,  American  ship,  151,  152;  taken  by  In 
dians,  153-150. 

Townsend,  Ira  s.,  687,  088 

Townseiid,  J.  H.,  831. 

Townsend,  J.  M.',  (587. 

Townsend,  W.  M.,  801. 

Tozier,  0.  T.,  S53. 

Train,  S.  S..  ssti. 

Transcontinental  Company,  lease  the  (').  *feC.  R. 
R.,  .503,  504.  . 

Trappers,  American,  character  of.  188. 

Traveller,  II.  S.  steamer,  tires  upon  hostiles,  469. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  164. 

Trees,  forest,  list  of,  524. 

Trinidad.  Bay  of,  79. 

Truitt,  Warren,  871. 

Tshimikain  mission.  300. 

Tualatin  Plains,  249  ;  panic  of  the  people  of,  392. 

Tucker,  H.  B.,  788. 

Tucker.  Thomas.  788,  789. 

Turner,  George  H.,  789. 

Turner,  John,  199,  226,  227.  230,  231. 

Turilips,  563. 

Turpin,  T).  L..  850. 

T'Vault,  W.  G.,  300,  339. 

Tyler,  Asher.  877. 

U. 

Umatilla  Indians,  treaty  with,  381. 
Um-how-lish.  Cayuse  chief,  307'. 
Umpqua  massacre,  194. 

[Jmpqua  River,  tradition  of  galleons  in.  51. 
Underwood,  William,  838. 
Uzafovage,  (;..  789. 


Vacant  lands,  519-528. 
Van  Buskirk,  Daniel,  789. 
Van  Buskirk,  John,  789. 
Van  Buskirk,  Joseph,  789,  79<i. 
Van  Buskirk,  William,  790. 
Van  Buskirk,  William,  Sr.,  790. 
Vance,  William,  822,  823. 
Vancouver  Island,  how  named,  12-5. 
Vancouver  (Fort),  named  and  founded.  175;  de 
scription.  176-178. 

Vancouver,  Capt.  Geo.,  R.  N.,  voyage  of,  118-128. 
Vanduyn,  I.,  747. 
Vtin  Horn,  D.,  889. 
Vaughan,  H.,  578. 
Vaughn,  J.  W.,  873,  874. 
Vegetables,  garden,  563,  5iii. 
Venner,  J.  F'.,  883. 

Verendryes,  the,  explorations  of,  08,  K9. 
Villard,  Henry,  -506,  507,  511. 
Viscaino,  Sebastian,  voyage  of,  46-49.    • 

W, 

Waggener,  R.,  874. 

Waiilatpu  Mission.  213,  214;  condition   in  1847. 

306,  et  seq. 

Wait.  Aaron  E..  (iss. 
Wait'.  T.  B.,  82::. 
Waite,  E.  M.,  748. 
Waldo  Hills,  soil  of  the,  544. 
Waldo.  William,  270.  621. 
Walker,  C.  C.,  650. 
Walker,  Courtney  M..  226. 
Walker,  Rev.  FJkanah,  missionary,  214,  598. 


Walker,  Capt.  Jesse,  commands  emigrant  escort, 

Walker,  J.  H.,  650. 

Walker  and  Jamison,  murder  of,  387. 

Walker,  Louis,  897. 

Walker,  Mrs.  Mary,  missionary,  214.  298. 

Walker,  S.  A.,  823. 

Walker,  W.  W.,  698,  695). 

Walla  Walla,  council  of,  382;  settlers  in,  in  1856, 
379,  380;  battle  of,  417-422. 

Walla  Walla  Indians,  139, 140. 141, 160, 259,  409, 413, 
415-420 ;  kindness  of,  160 ;  alarm  of,  at  stories 
of  American  intentions,  259;  treaty  with, 
381 ;  attacked  by  whites,  413;  hostilities  with, 
413,  420. 

Wallace,  C.  A.,  790. 

Waller,  A.  F.,  missionary,  232,  897. 

Waller,  G.  T.,  688. 

Waller,  H.  M.,  688,  689. 

Waller,  O.  A.,  621. 

Waller,  T.  O.,  708. 

Walling,  J.  D.,  689. 

Walling,  N.,  689. 

Walters,  Harry,  853,  854, 

War  Eagle.  Cayuse  chief,  killed,  315. 

War  of  1812,  effect  of,  162. 

Warner,  Arthur,  823. 

Warren,  A.  J.,  725,  726. 

Warren,  Henry,  689. 

Warrener,  Thomas,  284,  630. 

Warrinner,  W.  C.,  823, 824. 

Washburn,  James  H.,  790. 

Washington  Territory,  moves  for  self-govern 
ment,  343;  Territory  organized,  343,  344. 

Waterhouse,  Warren,  791. 

Waterman,  John  Orvis,  335. 

Waters,  Abner  W.,  726. 

Waters,  James,  313 ;  elected  colonel,  317. 

Waters,  W.  H.  H.,  791. 

Watkinds.  Win.  H  ,  791. 

Watson,  E.  B.,  824,  825. 

Watt,  John,  699. 

Watt,  Joseph,  283,  284,  579,  630. 

Watts,  F.  A.,  690. 

Watts,  J.  W.,  791,  792. 

Watts,  M.  M.,  726. 

Waymire,  John,  650. 

Weatherford,  J.  K.,  857,  858. 

Wehrung,  H.,  748. 

Well  Springs,  battle  of,  314,  315. 

Wells,  D.  R.,  869. 

Wells,  G.  A.,  825. 

Wells,  John  C.,  792. 

Wells,  R.  F.,  825. 

Wells,  W.  A.,  557,  792,  793. 

Wells,  William,  793. 

Western  Star,  newspaper,  335,  336,  337. 

Weston,  David,  249,  610. 

Wheat,  547-559 ;  table  of  production  of,  559,  .585. 

Wheeler,  Almon,  854. 

Wheeler,  James,  662,  663. 

Wheeler,  Jason,  690. 

Wheeler;  John,  663. 

Wheeler,  L.  M.,  690. 

Wheeler,  Solomon,  630. 

Whitcomb,  Lot,  240,  335,  336. 

Whiteaker,  Benj.,  699. 

Whiteaker,  D.  J.,  699. 

Whiteaker,  John,  351,  793. 

White,  Ashley,  889. 

White,  E.  D.,  748. 

White,  E.  NM  650. 

White,  Dr.  Elijah,  216,  247,  248,  249,  252,  253,  358, 
289;  offers  reward  for  Indian  depredators, 
280,  287 ;  memorial  episode  of,  287,  288. 

White  H.  B.,  748,  749. 

White,  J.  H.,  861. 

White,  L.,  690,  691. 

White,  W.  L.,  726. 

Whitlock,  E.  H.,  726. 

Whitlock,  W.,  Sr.f  708. 

Whitlock,  W.  T.,  708. 

Whitman,  Marcus,  missionary,  210-214,  234,  246, 
247,  249 ;  energy  in  inducing  immigration  to 
Oregon,  258,  262,  263-275;  estimate  of  his  ser 
vices,  266,  et  seq. :  his  journey  to  Washington, 
269,270,271;  writes  a  descriptive  pamphlet, 
271,  274,  275;  affairs  of,  in  1847,  306,  307,  et  seq.  ; 
days  preceding  the  massacre  of,  308-310; 
murder  of,  by  Indians,  310,  311. 


GENERAL  INI  MX. 


Xlll 


Whitman,  Perrin  B.,  307. 

Whitman,  Ch.,  889,  890. 

Whitman,  J.  J.,  861. 

Whitman,  William,  »K)1. 

Wilcox,  David,  874. 

Wilcox.  G.  W.,  «91. 

Wilcox,  Ralph,  650,  Hoi. 

Wilcox,  S.  E,  691. 

Wiley,  R.  E.,  651. 

Wiley,  Mrs.  R.  E.,  599. 

Wilkes,  Captain  Charles,  U.  S.  N..  244,  -245. 

Wilkins,  Caleb,  246,  247,  596. 

Willamette  Cattle  Co.,  230,  231. 

Willamette  Falls,  479,  480;  settlement  proposed 

at,  227,  228,  233,  250,  2-52;  political  meeting  at. 

253. 
Willamette   River,  discovered   by  Lewis   and 

Clarke,  138,  139;  derivation  and  corruption 

of  its  name,  139,  488,  489;  other  names  of.  479, 

489. 

Willamette  University,  250,  251. 
Willamette  Valley,  its  extent  and  boundaries, 

513,514;  its  streams,  514;  general  description 

of,  513-547. 

Willamette  Woolen  Mills,  579. 
Williams,  C.  O.  T..  793. 
Williams,  E.  C.,  898. 
Williams,  George,  749. 
Williams,  George  H.,  344,  825. 
Williams,  J.  J.,  284,  60,  631.. 
Williams,  L.  L.,  832. 
Williams,  Robert  L.,  433.  434. 
Williams,  P.  W.,  651. 
Williams,  SamueL  607. 

Willson,  Dr.  W.  H.,  216,  337 ;  treasurer  of « )r.,  257. 
Wilmot,  R.  P.,  726,  727. 
Wilson,  Alfred,  727. 
Wilson,  Andrew,  880. 
Wilson,  A.  E.,  first  supreme  judge,  257. 
Wilson,  B.  W.,  727. 
Wilson,  Capt.,  411,  417. 
WTilson,  John,  importer  of  stock,  301. 
Wilson,  Joseph  G.,  794 
Wilson,  J.  Q,.,  794. 
Winship,  Nathan,  forms  a  station  at  Oak  Point, 

146. 


"  Wolf  Meetings,"  251,  252. 

Wolverton,  C.  E.,  826.  • 

Wolverton,  John,  826. 

Wood,  Frank  D.,  865. 

Woodin,  A.  B.,  880. 

Woods,  George  L.,  691,  692. 

Woodworth,  C.  8.,  749. 

Woodworth,  John,  226. 

Wooley,  Jacob,  651. 

Wool,  Gen.  John  E..  363,  368,  3IM,  3S5.  :«9,  390,  391, 

412,  417,  421,  422,  423,  42-5.. 
Wortman,  Jacob,  794. 
Wortman,  John,  794. 
Wright,  Ben,  33U. 
Wright,  Col.,  U.  S.  A.,  426,  447,  453,  4-54,  455,  456,  463, 

467,  473,  474 ;  lost  at  sea,  47o. 
Wright,  E.  J.,  794,  795. 
Wright,  J.G.,  825,826. 
Wright,  W.  P.,  835. 
Wrightman,  F.  T.,  874. 
Wyeth,  Nathaniel  J.,  fur  trader  and  explorer, 

197,  202,  204-206.  213,  225,  226. 

Y. 

Yakima  Indians,  treaty  with,  380,  381. 

Yakima  River,  battle  at,  407,  408 ;  retreat  from, 

411. 

Yakima  War,  the,  38-5-393,  405-432,  447-478. 
Yamhill  Indians,  the,  481. 
Yantis,  W.  W.,  795. 
Yeaton,  A.  T.,  866. 

Yellept,  Indian  chief.    See  Walla  Walla  India-tin. 
Yocum,  Franklin,  750. 
Yocum,  H.,  750. 
Yocum,  Thomas  J.,  692. 

Young,  Ewing    201,  226,  230,  242,  243.  573,  577. 
Young,  Isaac,  826. 
Young,  S.  E.,  795. 


Zieber,  A.,  750. 
Zinne,  George,  892. 
Zumwalt,  C.  P.,  651. 
Zumwalt,  Isaac,  663. 


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